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.
Patricia says
I really love this cake receipe it’s very moisy and fluffy used to make it all the time when i was home.
However can someone please help me when i was home the oven had the convectional option but where i am living now my oven doesn’t have the conventional heat option it’s a fan oven , tried this cake it’s coming out dense ( after decreasing the heat ) tried it again at 150 degrees fan oven temperature it came out slightly dense but definitely way better than my first attempt when I reduced the heat.Could anyone help me with this .how to still achieve a moist and fluffy texture with a fan oven .
Thank you xx
Olivia says
Hi Patricia! For fan ovens you should reduce the temperature by 25F and reduce the baking time slightly. By how much depends on the oven. The convection shouldn’t make a cake more dense though, but it will be more dry if those adjustments aren’t made. Has anything else changed? Are you at higher elevation now?
Ceci says
Just perfect
Olivia says
Glad you loved it Ceci!
Mary says
Great recipe, cake was a big hit. ❤️
Olivia says
Thank you Mary!
Tony says
Any problems with the whip cream in between the layers not being able to hold the layers up? Don’t want the cake to slide off…
Olivia says
Hi Tony! The fresh cherries helped hold up the cake layers a bit. I didn’t have issue with it but it is definitely softer than a buttercream.
Neh says
I am planning to bake this for a friend’s birthday. Could you please tell me if I can store bought whipped cream? I take my time prepping and cooking so anything that cuts down effort and time helps when I am cooking dinner for friends 😊 Also, I plan to make a naked version of the cake. Do you think it’s a bad idea?
Olivia says
Hi Neh! You mean whipped cream from a canister? I think it should work. I would smooth it out after you pipe it on. Naked cake will be fine, just less whipped cream as there won’t be any on the sides and no shards, but you can do chocolate shavings on top instead if you like 🙂
Neha Rajkhowa says
Made this for my friends and they absolutely love it! It didn’t look as neat and I stacked one cake on another as the measure t a you provided, I used them for 9 inches pan. The cakes were not thick enough to be halved I felt. I enjoyed making this and will definitely make it again. Want to let you know that the way you respond to the comments and the details you provide, is so nice to see. I really appreciate the interest you take in the attempt each one of us here are making. It is so encouraging.
Olivia says
Hi Neha! Thanks so much, I love to help! So glad your friends loved it 🙂
Kailey says
Can you make the cherry syrup in advance?!
Olivia says
Hi Kailey! For sure, it will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Kim says
Loved this easy to follow receipe, it was such a huge hit!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Kim! Glad you loved it 🙂
Joanna Brunson says
Wonderful recipe! One of the best I have seen. Great tips on working with chocolate and whip cream.
Olivia says
Hi Joanna! So glad you love it. Thank you!
Maria says
Hi can I make this cake into cupcake? How long should I bake the cupcake using this cake batter?
Olivia says
Hi Maria! To make cupcakes all you need to do is reduce the baking time. Start checking at 15mins or so. Don’t fill them more than half full as the batter is thin and rises a lot.
Sandra Weber says
My husband is STILL talking about how this was the BEST Black Forest Cake he has EVER had. I made it for his birthday and while it was a ton of work, the look on his face when he took the first bite was worth it!! I used canned cherries as cherries were not in season here in Canada in February and I saved the liquid and thickened it for an additional sauce and added the leftover liquor to it. A side note about the bark … you should let it cool slightly before pouring. Mine made a big mess and lost a ton of expensive dark chocolate 🙁
Olivia says
Hi Sandra! I am so happy you both loved this one. Thanks so much for your tips! Thickening the sauce is a great idea and a good way to add more flavour. Sorry to hear you lost a bunch of chocolate! What happened??
Sandra says
It was still too hot when I poured it onto the wax paper. When I attempted to roll it it just ran right out the sides of the wax paper and all over the counter. I had more chocolate so the second time around I let the melted chocolate cool slightly so that when I poured and rolled it stayed put 🤗
Olivia says
Aww no! Glad it worked out the second time 🙂
Shal says
Hi Olivia,
I’d love to try making a mini 4inch Black Forest cake, but haven’t been able to find many 4inch chocolate cake recipes online. Do you think your recipe would work if I reduced the serving size to 6 rather than 12? I would be baking in two 4×2 or 4×3 pans.
Thanks very much for your help!
Olivia says
Hi Shal! Yes, this should work. Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here is a site I use as a guideline, it doesn’t go as small as 4″ though.
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
For ease, I would half the recipe like you said and bake in 4×3 pans. Don’t fill them more than half full as the batter rises a lot. Let me know how it turns out!
