Black Forest Cake is a rich, moist German chocolate cake recipe layered with homemade whipped cream frosting and a tart, rich cherry filling.
Layered cakes like Chocolate Cake, Carrot Cake, and Black Forest Cake are beautiful Cakes that are easy enough for Sunday dinner but fancy enough for holidays and birthdays.
Table of Contents
- Sabrina’s Black Forest Cake Recipe
- Ingredients
- Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- How to Make Black Forest Cake
- Recipe Card
- Chef’s Note: What is Black Forest Cake?
- Can this be made ahead of time?
- Why Make Black Forest Cake at Home?
- Nutritional Facts
- Baking Tips & Tricks
- What to Pair With Black Forest Cake
- How to Store
- Frequent Questions
- Variations
- Related Recipes
Sabrina’s Black Forest Cake Recipe
Black Forest Cake may look intimidating with its multiple layers and gorgeous decorations, but it actually isn’t that difficult to make. My recipe breaks it down with easy instructions and pictures so you can make a show-stopping dessert that blows your friends and family away. This kid-friendly, booze-free version means everyone can enjoy it on your next special occasion too!
Making a perfect cake is all about taking your time, using quality ingredients, and focusing on doing each part correctly. This cake is broken down into three main components: a chocolate layer cake, tart cherry pie filling, and Whipped Cream Frosting. It’s fairly simple and none of the ingredients are fancy or hard to find, you probably have most of them in your pantry right now.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Cocoa Powder: For an extra rich, dark chocolate layer cake, use dark cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder works too, it will just be slightly lighter in flavor and color.
- Sugar: This is a sweet cake with plenty of sugar in every layer. You can use 3 cups granulated sugar or brown sugar in the cherry mixture and the cake batter. You need to use 2 cups powdered sugar in the cream filling and topping or it won’t have the right texture.
- Flour Mixture: 2 cups all-purpose flour is perfect for this cake recipe. You’ll mix it with 1 ½ teaspoons each of baking soda and baking powder, plus 1 teaspoon of salt.
- 1 Cup Hot Coffee: Adding coffee to chocolate desserts enhances the flavor of the chocolate. Hot coffee is key to developing the flavor but your cake will not taste like coffee, it will just have a really intense chocolate flavor!
- Wet Ingredients: 1 cup of whole milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract are used for the cake batter. 4 cups of heavy cream, 16 ounces of cream cheese, 2 additional tablespoons of vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon almond extract are used for the light, whipped frosting and rich, tart filling.
- Cherry Mixture: Sour, tart cherries are best for this sweet cake to add some balance and cut the sweetness. I used 40 ounces of jarred cherries over fresh cherries because I don’t have to cook them as long to get them soft and juicy. ¼ cup cornstarch will help thicken the cherry mixture once it’s cooked.
- Chocolate Shavings: 12 ounces fresh dark chocolate shavings make a simple, pretty decoration. Use a vegetable peeler to scrape a block of chocolate into small, broken shavings. Bittersweet baking chocolate would also cut the sweetness of the cake.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- 9-Inch Cake Pans: You’ll use 3 pans to make your 3 cake layers. Round, 9-inch pans will work best, but 8-inch pans would work too, your cake will just be a little taller. You also may need to bake the cake longer.
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment: A stand mixer will make easy work of the cake batter, as well as your frosting. If you don’t have one, a handheld electric mixer will do the job.
- Medium Saucepan and Spatula: Use a medium saucepan to cook the cherry mixture. A rubber spatula can be used to stir and scrape the pan. The spatula would also do double duty in being used to scrape your mixing bowl.
How to Make Black Forest Cake
Time needed: 3 hours.
- Prep
Preheat the oven and grease the cake pans. Then dust the pans with cocoa powder.
- Dry Ingredients
Mix the sugar with the dry ingredients in a stand mixer on low speed.
- Wet Ingredients
Whisk the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla together. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the hot coffee by hand.
- Bake
Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake. Cool the cakes in the pans, then on wire racks.
- Frosting
Beat cream cheese and sugar in the stand mixer until stiff peaks form, then transfer to a separate bowl. In a clean, cold bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold in the cream cheese mixture until creamy.
