I think this black forest cake is one of my favourite recipes to date! It’s intense in flavour, yet light as a cloud.
Consisting of soft chocolate sponge cake layers soaked in a cherry syrup, topped with a sour cherry filling, stabilised whipped cream and dark chocolate, this black forest cake will not disappoint – I PROMISE! 🙂
What is a Black Forest Cake
A Black Forest cake, also known as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in German, is a classic and iconic dessert originating from the Black Forest region in Germany. It is a rich and decadent layered cake known for its distinctive ingredients and flavors. The key components include:
Chocolate sponge cake layers – a traditional black forest cake is supposed to be light, which is where many recipes go wrong. Instead of an oil or butter cake, it’s best to use a sponge cake for a more authentic version.
Cherry filling/syrup – Morello (sour cherries) are used as a filling for black forest cake (with a few other ingredients), and a cherry syrup is used to soak the chocolate cake layers. Traditional black forest cake has cherry brandy (called Kirsch) in the syrup (and sometimes filling too), however I’ve left this out. To make up for this, I’ve used an almond essence/extract which adds a nutty and pungent flavour to the cake. I find it much better than just using cherry juice on it’s own 🙂
Whipped cream – as mentioned earlier, a traditional black forest cake is supposed to be light, hence why whipped cream is used. I’m definitely not complaining – whipped cream is probably one of my favourite frostings! 😀
Dark chocolate – dark chocolate is used to cover the sides of a black forest cake.
Additional cherries – when decorating, either fresh, glacé or maraschino cherries are placed on top of the cake.
How to Make Black Forest Cake
Now I’m going to be honest with you, black forest cake is a little more intensive than your regular cake, and you have to wait at least 4 hours after it’s made to eat it. BUT, I promise it is so so worth it! 🙂
As always, full quantities of all the ingredients along with the written recipe is in the recipe card at the end of the blog post.
Cherry Filling
Add cherry juice, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, almond flavouring and ground cinnamon to a saucepan. Place it over a medium heat and continuously mix until it thickens up in consistency.
Once thick, take it off the heat and add in the morello cherries. Mix gently so that the cherries are coated in the thickened mixture. Place into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Cherry Syrup
In a bowl combine the cherry juice and almond flavouring. Mix and set aside for later.
Chocolate Sponge Cake
Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 2 on recipe card if you don’t have a fan function) and grease and/or line only the bottom of three 8 inch cake tins. I line the bottoms with baking paper cut into circles. Leave the sides ungreased.
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, instant coffee powder and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined and set aside for now.
In a small bowl or cup, combine the oil and butter. Mix and set aside.
In a large bowl crack in the six whole eggs. To it add in the sugar and vanilla flavouring and using a whisk, mix until well combined. Place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water), and continuously mix until the mixture is warm to the touch and sugar granules are completely dissolved. To check if the mixture is done, either use your fingers to rub some of the mixture between your fingers, and if you can’t feel any sugar granules and the mixture is warm then it’s done. Alternatively, you can use a thermometer and when the mixture comes to 45°C it’s ready.
Take the bowl off the heat immediately as you don’t want to cook the eggs. Using a hand or stand mixer on a medium high speed, whip the egg mixture until it’s tripled in volume and is thick enough to form ribbons when lifted with a spatula (see video demonstration). This may take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on the strength and speed of your mixer.
Once it’s at the right consistency, turn the mixer down to the lowest speed and mix for a further 2 minutes. This will help stabilise the batter and get rid of any large air bubbles.
Next sift in half of the premixed dry ingredients and gently fold it into the egg mixture with a spatula until it’s almost combined. Then sift in the remaining half of the dry ingredients and gently fold until it’s just combined.
Next add in the oil/butter mixture and gently fold until it’s just combined. The butter should be melted, so if it’s solidified then reheat it again before pouring into the batter.
Distribute the batter evenly into the three cake tins. Run a toothpick through the batter to remove any large air bubbles (see video demonstration). Also drop the cake tins lightly on the counter top.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the tops are set. You should be able to create a small indent on the top of the cakes with your finger that slowly bounces back.
Once baked, drop the cakes from a height of about 10cm to release some of the steam, and allow the cakes to cool upside down for about 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, run a thin knife around the edges of the cake tins to help release the cakes and then turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Once they’re cooled, gently brush off the thin layer of crust on the tops of your cake layers with your hands. This will allow the cake to soak up the syrup better later on in the recipe.
