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.
Elbangel says
The recipe is amazing, i tried this for the first time and was just perfect. Everybody at home love it. I would like to send a picture of this. The cake so tasty and soft. I got the texture of the cream in the right point.
Olivia says
Hi Elbangel! Thank you! I’m so happy that everyone loved it 🙂 You can email me a picture! I’d love to see it 🙂
Kikicatt123 says
This was very helpful, especially for my first time! 🙂
Olivia says
So glad to hear that! 🙂
Ariana Council says
So excited to make your recipe for my husband’s upcoming birthday. Does this all need to be done the same day or can I bake the cake the previous day?
Also this probably won’t be eaten quickly. I’ve read about how the icing may not hold up and I saw the link for the gelatin icing. Would this last iced in the fridge or should I just go with the gelatin recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Ariana! You can definitely make the cake layers in advance. You can even freeze them until you need them. The cake with the frosting as is will last in the fridge for a couple days. If you want to store it longer you can try a stabilized whipped cream. It still wont last as long as a buttercream though!
Linda says
I made this cake and loved the taste and texture. It was very moist and delicious, but it was not without problems. First, I made the frosting slightly sweeter… I used about 1/3 cup confectioners sugar instead of a 1/4 cup and also added a couple teaspoons of cornstarch to stiffen up the cream just a bit. I had to make 2 batches of frosting. Just didn’t have enough of this luscious cream for good coverage as well as for the rosettes. The biggest issue I had though was that the cake itself just fell apart when I cut into it. I’m not an experienced enough baker to know why. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix this? We really loved the cake and I’d like to make it again without it falling apart when sliced.
Olivia says
Hi Linda! I’m so happy to hear you loved it 🙂 The cake is more on the delicate side overall and not the easiest to cut. Did you refrigerate it before cutting? I find cutting chilled cakes works best. The cake layers firm up a bit and make it easier to cut. Using a very sharp knife is key too. On buttercream cakes that are chilled I use a hot knife to make clean cuts. I wouldn’t recommend a hot knife with whipped cream though, just a very sharp one to cut through the cherries and cake layers. You could also chop the cherries smaller or slice them so they are thinner. I hope that helps!
Shay says
I know the whipped cream frosting doesn’t hold up well, could I assembly this and eat it about 12-18 hours later? Or will it loose shape? Would a buttercream frosting taste weird with this? I figure it’ll keep better shape so I can make it earlier?
Olivia says
Hi Shay! It should be fine in the fridge for a day or so. Or you can make a stabilized whipped cream which lasts longer. https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/stabilized-whipped-cream/
Freshta says
the cake is amazing, always my go to chocolate cake!!
i was just wondering do i add the sugar to the dry ingredients or the wet?
every time i bake the cake, it seems completely baked when i test it but the bottom of the cake feels a bit when i touch it, is there anything i can do to change that?
Olivia says
Hi Freshta! So glad you love this one 🙂 I mix the sugar with the dry ingredients. When you cut the cake is it fully baked? It’s a very moist cake so maybe that’s the reason it feels that way?
Julie says
Hi Olivia! Excited to be this over the next few days, quick question, can I substitute square cake pans rather than the round? Would I need to adjust the baking time?
Olivia says
Hi Julie! You would need to make adjustments but I can’t say for sure how. Maybe try to 1.5x the recipe? Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
April Haro says
I can’t find kirsch anywhere. What can I use instead?
Olivia says
Hi April! In the tips section of the post I link to a non-alcoholic syrup you can use. Otherwise any cherry liqueur or syrup will be fine.
April says
Thank you for replying, if I wanted to use Vodka cherry could it work?
Olivia says
Hi April! Yes, I think that would be fine as long as you don’t mind the flavour.
April says
Can I use Vodka cherry? Is my first time make this cake and I want it to come out perfect
Olivia says
Hi April! Yes, I think that would be fine as long as you don’t mind the flavour. But honestly, you could just use cherry syrup to be safe. The liqueur is traditional but not necessary.
April says
Thank you so much!
Piper says
I made this cake for my sister’s graduation and it was gone so quickly. Everyone kept telling me how much they loved it!! Definitely recommend and will make again 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Piper! Thanks so much for the great feedback. I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Jane says
Hi Liv,
What size cake tin should I use to make this cake to serve 20?
Thanks
Jane.
Olivia says
Hi Jane! It depends on the size of the slices. My friend Chelsey over at Chelsweets has a great guide: https://chelsweets.com/cake-portion-guide/
Heidi says
I made this for my dad’s birthday this weekend and it was a HUGE hit! Not a store around me had Kirsch, so I used black cherry juice and it was still really yummy! It was a bit labor intensive for someone who doesn’t bake much, but the end result was worth it!
Olivia says
Hi Heidi! So glad you loved it. I hope your dad did too!
Betsy says
I am wanting to make this for my Birthday in 2 weeks and I have a question: my husband went to the liquor store and picked up Jim Beam Red Stag black cherry bourbon, will that work in the syrup? We are not sure what the difference is with cherry Liqueur.
Olivia says
Hi Betsy! It will be quite a different flavour but it’s fine as long as you like it. Cherry liqueur tastes like cherry with alcohol whereas yours would have a strong bouron taste with cherry. I assume anyhow, I’ve never tried it!
Laura says
Kirsch is the name for cherry liquor. Liquor stores will order it for you. Search for Kirsch on Amazon, too.
Erica says
Converted this into gluten free and made cupcakes for a wedding. Cook time : 18 minutes 350*f convection. Yield 47 perfect sized cupcakes. They were so moist and delicious 😋
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe
Olivia says
Hi Erica! Awesome, thanks so much for your tips! So glad it worked out as GF 🙂
Naina says
Absolutely fantastic recipe and so easy to bake.. was worried about the bark but was so easy and the cake turned out amazing.. thank you will surely bake it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Olivia says
Hi Naina! I’m so happy you loved it and found the bark easy to make. Thank you for the feedback!
