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Tender chocolate cake is filled with juicy cherries and in this take on the classic Black Forest cake.
This recipe has been retested and updated since first publishing in July 2014.
While I know the temptation during cherry season is to make a cherry pie, sometimes my love for chocolate wins out, and I’ve got to make a Black Forest cake instead.
Layer cakes do have multiple steps, but none of them are difficult, and the reward is so very worth the effort.
While this is not a traditional German Black Forest cake (I use sweet cherries instead of Morello, for starters), it’s one of my very favorite desserts on this site.
Chocolate and cherries are an incredible combination. This Black Forest cake is always an impressive dessert!
Ingredients for Black Forest cake
Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.
You’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar – both granulated and powdered sugars
- All-purpose flour
- Cocoa powder – I use two kinds of cocoa powder in this recipe for a richer chocolate flavor. If you don’t have black/onyx cocoa, you can use just regular cocoa powder.
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract – Chocolate extract is a good swap in this recipe.
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream – for the frosting.
To make the cherry filling, you’ll also need:
Cherries – I prefer to use fresh whole cherries, but frozen and thawed cherries will also work. (Bonus, frozen cherries are already pitted.)
Cornstarch – The cornstarch is used to help thicken the cherries for a non-runny filling.
Amaretto – Amaretto enhances the cherry flavor.
Kirsch – A classic ingredient in Black Forest cakes, this cherry brandy adds wonderful flavor. It adds just a small amount of alcohol to the final cake.
How to make this recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with butter or nonstick spray. Place a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of each for easier release.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl using a hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the sugar mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed between additions to ensure everything gets incorporated.
Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cakes are pulling away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes. From here, you can either turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely, or turn out and wrap tightly in plastic, then freeze until ready to assemble.
While the cakes are cooling, make the filling.
Set a saucepan over medium heat and combine the cherries, sugar, amaretto, cornstarch, and kirsch. Stir and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved and cherries are breaking down.
It should take about 10 minutes, and the cherries will look jammy or like pie filling. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
You can make the cherry filling up to two days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep in mind it will thicken a little more in the fridge, so don’t be tempted to over-thicken as you cook it.
When you’re ready to assemble the cake, mix up the whipped cream frosting. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep whipping until stiff peaks form.
Place one layer of cake on your cake plate, then spread on 3/4 of the cherry filling in the center. Spread on enough frosting to cover the cherries.
Top with the second layer of cake and spread on the remaining frosting. Scoop the remaining cherry filling onto the top and decorate with extra whole cherries and shaved chocolate, if you like.
Recipe tips
- If you do not want to make your own cherry filling, you can use canned cherry pie filling. Stir in the amaretto and kirsch before filling the cake.
- To make this cake alcohol-free, leave out the amaretto and kirsch and instead add ½ to 1 teaspoon almond extract.
- The black cocoa is optional for a deeper chocolate flavor. You can also use bittersweet cocoa powder (such as Hershey’s Special Dark) in place of both cocoa powders.
- Wrapping and freezing the cake layers immediately after removing from the pans will help keep the cakes moist and help prevent crumbs from sticking to the frosting as you apply it.
More delicious cake recipes
For cinnamon lovers, try my snickerdoodle cake with optional cookie crumble.
Want a classic? Make yellow birthday cupcakes with chocolate frosting.
A great lighter option is my chocolate angel food cake.
Love a bundt cake? Try my chocolate pumpkin bundt cake, or spiced tomato cake.
This Black Forest cake is a wonderful way to celebrate summer’s cherries!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below!
It means so much when you enjoy my recipes, so let me know how it goes and leave a comment if you have any questions.
Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons black cocoa, optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup whole milk
For the cherries
- 2 cups cherries, pitted
- 2 tablespoons amaretto
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kirsch
For the frosting
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment rounds, if you have them.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then mix in eggs and vanilla until blended.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix dry ingredients into the sugar mixture in batches, alternating with the milk.
- Pour into prepared pans and bake 30-35 minutes, until cake pulls away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 5 minutes before removing to a rack or wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and freezing.
- While the cakes are baking, make the filling. Mix together cherries, amaretto, sugar, cornstarch, and Kirsch in a saucepan set over medium heat. Stir and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the cherries are breaking down (help them along with your spatula), and it resembles pie filling or jam, about 10 minutes. Cool in the refrigerator.
- When ready to assemble the cake, whip the cream and slowly add the powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- To assemble, place the bottom layer on a stand/plate and spread on about 3/4 of the cherry filling. Top with enough of the whipped cream frosting to cover, using a spatula to spread it to the edges.
- Add the second layer of cake, and spread the remaining frosting over the cake. Pour the remaining cherry filling on the top of the cake, and garnish as desired.
Notes
- If not using the black cocoa, add 2 tablespoons more regular cocoa powder.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.