Dark Chocolate
Using a potato peeler, grate the block of chocolate so you have little shards. You only need about 180g so if your block is larger than that, don’t grate the whole block, only what you need 🙂
Place the shredded chocolate into the fridge until you need it.
Stabilized whipped cream
Before beginning, your mascarpone and whipped cream should be cold.
In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla. Mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds, and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix until well combined (about a minute). If using a stand mixer use the whisk attachment.
Add in the whipping cream and mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds (to allow everything to combine without the cream splattering), and then turn up the speed to a medium high and whip until you reach stiff peaks. Keep a careful eye on the mixture as you don’t want to overwhip the cream.
How to Assemble Black Forest Cake
Place your first cake layer onto your cake stand/plate and using a pastry brush, soak it with a generous amount of the cherry juice. Use a 1/3 of the cherry syrup for each cake layer.
Place about 1/4 of the whipped cream into a piping bag with 1A large round tip (or just cut the end of a piping bag off if you don’t have the right piping tip) and pipe a dam around the top edges of the cake layer.
Fill the middle with half of the cherry filling, evenly spreading it out. Cover with a layer of whipped cream and spread it out with an offset spatula so that it’s level.
Place your next cake layer and repeat the steps. So soak with the cherry syrup, pipe a dam of whipped cream, fill the middle with the remaining cherry filling and spread out a layer of whipped cream on the top.
Place the last cake layer on top and soak with the remaining cherry syrup. Cover the tops and sides with whipped cream. Use your hands to cover the sides of the cake with dark chocolate.
Place the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag with a 1M star tip, and pipe swirls around the top edges of the cake. Fill the centre with more shredded chocolate and top the whipped cream swirls with decorative cherries.
Allow the cake to set in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (ideally overnight) to allow the flavours to develop. Trust me it is worth the wait so don’t eat it too early! 🙂
The Ultimate Black Forest Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 2 cups (400 g) morello cherries - from a 680g or 700g jar with syrup removed. Save syrup for other elements of the cake.
- 3 tbsp (40 g) cherry juice - from the jar of morello cherries
- ¼ cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp (14 g) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp (15 g) cornstarch - also known as cornflour in some countries
- ⅛ tsp almond essence or extract
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
Cherry Syrup (for soaking cake layers)
- ⅔ cup (150 g) cherry juice - from the jar of morello cherries
- ⅛ tsp almond essence or extract - in replacement of Kirsch (see note 1)
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- ¾ cup (90 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- ⅓ cup (35 g) cocoa powder - Dutch processed preferred
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (30 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 2 tbsp (28 g) melted unsalted butter
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
Dark Chocolate (for covering sides and top of cake)
- 1 block (180 g) dark chocolate (50% dark)
Stabilised Whipped Cream
- 1 cup (225 g) mascarpone - cold
- ½ cup (60 g) icing sugar - also known as powdered or confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 3 cups (670 g) whipping cream - cold, minimum fat percentage of 34%
Extra Decorations
- 10-12 cherries (fresh, glacé or maraschino)
Instructions
Cherry Filling
- Add the cherry juice, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, almond flavouring and ground cinnamon to a saucepan. Place it over a medium heat and continuously mix until it thickens up in consistency.
- Once thick, take it off the heat and add in the morello cherries. Mix gently so that the cherries are coated in the thickened mixture. Place into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Cherry Syrup
- In a bowl combine the cherry juice and almond flavouring. Mix and set aside for later.
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 2 if you don't have a fan function) and grease and/or line only the bottom of three 8 inch cake tins. I line the bottoms with baking paper cut into circles. Leave the sides ungreased.
- Sift together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, instant coffee powder and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined and set aside for now.
- In a small bowl or cup, combine the oil and butter. Mix and set aside.
- In a large bowl crack in the six whole eggs. To it add in the sugar and vanilla flavouring and using a whisk, mix until well combined. Place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water), and continuously mix until the mixture is warm to the touch and sugar granules are completely dissolved. To check if the mixture is done, either use your fingers to rub some of the mixture between your fingers, and if you can't feel any sugar granules and the mixture is warm then it's done. Alternatively, you can use a thermometer and when the mixture comes to 45°C it's ready.
