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4.6 from 108 votes

Black Forest Cake

This Black Forest Cake recipe is made from scratch with my perfect chocolate cake recipe, homemade cherry filling, and vanilla whipped cream!

Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
2 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 481 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

for the chocolate cake-
  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules such as Folger's (optional)
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil canola oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 egg white
for the cherry filling and chocolate syrup layer-
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 cups tart cherries frozen or canned (drained) + extra for garnish if not using fresh
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 6 tablespoons chocolate syrup divided
for the whipped cream and toppings-
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 8 oz bittersweet baking chocolate I used Ghirardelli (2 bars)
  • 8-12 fresh cherries optional, for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. 
  2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together to combine. Set aside. 
  3. In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk, instant coffee granules (if using) and vanilla together. You want to stir to dissolve the coffee granules. They will slowly dissolve over the course of 5-10 minutes as they sit in the buttermilk and as you add them into the chocolate cake batter. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined. Add in the eggs and egg white, one at a time, until mixture becomes lighter in color. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.
  5. Using an ice cream scoop, divide chocolate cake batter evenly between 2 baking pans and smooth the tops. Bake 28-35 minutes in the lower 2/3rds of the oven. Cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. (Keep a close eye on the cake around the 25 minute mark, as ovens vary!)
  6. Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert on cooling racks. Once you can handle the warm pans with your bare hands, you can flip them out. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
  7. For the Cherry Filling:
  8. For the cherry filling, stir sugar and cornstarch together in a cold small pot until combined. Add in cherries and toss. Place over medium-low heat to melt frozen cherries. Once a paste has formed around the cherries, increase the heat to medium and keep stirring until all the liquid has come out of the cherries and the mixture is boiling. Continue to stir until it becomes very thick, about 4 minutes or boiling. Be careful to not walk away from this mixture because it can burn easily. Remove from heat and stir in butter and almond extract. Cool completely.
  9. Make the Whipped Cream
  10. For the whipped cream, whip heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble
  1. Slice both 8-inch cake rounds in half horizontally (this leaves you with four 8-inch cake rounds).
  2. Place one round onto a cake plate then drizzle the top of the cake with 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and spread using the back of a spoon. Top with the other half of the cake round.
  3. Add on cooled cherry filling leaving a 1-inch border. (You will not use all of it…FYI! I had about 2 tablespoons left).
  4. Place another layer of cake on top of cherry filling. Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and spread. Top with the remaining cake layer.
Decorate
  1. Spread whipped cream over the entire cake. I find it always better to add way too much and then as I clean up the cake, I remove the excess. This helps ensure not a ton of crumbs get into your cream. Get decorative on top with a few piped rosettes with a fresh cherry on top of each if desired.
  2. If desired use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate shavings with the chocolate baking bar. Freeze 5 minutes before applying to the sides and top of the black forest cake.

Notes

  • The chocolate cake recipe in the recipe card is my Classic Chocolate Cake recipe. Feel free to use whichever chocolate cake recipe you'd like.
  • *Regardless of how you bake this cake, be sure to use lighter-colored baking pans (or glass). Using a darker Teflon will make the edges cook a lot quicker than the center of the cake, giving you darker, crispier edges which isn’t what we’re going for with this chocolate cake recipe.
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Nutrition Information

Calories 481kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 78g (26%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 19g (29%) Saturated Fat 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 6g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 47mg (16%) Sodium 256mg (11%) Potassium 377mg (11%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 54g (108%) Vitamin A 532IU (11%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 100mg (10%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 481

% Daily Value*

Calories 481kcal 24%
Carbohydrates 78g 26%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 19g 29%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g 30%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 256mg 11%
Potassium 377mg 8%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 54g 108%
Vitamin A 532IU 11%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 100mg 10%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.