About Megan
I focus on fresh ingredients and easy methods, with spins that keep meals interesting. Dinnertime shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and I’m here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen. Read more…
First, I have to say (because this is a food blog!) that these photos are stunning. Especially the cake sliced and laying down 🙂
Second, I’m not so sure about faking it until you make it. Do you want to make it somewhere that you had to be fake to get there? How are you going to maintain it if you faked it up until then? Anyway, you know I love your guts and want the best for you. And I also want cake. Fine, I’m just here for the cake 😉
xo
Tina
@DessertForTwo, It is a funny phrase isn’t it? Maybe the point is that by the time you’ve “made” it, you’re now comfortable in that scenario that it has become who you are. Though I do think if I stopped faking it and wrote about my depression/anxiety more often, my blog would shed readers like a dog in summertime. 😉
I absolutely positively appreciate the realness in this post. We can’t all be shiny happy people all the time, and I think part of the appeal of reading blogs versus “other websites” is that they are written by real people with real souls and real personalities. Cherry smashing therapy is something I can get behind! Thank you for a refreshingly human post.
@Carole, Thank you so much! I always worry about posting things like this (I even sent it to a friend for assurances beforehand) but I ultimately always feel good after doing so. Fruit smashing therapy is why I make jam so often!
You know, because we’ve talked about it, how much I’m *not* cooking lately, and I think it directly relates to my stress level. I need to go knead some bread into submission, I think I’d feel a lot better about life. I totally agree with Carole. The realness, the honesty, the humanity of this post – makes it beautiful.
@Amber, I think forcing myself back into the kitchen really helped with “recovering” from having the baby. Granted, I’m a ball of stress and anxiety no matter what, but keeping creating things helps tamp it down.
@Amber | Bluebonnets & Brownies, @Megan,
I couldn’t stop thinking about the realness! I wrote a post about it. Here: http://www.creativeclementine.com/2014/07/in-defense-of-the-humanblogger.html
This is a beautiful post, and I hope it felt cathartic to write. Personally, many of my favorite food blogs are the ones that are about more than just the cake, so I would love if you shared the realness of your life more often. Anxiety and depression is a constant struggle for me as well, and it can be so refreshing to read that others are struggling with the same stuff instead of seeing post after post of perfect props/food/clothes/etc. So please, share more like this if you feel up to it, but if not, I’ll settle for just the cake because it looks damn good.
@Nicole, Thanks! I always struggle with deciding how much “realness” to share, but ultimately I feel sharing that personal stuff is why I got into blogging in the first place. One can only talk about how great cake is so many times, right?
My take on this is creating food is therapy, and therapy is an act of self-love, so smash away your cares… even if just for the moment. Remember that this moment is the only one you’ve got, so give it your all!
Please pass the cake now, because as we both know… life’s too short not to have a slice 😉
@Becca, You know it! And I must say, I have felt so good since putting this post out. My only regret is not having any cake left!
I’m visiting from Creative Clementine and I’m so glad I’m here. A beautiful post, not because of the cake, but because of the sentiment. I hope sharing even just a little helps.
@Marybeth, Thank you so much. I do think it helped just to post it, and everyone’s kind words helped even more.
I have been making a Black Forest Cake with whipped cream icing for nearly 40 years! My recipe for the chocolate cake came out of a newspaper that long ago – it is positively the simplest from “scratch” chocolate cake recipe ever – and it is eggless. My family loves and prefers REAL home whipped cream icing (NO cool whip or canned whipped cream) – it’s not so heavy & sickeningly sweet as other icings. After I frost my cake I pop the whole thing in the freezer for approx half hr so frosting sets.
@Mary, I haven’t tried making layer cake without eggs, but now I’m interested in trying it! I love the simplicity and lightness of the whipped cream frosting. I didn’t put mine in the freezer (I have a drawer freezer) but it was perfect after being in the refrigerator for a bit. Thanks for stopping by!
Nice story.. you’ve been blessed for having a takented cooking/baking ability.. i wish i also had too! im starting loving baking when i first try to baked chocolate brownies cake, my friends, family especial my kids loved my first time baked cake, so i decided to bake more.. now i can say its addiction! this coming sunday, july 27 is my bday.. i just want to try this black forest chocolate cake of yours, my no.1 fave cake! i really love chocolates! i wish i can find all the ingredients.. wish me luck! thanks fir sharing this recipe..
@Jing, I hope you are able to try it! Please let me know if you do.
Hi!
I completely relate to your sentiments..
Women are women’s best friend..
So bring it on.. We r all with u to share n cheer each other.
Want to try your cake.but couldn’t understand..
Wanted to know what’s 8T unsalted butter in the ingredients list?
Thanks
@Punya, Apologies, that should be 8 tablespoons, or 4 ounces.
I just made this for my son’s German class party and it was a huge hit! Delicious and easy to make from scratch. I used frozen cherries and followed the same instructions and it was awesome.
Thank you for posting!!
@Jillian I’m so glad you liked it!
This cake looks unbelievable!!!! I might make this one for my husband’s birthday in a couple weeks!
Am pregnant and craving for blackforest cake how I wish I would get a piece from this one
I will try make one myself.
Could I use buttermilk instead of milk?
@Linda Yes, definitely! I love to use buttermilk in cake recipes.