This Black Forest Cake combines rich chocolate cake layers with fresh cherries, cherry liqueur, and a simple whipped cream frosting.
Black Forest Cake was a staple when I was growing up (much to my dismay…read on).
You know, the grocery store kind with the nuclear red maraschino cherries? My mom loooooved that cake and always got it for her birthday, and often at other times throughout the year as well. This was epically disappointing to me.
Why on earth would you ruin a perfectly delicious cake with those sickly sweet, sticky, artificial tasting cherries? Whyyyyy? Needless to say, I ate around them, but they totally tainted the cake and frosting. Sad times.
Now that I think about it, it’s probably been a good 20-25 years since I’ve had that cake.
I’ve talked about my disdain for maraschino cherries before, and that feeling still holds true to this day. I have caved and used them as a garnish because I will admit, they look pretty and just go with certain desserts, but they get plucked right off before eating the cake.
Thing is, I actually love cherries. Real cherries. Fresh cherries. They are one of my favourite summer seasonal fruits. So, I set off to re-create the decades-old Black Forest Cake my way.
I promise you, this is one of the easiest cakes you will make.
It looks fancier than it is, and the chocolate bark was actually dead easy to make. The trickiest part of this cake is making sure you don’t have any lingering cherry pits in your cherries, which totally happened due to a less-than-stellar cherry pitter that broke after about 10 cherries.
Needless to say, it got returned.
So, super easy chocolate cake, a simple whipped cream for frosting, and fresh cherries. That’s really all you need.
In order to keep it traditional, I also made a cherry syrup (using kirsch – cherry liqueur) to brush onto the cake layers.
You can leave this out if you’d like to keep it kid-friendly or use a non-alcoholic cherry syrup.
How to Make Chocolate Bark
The chocolate bark on the side of the cake is much easier to make than it looks. I first saw this on my friend Janette’s Irish Chocolate Cake. She has a video tutorial to show you how to make it, and I basically followed her steps: melt chocolate, spread on parchment, chill, unroll.
The only difference is that I popped mine into the freezer for 20mins instead of the fridge for 30mins because I’m mega impatient.
I actually didn’t think it would work out, to be honest, since it was my first time trying it and all, but it worked great!
I actually thought my pieces were too big/thick and was thisclose to re-melting it and trying it again, but after I placed them on the cake they looked perfect.
You will have to work quickly with this chocolate bark — since the chocolate isn’t tempered, it will melt on contact.
I recommend using food safe latex gloves so that you’re not touching the chocolate directly. It will help a ton. I also popped the chocolate shards back in the fridge/freezer here and there to cool them off — it was a hot day too, so that didn’t help my plight.
At one point I actually had the cake and bark in the fridge and was placing the shards on the cake with the fridge door open (lol).
Desperate times. Is it Fall yet??
I used a vegetable peeler on a block of chocolate to create the chocolate shavings on top, and then used a 1M tip to pipe rosettes out of the whipped cream on top.
Really though, you could skip all the bells and whistles and just do a rustic frosting job with the whipped cream.
If you’re a Black Forest Cake fan, I hope you try this version! And if you’re not, maybe this recipe will convert you.
It is much better than the ones you can get at the grocery store, I promise!
Tips for this Black Forest Cake:
- You can leave the cherry liqueur out (though it is traditional) or use a non-alcoholic version.
- You can use maraschino cherries or use cherry pie filling instead of fresh cherries.
- When making the whipped cream frosting, make sure everything is chilled, as the cream will whip up better. I stick my mixer bowl and whisk in the freezer beforehand to chill them before starting.
- I used this technique from my friend Janette to create the chocolate bark. I recommend wearing food safe latex gloves when handling the bark, as the heat from your hands will melt the chocolate. Work quickly regardless!
- This cake will not keep incredibly long due to the whipped cream. I recommend eating within 1-2 days and storing in the fridge. I do not recommend freezing.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup hot water or hot coffee
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Cherry Liqueur Syrup:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup cherry liqueur
Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 3 cup whipping cream cold
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar sifted
Chocolate Bark:
- 250 g good quality dark chocolate chopped
Assembly:
- 2 1/2 cups cherries pitted and cut in half
- 1 bar dark chocolate for shavings (optional)
- cherries
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease two 8" round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour hot water in slowly as not to cook the eggs).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake for 45 mins or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Cherry Liqueur Syrup:
- Place sugar and water into a small pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 min then remove from heat. Stir in cherry liqueur and allow to cool completely.
Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Whip cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks. Ideally in a cold bowl with a cold whisk.
Chocolate Bark:
- Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in 20 second bursts in the microwave.
- Using a large offset spatula, spread melted chocolate in a thin layer on a large sheet of parchment.
- Roll up from the short side of the parchment. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until firm.
- Unroll to create chocolate bark.
Assembly:
- Cut each cake layer in half horizontally.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Brush generously with cherry syrup.
- Top with approximately 1 cup whipped cream and spread evenly. Top with approximately 1 cup of cherries and gently press them into the whipped cream. Repeat with remaining layers and frost the outside of the cake.
- Decorate with chocolate bark, chocolate shavings, rosettes, and cherries if desired.
Krupi says
Hi i dont have a cake mixer, can this all be done manually? or need a cake mixer? thanks
Olivia says
Hi Krupi! You can whisk the cake batter and the whipped cream by hand.
Belle says
Great recipe and the chocolate bark certainly brought on the wow factor! ..perfect for a beginner like me who still wants the cake to look nice! Made this for my boyfriend‘a birthday and everyone loved it!
Olivia says
Hi Belle! So happy everyone loved it 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Abby says
I’ve never made a cake like this! For the Cherry Liqueur Syrup, is it supposed to be super liquid-y? Or should it thicken up to more of a maple syrup consistency? Right now mine is completely liquid after being cooled.
Olivia says
Hi Abby! It should be thicker than just water. Not as thick as maple syrup (though depending on the brand those can be quite thin). In case this helps here are photos of what mine looks like: https://livforcake.com/simple-syrup-recipe/
Hina says
Hello 🙂 i am wanting to make this cake for 20 people so was thinking of doing 1 8 inch and 1 6 inch. And was wondering in order to acheive a 6 inch one should i half the recipe?
Also will this cake be sturdy for a 2 tier i.e 6 inch on top of 8 inch?
Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Hina! I would 2/3 the recipe for two 6″ pans. As for stacking, in theory, as long as a cake is properly supported it should be fine. That being said, the cake layers here are fairly delicate, moreso when cut in half, and whipped cream is a very soft frosting. You’d really need to make sure your supports are thick and strong and can handle it as the cake itself wont be able to take much weight. I hope that helps!
Julie says
After seeing so many of great reviews, I’m excited to try this. I have one concern. If I made the cake fully decorated the night before and put it in the refrigerator over night, how long can the cake sit on the counter for serving the next day? I want the cake to come to room temperature but I worry that the whipped topping can’t be out that long.
Olivia says
Hi Julie! Because of the whipped cream frosting, it’s best to eat the cake same day and I wouldn’t leave it out on the counter too long. Whipped cream is extremely perishable and shouldn’t be out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.
Tati says
What you can do to make your whipped cream last is stabilize it. To do that, all you need to do is at the end add 2-3 TBS of flour and then it stays good for several days in the fridge!!
Olivia says
Thanks for the tip Tati!
Pooja says
Can I use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?
Olivia says
Hi Pooja! Yes, that will work fine.
Meghan says
Can I make this ahead and travel with it (day before assembly and driving a couple hours next day) without worrying about the whip.cream frosting?
Olivia says
Hi Meghan! I don’t recommend that, I don’t think it will hold up. Whipped cream frosting doesn’t last long as it is and it is very unstable. Can you make the components and travel with those instead? Make the whipped cream on site and assemble there?
Kat says
Hi!
I was wondering if you think that this cherry flavour (http://www.boyajianinc.com/bakingCherry.html) will work in place of the liqueur? I only ask because my husband is too high risk for me to go into a store now, and with all the shipping delays, I am worried the syrup you linked to in your post might not arrive on time to me. Anyway, I just thought I’d ask for backup.
Thank you kindly – I’m looking forward to making this.
Olivia says
Hi Kat! I haven’t tried that myself. Is it like a cherry extract or more like a cherry syrup? If the latter then it should be totally fine. If an extract it might be too strong.