- Take the bowl off the heat immediately as you don't want to cook the eggs. Using a hand or stand mixer on a medium high speed, whip the egg mixture until it's tripled in volume and is thick enough to form ribbons when lifted with a spatula (see video demonstration). This may take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on the strength and speed of your mixer.
- Once it's at the right consistency, turn the mixer down to the lowest speed and mix for a further 2 minutes. This will help stabilise the batter and get rid of any large air bubbles.
- Next sift in half of the premixed dry ingredients and gently fold it into the egg mixture with a spatula until it's almost combined. Then sift in the remaining half of the dry ingredients and gently fold until it's just combined.
- Next add in the oil/butter mixture and gently fold until it's just combined. The butter should be melted, so if it's solidified then reheat it again before pouring into the batter.
- Distribute the batter evenly into the three cake tins. Run a toothpick through the batter to remove any large air bubbles (see video demonstration). Also drop the cake tins lightly on the counter top.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the tops are set. You should be able to create a small indent on the top of the cakes with your finger that slowly bounces back.
- Once baked, drop the cakes from a height of about 10cm to release some of the steam, and allow the cakes to cool upside down for about 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, run a thin knife around the edges of the cake tins to help release the cakes and then turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Once they're cooled, gently brush off the thin layer of crust on the tops of your cake layers with your hands. This will allow the cake to soak up the syrup better later on in the recipe. You can use a serrated knife for this step too if the top isn't easily coming off.
Dark Chocolate
- Using a potato peeler, grate the block of chocolate so you have little shards. You only need about 180g so if your block is larger than that, don't grate the whole block, only what you need 🙂
- Place the shredded chocolate into the fridge until you need it.
Stabilized whipped cream
- Before beginning, your mascarpone and whipped cream should be cold.
- In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla. Mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds, and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix until well combined (about a minute). If using a stand mixer use the whisk attachment.
- Add in the whipping cream and mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds (to allow everything to combine without the cream splattering), and then turn up the speed to a medium high and whip until you reach stiff peaks. Keep a careful eye on the mixture as you don't want to overwhip the cream.
Assembly
- Place your first cake layer onto your cake stand/plate and using a pastry brush, soak it with a generous amount of the cherry juice. Use a 1/3 of the cherry syrup for each cake layer.
- Place about 1/4 of the whipped cream into a piping bag with 1A large round tip (or just cut the end of a piping bag off if you don't have the right piping tip) and pipe a dam around the top edges of the cake layer.
- Fill the middle with half of the cherry filling, evenly spreading it out. Cover with a layer of whipped cream and spread it out with an offset spatula so that it's level.
- Place your next cake layer on top and repeat the steps. So soak with the cherry syrup, pipe a dam of whipped cream, fill the middle with the remaining cherry filling and spread out a layer of whipped cream on the top.
- Place the last cake layer on top and soak with the remaining cherry syrup. Cover the tops and sides with whipped cream. Use your hands to cover the sides of the cake with the dark chocolate.
- Place the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag with a 1M star tip, and pipe swirls around the top edges of the cake. Fill the centre with more shredded chocolate and top the whipped cream swirls with decorative cherries.
- Allow the cake to set in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (ideally overnight) to allow the flavours to develop. Trust me it is worth the wait so don't eat it too early! 🙂
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
88 Comments
Hi, I am wanting to make a black forest cake as a wedding cake for my son [Top of a tower of macarons]. His wife-to-be doesn’t like black forest cake so I am going to try and incorporate a cherry cheese cake in between two chocolate cake layers with cherry cream/marscapone between each layer – a little creative I know…. I have to prepare the cake a few days before hand [then freeze them] and travel to the venue and am hoping that the venue will allow me access to the kitchen to put it all together.
I am looking for a suggestion/s of best way to cover the cake if it is going to be out mid summer sitting on the cake table [indoors] ie do I use cream/marscapone icing all round with chocolate ganache dripping or put fondant over the cream/marscapone icing or hoping you can give me some ideas and suggestions.
Hi Helen! 🙂 Oh wow that sounds delicious!
If the cake will need to be out for an extended period of time in relatively hot weather, I would recommend coating the outside of the cake with chocolate ganache. A whipped cream based frosting may be okay, but when it comes to hot weather you just never know if its going to stand the test of time as it’s not as stable as say buttercream or ganache. Placing fondant over a whipped cream based frosting may not be ideal either as the frosting may not be able to hold the weight of the fondant. For that reason, I recommend a good coating of ganache on the outside, allow it to become firm in the fridge (just make sure the cake layers are completely covered), then you can decorate how you like or even add fondant over the top if you prefer 🙂
Hope that helps and all the best with the cake Helen 😀
Can I make this cake using 3 6″ pans instead?