Lowell Reynolds says
When replacing the kirsch with the alcohol-free substitute, do you just 1 to 1 replace the kirsch, or do you use the purchased syrup only and completely replace your 3 ingredient syrup? That is, what changes to the syrup need to be made to use the non-alcohol syrup?
Olivia says
Hi Lowell! Good question! I would use the syrup only to replace the 3 ingredient one since the end result is the same. Basically just use the syrup as-is. If you find it too thick you can add a bit of water to it in which case you may need to warm it up to help the water incorporate.
Alex says
Absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe and it came out perfect. I did bake for only 35 minutes as my oven runs hot. Chocolate bark was really quite easy to make. Saving this recipe to bake again!
Olivia says
Hi Alex! So glad you loved it and found the bark easy 🙂
Hannah says
Hoping to make this for my birthday next week! I have cake flour, would I need to adjust the recipe or could I do a 1:1 substitution?
Olivia says
Hi Hannah! The cake is already a bit on the delicate side so I worry that cake flour would make it too fragile. Especially if you want to cut it in half. For best results use AP flour.
Nicole K. says
I wanted to like this recipe, but it just did not work for me. I am not a professional baker, but I have been baking for quite some time, and I have been successful at 99% of the items I make. I went thru this recipe and prepped everything I needed – and I gave myself ample time to let things cool and properly set. This just was not good all around. Here is what didn’t work for me:
1. the cake. I used the cake wraps, properly greased and dusted the pan, placed the parchment paper at the bottom…let it cool completely. This cake did NOT want to come out of the pan, and when it did it was clearly too fragile to stay together. This cake seemed too airy (and oddly dry) to dust the edges. Probably would have been better not dusting and letting the grease be the only thing the cake touches. Back to airy / dry – cutting this cake in halves was laughable. Again, maybe it was user error, but the batters lightness (indicated in the recipe) might account for that? A more sturdy cake probably would have been better in my opinion.
2. the frosting. I love minimalist frostings…I don’t need anything elaborate especially when you want the cake to be the star. But this frosting was too dull and plain. I ended up adding a little more powdered sugar to give it a little more sweetness and that helped. I added 1c of powdered sugar (sifted) to the 3c whipping cream. I froze the beater and the bowl prior to making the frosting, and that helped a little. Two issues that I had w/ the frosting even after I added more sugar – there wasn’t enough (ended up making an additional 1/2 batch to fully coat the cake) and the structure of the frosting for something like this. Maybe it is because I am not a professional baker, but this frosting was quite difficult to make look smooth and to even attempt making the rosettes (they looked dull with minimal shape). This cake would have faired better (in my opinion) with a thicker frosting, maybe a vanilla buttercream.
What I did love – the fresh cherries and brushing the cake with the liquor. Great choice that made a difference.
Overall, I wouldn’t make this exact recipe again. Just left too much needing adjustments to make work for a basic baker – maybe someone more advanced could make this recipe work a tad better.
Olivia says
Hi Nicole! Sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. For the cake, had you let it cool completely in the pan? That will cause it to stick. It should only be cooled for 10mins in the pans and then turned out to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cake is delcate, but should not be dry. This would be due to overbaking. And the cake should not be so fragile that it falls apart. Are you at high elevation at all? That could cause some issues with baking, especially chocolate cakes.
The simple whipped cream frosting is traditional with Black Forest Cake. I’m not sure why you ran out of frosting as I had plenty to fill, frost, and decorate. Perhaps adding all the extra sugar weighed it down and didn’t give it as much volume as it should have.
I’m sorry you had trouble with this one but it really is one of the most simple cake recipes you can make!
Nicole says
I want to update this review. I made this for a dinner I was going to that evening, and my original review was in response to the overall assembly / baking of the cake. I wrote it while drinking a glass of wine worrying about my cake fail. Our friends are picky and they tend to go above and beyond for all their dinners….so I wanted this to be perfect…and by the looks of it, it was anything but.
Little did I know – it really was perfect. So, I still stand firm on the fact that the cake stuck like glue to the greased / dusted / parchment papered pans (next time I will use the flour cooking spray) and the frosting was super soft and was not conducive to making any kind of decoration – the flavors absolutely made up for it.
Our friend’s couldn’t stop raving about how wonderful the cake was and wanted the recipe. They even asked to keep the left overs because they haven’t had a cake that good in a long time. I honestly felt the same way. The flavors melded perfectly and that frosting that brought me so much distress was such a wonderful contrast to the chocolaty cake and the sweet cherries.
So, maybe I will make this again and just go into it knowing how it will be what is on the inside that counts.
Olivia says
Hi Nicole! I am thrilled that everyone loved it! I appreciate you coming back to update your review. Baking is stressful at the best of times nevermind when things don’t go as planned. Re: cake sticking, I highly recommend using cake release on the pans (https://livforcake.com/homemade-cake-release/). Those cakes will pop right out! I do hope you give it another try. You can make more whipped cream if you like and/or use a stabilized whipped cream which may be a bit easier to work with: https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/stabilized-whipped-cream/ Let me know if you give it another go!
Amy says
Is it possible to bake the cakes beforehand? I need to have it for the Saturday but don’t have the Friday free. It looks amazing, thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Amy! For sure. You can bake the cake layers, cool them, double wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
M L says
What kind of liqueur did you use?
Can you use Kirsch instead of cherry liqueur?
Olivia says
Hi ML! Yes, Kirsch is the traditional cherry liqueur to use.
ML says
Thank you so much for getting back to me 🙂
That sounds great!