Olivia says
Actually, I just looked up more info on it, I think it’s an extract. I would use that instead of the cherry liqueur to make the cherry syrup in the recipe. Start with maybe 1 tsp and add more if it’s not strong enough (taste the syrup once it cools and add more as needed).
Kat says
Hi! Thank you so much for your answer. I think it is an extract as well. If the non-alcoholic syrup isn’t on time I will definitely try that – thanks again!
Olivia says
No problem! Let me know how it turns out either way 🙂
Sid says
Can we use egg replacer to replace the eggs?
Or could you please suggest an eggless alternative?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Sid! I haven’t tried this myself. It may change the texture slightly but I suspect it would be fine.
Cookies says
This cake was so easy to make and a big hit! The cake itself was so light!
Olivia says
So happy you loved it! 🙂
Nora says
I just made this and I can’t wait to taste it. I made the cake last night and let it sit overnight on the counter to dry out a bit. I do this every time that I have to cut horizontal. It came out perfect!
Olivia says
Hi Nora! I hope you love it 🙂
Claudia says
Does it have to be dark/ german cocoa powder? All I have is regular
Thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Claudia! Regular will work fine 🙂
PJ says
Are there any alternatives i could use for this instead of the buttermilk?
Olivia says
Hi PJ! Buttermilk is needed for this recipe but you can make your own at home by adding 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk and letting it sit for 10mins.
Joshua says
I’m confused when it says to dust with cocoa then parchment.
Olivia says
Hi Joshua! It just means to grease the pan and dust it with cocoa powder (you can use flour but that will leave a white residue on the cake layers) and then cut an 8″ circle out of parchment and place that in the bottom of the greased & dusted pan. Doing both of these things will help the cakes come out of the pans without sticking.
Yasu says
Hi Ana,
Could I use cake flour instead of all- purpose flour? Also. could I use clarified butter instead of vegetable oil?
Olivia says
Hi Yasu! The cake is already more on the fragile side so I’m not sure it would work well with cake flour. You can use butter instead, but it will make the cake more dense (which could work ok if you use cake flour?). I haven’t tried it myself with clarified butter or cake flour so let me know if you do!
Amal says
The cake was amazing, i just put 1/2 cup of espresso instead of 1 cup of water and made the cake with red fruits instead of cherries as it’s not in season, and cream cheese frosting . Turned out delicious, thank you
Olivia says
Hi Amal! So happy to hear it worked out!
Megha says
Can we use simple syrup instead of cherry flavored one?
Olivia says
Hi Megha! Yes, this would be fine.
Andrea Pilati says
omg. This is exactly the recipe I was needing! My H is Bavarian, and missing home this year. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Andrea! I hope you both love it 🙂
Chris says
Any suggested adjustments for high altitude? We are at approximately 5300 feet in elevation. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Chris! I’ve never baked at high altitude myself and it may take some experimentation on your part depending on how high up you are. Here’s a great resource with some tips on where to start: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Here are some general guidelines if you’re at 3000ft:
• Increase the oven temperature by 15-25F
• Decrease baking time by 5-10mins (refer to “How to Test if a Cake is Done” section).
• Decrease sugar by 1 Tbsp per cup
• Decrease baking powder by 1/8 tsp per cup
• Increase liquid by 1-2 Tbsp per cup
• Add 1 Tbsp of flour
If you’re higher up than 3000ft, you will need to increase/decrease the ingredients incrementally. Again, it will require some experimentation. I hope that helps!
Amal says
Why did the cake center collapse
Olivia says
Hi Amal! Did it collapse in the oven or once you took it out?
Amal says
In the oven
Olivia says
It sounds like you didn’t follow the recipe. For best results, follow the recipe and instructions as written.
Amal says
Hello, can I use half the amount of butter milk and the boiled hot water ? What do you the result would be?
Olivia says
Hi Amal! No, that would not work.
Amal says
So I put 1 cup buttermilk, but i halfled the water ( I actually put half cup espresso)
Olivia says
So did you use 1/2 cup water plus 1/2 cup espresso or just 1/2 cup espresso?
Amal says
No just half cup of espresso