Heya! Yes you could use three 6 inch cake tins, in which case you want to half the recipe 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the cake!
Hello. Can I use almond extract in the whipped cream frosting instead of vanilla? — even if I don’t make the filling and I choose not to add almond flavoring to the syrup.
Hi Shari! 🙂 Yes you could do that, but I would recommend reducing the amount you add in to make sure the almond flavor isn’t overpowering (1 tsp may be a bit too much) 🙂
You may also want to still add in a little bit of vanilla as it adds a nice taste to the whipped cream, but totally up to you and what flavors you prefer 🙂
Enjoy!
Made this cake and everyone loved it. Easy to make and looks great 👍
Awesome! So so happy to hear everyone loved the recipe Kristin 😀
Really appreciate the feedback 🙂
I’ve just baked the sponge and it is beautiful!! However, I’d like to use Kirsch, do I substitute the same amount as you’ve listed here for the almond extract or how do I work the kirsch back into the recipe? Thanks 🙂
Hi Keri-Lee! 🙂 So happy you loved the sponge 😀
Unfortunately because I haven’t tried it myself I can’t say for sure, but the Kirsch is usually added in the simple syrup but in a larger amount that what I have used for the almond extract. So you could probably add a bit of Kirsch to the simple syrup mixture (and taste as you add more in until you’re happy) and simply leave the almond extract out 🙂
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
Im wondering how moist is this cake. I’ve previously made a Black Forest cake (another recipe, sorry) and I wasn’t thrilled with the texture of the cake. Since their in season, could I use fresh cherries? Also, could I chop the cherries so the filling is smoother? Thx for your response as I’d like to try this recipe.
Hi Kathy! 🙂 No need to apologise at all!! There are so many great recipes around 😀
You could use fresh cherries, the only problem is the juice in the jar of cherries is important for other elements of the cake, unless you use a separate cherry juice that you like/have. My only worry is that the flavors may not meld as well or it may impact the texture/taste of the sponge if the cherry juice you decide to use has a different taste or texture to the one used in the jars. In terms of chopping the cherries, you could totally do that 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe Kathy!
Yummm, delicious! I made it for my husband’s Birthday and it was amazing.
Awesome! So so happy you loved the cake Karen and hope you had a wonderful day celebrating your husbands birthday 🙂
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! My boyfriend and his family absolutely loved it! He said it was one of the best cakes I have made! I was just wondering why you heated the eggs and sugar first. I skipped this step and the sugar was still dissolved in the egg. Are there any added benefits?
Hi Eloise! So so happy to hear everyone loved the recipe 😀 sounds like you did an incredible job with it! When it comes to heating the eggs and sugar, it just helps to further stabilise the egg whites and warmer eggs tend to have more volume when whipped. It’s not a HUGE difference, but it does contribute to a tall and fluffy sponge and makes the egg whites a bit more stable and therefore allows for a bit more room for error if the egg whites aren’t whipped to the perfect ‘peak’. If you found it still worked well for you when skipping this step, then you can totally make it that way too 🙂
Hi , Thank you for this receipe is it ok if we soak the sponge with plain water and don’t add chocolate to it ?? I have used whipped cream and a cherry compote and soaked it with water I mean the sponge ??
Hi Sakshi! 🙂 It’s best to soak the sponge with something slightly flavored, so you could even use a simple syrup which is equal parts water and sugar 🙂 and a traditional blackforest cake does have a bit of chocolate in it, but you can skip this step if you prefer. Hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
I’ve just made this cake as a birthday cake. Everyone loved it! The recipe is so well written and easy to follow. The cake is really balanced in terms of the different flavours.
I’ve made several of your cakes recipes (lemon & blueberry and the moist coconut cake) all have turned out so well. Your recipes are so easy to follow and come out as expected and the best part they taste absolutely delicious.
Thanks for the great recipes, I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
From another kiwi 🙂
Hi Megan! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback 😀 so so happy to hear you loved the black forest cake and that you’ve enjoyed some of my other recipes too! Always special hearing from another Kiwi 🙂 truly appreciate all the love and support!