Shal says
Just wanted to come back to say that I made the mini-version of this cake a few weeks ago and it turned out really well! I used two 4×3 inch cake tins, and halved the recipe. I ended up filling the tins around/just over halfway, as you suggested, and think I had a little batter leftover, but I’m glad I listened to your advice on this because the cakes ended up rising all the way to the top of the tins.
I originally had cake strips around the pans but found that the batter was taking quite a while to cook through in the middle, so I took the strips off and baked for a little longer and that seemed to work – the texture was perfect.
Also, as cherries weren’t in season, I ended up using cherry pie filling as someone else in the comments suggested, and it tasted great.
All in all, just wanted to say that, having previously hated the store bought kind as well, I am now a convert to black forest cake and will hopefully be making this recipe again in the future.
Olivia says
Thanks so much for the update Shal! I am so happy it worked out and that you’re a BFC convert like I am 🙂
Sharol says
Hi can I use fresh cherries or do I have to use tinned ?
Olivia says
Hi Sharol! I used fresh for my cake here.
Jocelyn says
This is the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever made! Very light and fluffy and a big hit with my husband and I! Can’t wait to try more of your cake recipes!!
Olivia says
Hi Jocelyn! I’m so happy you love it. I can’t wait to hear what you try next 🙂
Jackie says
Have you made this cake with frozen cherries that have been thawed and strained of juices? Will that work since cherries are not in season?
Olivia says
Hi Jackie! I haven’t tried that myself but I think it would work just fine.
Annice Hill says
If I tempered the chocolate wouldn’t it be easier to work with?
Olivia says
Hi Annice! It would be easier to handle (it wouldn’t melt when you touch it) but I worry that when you go to break it into shards it might shatter and make much smaller pieces since tempered chocolate has more of a snap to it. It can’t hurt to try though! Worst case you just melt it all again and don’t temper 🙂
Annice says
Good point. Thanks
Becky says
I’ve made this recipe at least half a dozen times (it’s my partner’s favorite cake), and it turns out fantastic every time! Yesterday I used the same sponge for my 7-year-old son’s birthday cake, and while eating cake scraps he asked, “Why is this so moist and delicious?”
My only substitute for the sponge recipe: sometimes I use powdered buttermilk if I don’t have fresh on hand. I don’t notice a difference.
Depending on the time of year, I can’t always find fresh cherries, so I often use canned Oregon dark red cherries.
I’ve made the cherry liquer syrup exactly as written one or two times, and living in a humid climate, I have to be careful that I don’t over baste the cake with the syrup, or it gets soggy. Instead, the past two times I have made an impromptu cherry compote (jam?) by simmering chopped canned cherries with sugar and kirsch. Now that I think about it though, I end up using a lot more sugar to get the jam to set than if I had just made the simple syrup LOL.
Anyway, this recipe is a keeper! The print out I have is well-loved with chocolate smudges.
Olivia says
Hi Becky! Thank you for the wonderful feedback and tips. I’m so happy you love this recipe 🙂
Melanie says
Hey Olivia,
I made a tester cake last night and it turned out great! The only issue I had was the icing. I found that 1/4 cup was not enough to the 3 cups of whipping cream. I ended up putting 2 cups total in the end and it turned out like it was supposed to. Any idea why the 1/4 cup did not work? I even put my bowl and whisk in the freezer so they got cold.
I also wanted to make it without alcohol and just used the syrup from a bottle of cocktail cherries and it worked out great! My partner LOVED the cake so much he’s having it for breakfast. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Melanie! What do you mean that it didn’t turn out like it was supposed to? It didn’t get thick? It should get thick even without any sugar if whipped long enough. The only difference the amount of sugar should have is in the sweetness. Though if you added that much more it would also thicken it up a bit. The whipped cream frosting in the Black Forest Cake is meant to be light and not very sweet. I’m so glad you guys loved it though! 🙂
Jo-Ann Bobier says
I made this cake for a friends birthday. It was delicious and a big hit.
Olivia says
Hi Jo-Ann! So happy to hear that! Glad everyone loved it 🙂
Davina says
This recipe sounds great! Haven’t made it yet, but I’m eager to try! Since I’m from Southern Germany I have eaten Black Forest Cake numerous times in my life. Traditionally it is made with canned cheeries, which we hand-picked and canned in the summer (but you can use store bought ones). If you don’t want to use alcohol you can also substitute the cheery liquer with the liquid from the cans.
Olivia says
Hi Davina! Thanks for your tips! I hope you try it 🙂
Suzi Silva says
Olá,
Na receita da massa do bolo pede leitelho.
O que seria aqui no Brasil?
Grata!
Olivia says
Hi Suzi! You can make your own buttermilk at home — add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 10mins.