- Drain Cherries
Reserve ½ cup of cherry juice and then drain the cherries. If you want a cherry syrup layer, reserve the remaining canned cherry juice in a small bowl.
- Cook Cherries
Dissolve cornstarch in the cherry juice in a saucepan. Stir the cherries into the cherry cornstarch slurry and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until thickened, then turn off the heat and stir in extracts. Cool completely.
- Prep Cakes
Make the cake layers level and spread a spoonful of frosting on the cake plate. Place the first cake layer on the plate. Spread 1 cup cream frosting over the first cake layer evenly. Add cherry filling on top of the frosting leaving a thick border.
- Assemble
Repeat with the second cake layer. Top with the third layer of cake. Add 1 cup of frosting to the top of the cake and spread evenly.
- Frost
Use 1 cup of frosting to coat the entire cake. Refrigerate to harden.
- Swirls
Divide the remaining frosting, half to frost the entire cake and half to pipe swirls on top.
- Chocolate Shavings
Gently press chocolate shavings halfway up the side of the cake.
- Finish
Spread the remaining cherry mixture inside the whipped cream swirl mounds and finish with more chocolate shavings.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 16 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups heavy cream
Cherry Filling:
- 40 ounces sour cherries , canned, pitted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
To Finish:
- 12 ounces dark chocolate bar , shaved thinly
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then butter and dust three 9-inch cake pans with cocoa powder.
- In a stand mixer on low speed, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla then add the mixture to the stand mixer on low, then medium speed until just combined. Finally, add in the hot coffee carefully, and stir it in by hand until just combined (do not turn on the mixer, as it may splash on you).
- Pour ⅓ of the batter into each of the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool for 15 minutes before removing them from the pans and finish cooling completely on wire racks before assembling.
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Add the cream cheese and powdered sugar to your stand mixer at medium speed for 1 minute until stiff peaks form. Remove from stand mixer and set aside.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla to the stand mixer and beat on high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add in the cream cheese mixture and beat on medium speed until creamy, 1-2 minutes.
Cherry Filling:
- Drain the canned cherries, reserving ½ cup of cherry juice.
- To a saucepan add the cherry juice and cornstarch, whisking until cornstarch is dissolved.
- Add in the cherries, stir, and heat on medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes until thickened.
- Turn off the heat and add in vanilla extract and almond extract.
- Let cool completely.
To Finish:
- To your cake stand add a spoonful of whipped cream frosting.
- Level the cakes with a large serrated knife and discard the cake pieces.
- Brush off excess crumbs.
- Add the first layer of the cake to the cake stand.
- Top with 1 cup of frosting and spread evenly.
- Spread with ⅓ of the cherry filling, leaving a 1-inch border of frosting around the cake to prevent cherries from spilling out.
- Top with a second layer of cake.
- Top with 1 cup of frosting, spread evenly.
- Spread with ⅓ of the cherry filling, leaving a 1-inch border of frosting around the cake.
- Top with the third layer of cake.
- Add 1 cup of frosting to the top of the cake and spread evenly.
- Add 1 cup of frosting, coating the outside of the cake.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the frosting to harden.
- Frost the cake with half the remaining frosting.
- Pipe swirly mounds onto the top of the cake.
- Press the chocolate shavings up against the side of the cake coming up halfway.
- Spoon the remaining cherry filling on the top of the cake inside of the piped frosting mounds.
- Sprinkle chocolate shards on top of the cake to finish.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: What is Black Forest Cake?
Black Forest Gateau, or Black Forest Cake, is a classic German chocolate cake made with dark chocolate cake batter, then layered with a whipped cream frosting and rich cherry filling. The cake is then decorated with whipped cream rosettes, whole cherries, and chocolate shavings. The cake is named after the German mountain range where it originated from as early as the 16th century. Authentic German versions must also have a layer of Kirsch, a cherry brandy, brushed on the cake layers.
Can this be made ahead of time?
You can make the entire cake a day or two in advance and refrigerate it. Do not freeze it once it’s frosted because whipped cream frosting doesn’t thaw well. If you are making it in advance, hold off on the whipped cream topping so it doesn’t get squashed.
