This Black Forest cake recipe happened because Safa's teacher assigned everyone to bring something from a different country for the school cultural fair. We got Germany, and Safa insisted we had to make "the fanciest cake possible" to beat his friend Emma who was making French macarons. I'd never made anything more complicated than box mix brownies, but Safa was convinced we could figure it out.
Why You'll Love This Black Forest Cake
This Black Forest cakelooks way harder to make than it actually is. When we brought leftover pieces to Safa's soccer team, three parents asked if I'd make their kids' birthday cakes. The chocolate stays soft and moist for days because the cherry juice soaks into each layer, and the whipped cream holds up better than I expected. You can bake the cake layers a day ahead and just do the assembly when you need it, which saves a lot of stress.
What really sold me on making this regularly is how much food it makes. One cake feeds about twelve people easily, so it's perfect for Safa's birthday parties or when we have family over. The cherries cut through all that rich chocolate and cream, so it doesn't feel heavy like some layer cakes do. Safa's dad, who usually just picks at dessert, actually asked for a second slice. Now Safa requests this instead of regular birthday cake, which makes me feel like I've spoiled him for simple desserts forever.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Black Forest Cake
- Ingredients for Black Forest Cake
- How To Make Black Forest Cake Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Black Forest Cake
- Black Forest cake Variations
- Equipment For Black Forest cake
- Storing Your Black Forest Cake
- What to Serve With Black Forest Cake
- Top Tip
- Passed from Hand to Hand - The Family Trick That Still Works
- FAQ
- Time to Make Some German Magic
- Related
- Pairing
- Black Forest cake
Ingredients for Black Forest Cake
For the Chocolate Layers:
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Hot coffee
For the Filling and Topping:
- Dark chocolate bar for shaving
- Heavy cream for whipping
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Jar of cherries in juice
- Kirsch liqueur
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Black Forest Cake Step By Step
Make the Chocolate Layers:
- Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl
- Whisk eggs and oil together separately
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined
- Add hot coffee last (it will look thin but that's normal)
- Divide between three greased pans
- Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes
Prepare the Filling:
- Drain cherries and save the juice
- If using kirsch, mix a little with the cherry juice
- Whip cream with powdered sugar until it holds peaks
- Don't overbeat or you'll make butter
Assembly Time:
- Use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate shavings on top
- Put first layer on your serving plate
- Brush with cherry juice mixture
- Spread whipped cream evenly
- Add about ⅓ of the cherries
- Repeat with remaining layers
- Cover whole cake with remaining cream
Smart Swaps for Black Forest Cake
Cake Substitutions:
- All-purpose flour → Gluten-free flour blend (add extra liquid)
- Vegetable oil → Melted butter or applesauce
- Regular sugar → Coconut sugar (cake will be darker)
- Hot coffee → Hot water or milk (less chocolate flavor)
- Eggs → Flax eggs for vegan version
Filling Changes:
- Heavy cream → Coconut cream (chill the can first)
- Jarred cherries → Fresh cherries with sugar
- Kirsch → Cherry juice or skip it completely
- Powdered sugar → Regular sugar blended fine
Easier Versions:
- Chocolate shavings → Mini chocolate chips
- Three layers → Two thicker layers
- Homemade cake → Store-bought chocolate cake layers
- Fresh whipped cream → Whipped topping from container
Black Forest cake Variations
Berry Variations:
- Strawberry Black Forest with fresh strawberries and strawberry juice
- Mixed berry version with raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries
- Cherry-raspberry combo for extra tartness
- Safa calls the strawberry one "Pink Forest cake"
Chocolate Upgrades:
- Add chocolate chips to the cake batter
- Use chocolate whipped cream instead of vanilla
- Make chocolate ganache drizzle for the top
- Layer in some chocolate mousse with the regular cream
Seasonal Twists:
- Halloween version with orange food coloring in the cream
- Christmas version with red and green cherries
- Birthday version with sprinkles mixed into the cream layers
- Summer version with fresh peaches instead of cherries
Easier Assembly Options:
- Make it as a trifle in a big glass bowl
- Individual portions in mason jars
- Sheet cake version cut into squares
- Cupcake version with cherry on top of each one
Equipment For Black Forest cake
- Three 8-inch round cake pans (or make in batches with fewer pans)
- Electric mixer (hand mixer works fine)
- Large mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula for folding
- Wire cooling racks
- Sharp serrated knife
- Offset spatula for spreading cream
Storing Your Black Forest Cake
Refrigerator Storage (3-4 days):
- Cover the whole cake with plastic wrap or store in a cake carrier
- Keep it cold because of all the whipped cream
- Cut slices as needed instead of pre-cutting the whole thing
- The cream stays stable for several days if kept properly chilled
Freezing Tips:
- You can freeze the chocolate cake layers before assembly
- Wrap cooled layers individually in plastic wrap and foil
- Don't freeze the assembled cake - the whipped cream gets weird
- Frozen cake layers keep for up to 3 months
Make-Ahead Strategy:
- Cherry mixture can be made ahead and stored separately
- Bake cake layers 1-2 days ahead and store covered
- Make whipped cream the day you plan to serve
- Assemble the cake same day for best texture
What to Serve With Black Forest Cake
Black Forest cake is heavy enough that you don't really need other desserts, but the right drinks and small sides make everything better. Safa always wants milk with his slice because all that chocolate makes him thirsty, and I've learned that coffee is basically required for adults. We tried serving it at his birthday party with just juice boxes and it was a disaster - everyone looked overwhelmed by how rich it was. Now we always have cold milk available for kids and hot coffee for grown-ups.