You can also make the chocolate cake layers and cherry filling layer ahead of time. The chocolate sponge cake layers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap them in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag. Prepare the cherry pie filling then cool completely before freezing in an airtight container. When you are ready to serve, thaw the cakes and the cherry mixture overnight in the fridge. Make the whip cream topping and filling right before assembling so its nice and fluffy.
Why Make Black Forest Cake at Home?
Black Forest Cake is one of those beautiful cakes that is actually relatively easy for beginners to recreate. It’s essentially three basic desserts made separately and then layered together. Even the decorating part is simple with an easy to spread whipped cream frosting and chocolate shavings to cover up any imperfections. This flavorful, delicious cake is perfect for special occasions and your guests won’t know how easy it was to make!
Nutritional Facts
Baking Tips & Tricks
- Don’t over-mix the batter.
- When you mix the cake batter, mix until just combined and you cannot see any more dry ingredients. If you over-mix the batter, your cake can become tough.
- Cool cakes completely.
- Be sure to let your cake layers cool completely before frosting the cake, otherwise the light, creamy frosting will melt. Even a barely warm center can cause the frosting to melt.
What to Pair With Black Forest Cake
Black Forest Cake is a really special, classic dessert, and it pairs well with lots of things. You could serve up Black Forest Cake after a German-themed dinner with German Sauerbraten and German Cabbage. Another idea is to keep the cherry flavors going throughout your meal by serving a Cherry Cheese Log to start and Spicy Cherry Pop Roasted Pork for dinner.
How to Store
- Serve: Black Forest Cake is best served after it has chilled for at least 30 minutes. Since it has whipped cream frosting, this cake shouldn’t be at room temperature for more than 1 hour.
- Store: Tent the cake with aluminum foil so it doesn’t smash the frosting, or place in a cake storage container. Black Forest Cake is best within the first 3 days after it has been baked and assembled.
- Freeze: This isn’t a cake you should freeze after it’s frosted. You can freeze plain cake layers, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 3 months
Frequent Questions
A proper Black Forest Cake has three layers of chocolate cake with whole cherries and whipped cream fillings. It is frosted with whipped cream and has decorations of cherries, chocolate shavings, and even more whipped cream.
A traditional Black Forest Cake is made with Kirsch, or Kirschwasser, which is a cherry liquor made from sour cherries. My recipe does not use kirsch or any alcohol, however I use sour cherries so you get that sour flavor without the booze taste, making this kid-friendly.
In some recipes for Black Forest Cake, they add an extra step and soak the sponge cake in cherry syrup (or liquor) before assembling. My recipe uses baking soda and baking powder that retain moisture so I don’t need to soak the cake and don’t recommend it. However, you can brush cherry juice onto the top of each cake layer before adding the fillings if you want some extra cherry flavor.
A regular chocolate cake recipe and Black Forest Cake are very similar once your strip down the frostings and toppings. The main difference is the chocolate flavor, because a classic chocolate cake uses unsweetened cocoa powder. Black Forest batter is made with Dutch processed cocoa powder or dark cocoa so it has a more intense dark chocolate flavor.
Variations
- Cherries: For more cherry flavor, add a thin layer of cherry jam or brush a cherry syrup layer (or cherry juice) over the cake before frosting. You can swap sour cherries with canned cherry pie filling or homemade cherry pie filling if you have fresh cherries. Tart cherries are best, but you can use sweet cherries or maraschino cherries, just keep in mind this is already a very sweet cake.
- Buttermilk: Make an extra moist chocolate cake by using buttermilk in place of the whole milk in your cake batter. You could also use sour cream for a little tang that is similar to Red Velvet Cake.
- Liqueur: A traditional Black Forest Cake is made with Kirsch, a German cherry brandy, but there are other fruity liqueurs you could use if you want to make this recipe boozy. You could try a raspberry liqueur like Chambord or pomegranate liqueur like Pom.
- Chocolate Ganache: Pour Chocolate Ganache over the top of the cake before adding the whipped cream rosettes and the final cherry filling layer. You could also add ganache in between each cake layer. You will just need to refrigerate each layer so it sets before adding the next layer.
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