The other thing that helps is having something light and fresh on the side. Fresh strawberries or raspberries work great because they cut through all that cream and chocolate. Safa came up with putting vanilla ice cream next to his slice, which sounded gross but actually tastes really good together. For fancier occasions, I'll put out small bowls of extra cherries and maybe some plain butter cookies, but honestly the cake is enough food by itself. People usually can't finish a whole slice anyway because it's so rich.
Top Tip
- The most important thing I learned is to let the cake layers cool completely before you even think about adding cream. I ruined our first attempt because I was impatient and tried to assemble it while the chocolate was still warm. The whipped cream melted into soup and slid right off the cake onto the counter. Safa watched the whole disaster and now he's the one who reminds me to wait. We usually bake the layers in the morning and assemble after lunch, which gives everything plenty of time to cool down.
- Your whipped cream will make or break this cake, and it's easier to mess up than you think. Stop beating as soon as it holds soft peaks - don't try to get it super stiff or you'll end up with butter. I learned this by overbeating a whole bowl of cream and having to start over while Safa stood there asking why it looked like cottage cheese. Cold cream whips better too, so stick your bowl and beaters in the freezer for ten minutes before you start. The cream should hold its shape but still spread smoothly.
Passed from Hand to Hand - The Family Trick That Still Works
Safa's great-grandmother left us her handwritten recipe card for this cake, and buried in her tiny notes was something I almost missed - she wrote "warm the cherry juice first." I'd been using it cold straight from the jar like most people do, but she heated it up with a little extra sugar until it was like syrup. When that warm mixture hits the cake layers, it soaks in way deeper and creates these bursts of cherry flavor throughout the whole cake instead of just sitting on the surface where it can run off.
Her other trick was poking tiny holes all over each layer with a toothpick before brushing on the warm syrup. Safa thought this looked stupid when I first tried it, but it works perfectly. The syrup goes down into the cake instead of just making the top soggy. She also saved some syrup to brush on the outside of the whole assembled cake before the final cream layer, which keeps everything moist and gives you this cherry flavor that you can taste but can't quite figure out where it's coming from. Now we always make the cake the day before we need it so all those flavors have time to soak in properly.
FAQ
What is special about black forest cake?
Black forest cake has chocolate sponge layers soaked with cherry juice, whipped cream, and cherries between each layer. It's also one of the few desserts with legal requirements in Germany - they're serious about what can be called schwarzwälder kirschtorte. Safa thinks it's cool because it looks fancy but we can actually make it at home.
What is the filling in black forest cake?
The filling is whipped cream with cherries and cherry juice. Traditional recipes use sour cherries and kirsch liqueur, but the jarred sweet cherries work fine for home baking. Each layer gets the cherry juice brushed on, then whipped cream and cherries before the next cake layer goes on top.
What's the difference between chocolate cake and black forest cake?
Regular chocolate cake is just cake with frosting. Black forest cake has multiple layers with whipped cream and cherries soaked into each one. The chocolate part is lighter and spongier than regular cake, and the whole thing gets covered in whipped cream with chocolate shavings instead of regular frosting.
What is the German law on black forest cake?
Germany has regulations about what can be called schwarzwälder kirschtorte. It has to contain cherries, chocolate, cream, and kirsch liqueur made from cherries. Safa thinks it's funny that countries make laws about cake ingredients, but Germans take their desserts seriously.
Time to Make Some German Magic
Now you know everything Safa and I figured out about making Black Forest cake that doesn't fall apart or turn into a mess. From heating the cherry syrup to poking those little holes in each layer, these are the tricks that saved us from multiple kitchen disasters. Safa has started bragging to his friends that he can make "real German cake," which is probably overselling his skills since I do most of the work, but he did master the chocolate shaving technique.
Want more fancy desserts that won't drive you crazy? Try our [Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe] that's way easier than this one, our [Strawberry Shortcake Recipe] that Safa can actually help with, or our [Tiramisu Recipe] that doesn't require any baking at all. Safa has declared all of these "better than the grocery store," which coming from someone who used to prefer boxed cake mix is high praise.
Share your Black Forest cake attempts. We want to see if your version looks better than our first lopsided attempt.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Black Forest cake:
Black Forest cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk eggs and oil, combine with dry mixture, then stir in hot coffee.
- Divide batter into 3 greased pans and bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
- Drain cherries and reserve juice. Mix juice with kirsch if using. Whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
- Place first cake layer on serving plate, brush with syrup, spread whipped cream, and add cherries. Repeat with remaining layers.
- Cover cake with remaining cream, top with chocolate shavings, and chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
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