This deliciously moist Black Forest Cake is a cut above the rest with homemade whipped cream, rich chocolate ganache, and sweet spiked cherries.
One reader, Majella, commented: “I’ve been making this cake for my husband’s birthday every year since 2019, so I thought it was about time I left a comment! Every year I am blown away by how delicious it is—thank you, Sally, for this amazing recipe! ★★★★★“
One reader, Katrina, commented: “Not only was this the best Black Forest Cake I’ve ever had, it’s also up there for one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever had! The texture and flavor combinations were sublime! ★★★★★“
This post is sponsored by KitchenAid.
Today’s blog post is one of the most special you’ll ever read here on SBA. I am both honored and excited to partner with KitchenAid for its 100 Year Celebration. This once-in-a-century celebration commemorates 100 years of KitchenAid inspiring culinary passion and creating new possibilities in the kitchen. The same core value launching KitchenAid back in 1919 is continuously instilled in the products created today: an inspiration by those who love to make…and I am certainly one of those people.
What is Black Forest Cake?
This is my rendition of the traditional German black forest cake aka Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Today’s towering beauty has 4 parts:
- My go-to chocolate layer cake
- Dark sweet cherries
- Fluffy vanilla whipped cream
- Dark chocolate ganache
Chocolate Cake
The cake recipe comes from this tuxedo cake, which was adapted from my favorite chocolate cake. It has a cake crumb so moist and chocolate-y, it sticks to your fork and melts on your tongue. Curious about the ingredients used? Hop on over to that recipe for detail. One thing I’ll mention because it’s worth repeating: hot liquid is a must in this cake batter. Why? The hot liquid encourages the cocoa powder to bloom and dissolve instead of just sitting there. For the hot liquid, I recommend coffee which will deepen the chocolate flavor. The cake will not taste like coffee, I promise! Or you can use hot water.
Cherries & Whipped Cream
Grab a couple cans of dark sweet cherries that are soaked in heavy syrup (the can is sold as such). Reduce the syrup down on the stove as the cakes bake. Have any cherry liquor around? Add a splash and brush the mixture all over the cakes while they’re still warm. This cherry soaking syrup guarantees the moistest, most flavorful chocolate cake you will EVER taste. Think of the best chocolate cake you’ve ever eaten. This one’s better and we have the cherry- soaking syrup to thank.
Those cherries from the can? They’ll be layered right into the cake, seeping their magenta juices into the vanilla whipped cream. Swirled pink, the whipped cream is light, billowy, and doesn’t weigh down the cake. While this black forest cake is certainly decadent, it’s not overly heavy. A breath of fresh air considering most chocolate cakes are dense as bricks!
Most of vanilla whipped cream is layered inside the cake, but be sure to reserve some to lightly spread on top and around the cake. This seals in the cake’s moisture. Have I mentioned this cake is moist?
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
Black forest cake is traditionally finished with chocolate shavings, but I took it a step further and opted for chocolate ganache. Instead of covering the entire cake like we do with chocolate raspberry cake and chocolate peanut butter cake, we will let the chocolate ganache gently drape over the sides for mega drama. (Because when it comes to chocolate cake, there’s gotta be drama!) Made from heavy cream and pure chocolate, there’s no garnish more appropriate for this cake masterpiece.
I’m so excited for you to try this black forest cake, a recipe that came to life from the one who inspired me to get in the kitchen.
Now let’s talk about the gorgeous stand mixer you see in all these photos! The 100 Year Limited Edition Stand Mixer comes in a custom and classic color, Misty Blue—a soft blue with a hint of green that is reminiscent of one of the first KitchenAid stand mixer colors ever introduced. It displays a heritage-inspired KitchenAid® logo, a white-coated stainless steel bowl and a custom Power Hub cover celebrating 100 years of KitchenAid. 10 speeds, tilt head, 5 quart, a testament to the past 100 years!
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Black Forest Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This deliciously moist Black Forest Cake is a cut above the rest with homemade whipped cream, rich chocolate ganache, and sweet spiked cherries.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (65g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder*
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g) full fat sour cream, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot water or coffee*
- 2 (15 ounce) cans dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup*
- 2 Tablespoons cherry liquor (sold as kirsch or kirschwasser)*
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- two 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bars (226g), finely chopped
- optional: 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup*
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups (480ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (30g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the chocolate cake: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, beat the oil, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the hot water or coffee, and beat it all until the batter is completely combined.
- Divide batter evenly between 3 pans. Bake for 21-25 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 30 minutes in the pans, then remove cakes from pans and set on a cooling rack. Be careful and use two hands when handling the cakes.
- After the cakes have cooled, use a large serrated knife or cake leveler to slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!).
- Prepare the syrup: Drain the cherries, reserving 3/4 cup (180ml) of the heavy syrup. Set cherries aside. Simmer syrup and cherry liquor in a small saucepan over low heat until reduced down to 1/4 cup (60ml). Brush reduced syrup all over the cakes, reserving any leftover syrup.
- Slice the cherries in half, leaving a few whole cherries for garnish. Set aside.
- Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolate and corn syrup, if using, in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil—that’s too hot!) Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes as you prepare the whipped cream.
- Make the whipped cream: Using a KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- Assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread 1 heaping cup of whipped cream evenly on top. Dot with half of the halved cherries and drizzle with a spoonful of reduced syrup. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with 1 heaping cup whipped cream, the remaining halved cherries, and another drizzle of reduced syrup. Top with the 3rd cake layer. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top and all around the sides in a thin layer using an icing spatula. Use a bench scraper to smooth out the whipped cream on the sides of the cake.
- Pour chocolate ganache on top of the cake. Spread to the edges of cake allowing it to gently drip down the sides. Top with whole cherries. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. For the cherry syrup, cool then cover and refrigerate overnight. The whipped cream can be prepared, covered tightly, and refrigerated overnight. Chocolate ganache can be prepared, covered tightly, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before using. Let ganache sit at room temperature to soften or microwave for 5-10 seconds before using. The assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 1 day before slicing and serving. The frosted cake can also be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Stand Mixer | Cooling Rack | Saucepan | Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Bench Scraper | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Why Room Temperature Ingredients? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about the importance of room temperature ingredients. Instead of sour cream, try using plain yogurt. The cake won’t taste as rich, but it’s a fine substitution.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa in the cake, not dutch-process. Here’s the difference between dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder and coffee will not make the chocolate taste like coffee. Rather, they deepen the chocolate flavor. I highly recommend them both. You can find espresso powder in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. If coffee isn’t your thing, you can leave out the espresso powder and use boiling hot water instead of the hot coffee.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Cherries: Canned dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup (they are sold as such) are imperative to the recipe. The syrup will be reduced down. Do not use fresh dark sweet cherries, sour cherries, or maraschino cherries.
- Cherry Liquor: The cherry liquor is optional, but really gives the soaking syrup (step 4) that over-the-top delicious flavor setting this black forest cake apart from others. You can also add a splash to the whipped cream!
- Corn Syrup: I like to add a touch of light corn syrup to the ganache to give it some glistening shine. This is an optional ingredient.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This is the most delicious chocolate cake. It’s light and rich at the same time. My question is, can I use this recipe for mini cupcakes?
Hi Deb, absolutely. Fill mini liners only halfway and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F (177°C). So glad this is a favorite for you!
How long to bake it in a 10 inch pan?
Hi Rana, We are unsure of the bake time needed if using 10 inch pans. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Im making ahead, should I be brushing the cake layers and then storing, or only do that once assembling?
Hi Izzy, We would brush with the reduced syrup before assembling the cake. Enjoy!
Can the recipe be cut in half to make cupcakes instead of a cake?
Hi Colleen, we recommend you use the chocolate cupcakes recipe as a base instead, it yields 14-16 cupcakes and doesn’t require any adjusting. Let us know if you give it a try!
Cake crumb is delicious. Generally a very approachable recipe. A few things that caused minor problems for me (someone who has baked many treats, but few cakes):
1. Evenly dividing the batter was difficult, and despite rotating my pans midway through the recipe, I ended up with a bit of minor unevenness and one cake that was significantly thinner than the others. Perhaps this is normal, but no guidance was given on how to avoid it.
2. I don’t have a cake leveler and I’m reasonably sure my efforts with a large bread knife did not improve this cake. Given the huge quantity of whipped topping between the layers, if I made this again I would be tempted to not worry too much about chopping up the cakes to make them flat.
3. Related to 2, spreading cherry syrup on both sides of every cake was rather frustrating, messy, and precarious. These cakes are moist and delicate, and we’ve already had at them with knives, how in the world am I supposed to syrup the bottom of the cake practically. Also, trying to brush onto the cut parts of the cake was much harder than brushing across uncut cake.
4. This is absolutely too short of a cooling period for the ganache. I waited much longer than 10m and even put it in the fridge a bit to try and thicken it up, but ultimately didn’t want to wait too long before getting my cake in the fridge, so I went against my better judgement and poured the ganache. Far too thin, made a huge mess! If anything, I used less cream than called for in the ganache, so I’m sure it’s not too wet, just perhaps still too warm. If I make this again, I surely will chill my ganache during this cooling period.
Overall, I look forward to serving this cake, and I think if I made it a second time I could do better, but it left me a few places to screw up, some of which I took advantage of.
Hi! If I wanted to use frozen cherries (instead of canned), what would I need to do to them to make them work for this recipe? Or are canned a must have? Thank you!
Hi Elena, You can try using frozen cherries. Thaw them, then cook down the juices they released. We have not tried this and there will be a slight loss of flavor without the heavy syrup, but we can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let know how it turns out for you!
What can I use as icing in the Black Forest Cake that will hold up better than whipped cream?
Hi Rosemary, you might like this whipped frosting instead. It’s still nice and light, but a bit more sturdy than whipped cream. Let us know if you try it!
Cakes sunk in the middle. Followed the recipe to the T!
Followed the recipe to the T and cakes sunk in the middle. Tried it twice.
Hi Lorri, I’m so sorry to hear this didn’t work for you. It sounds like the cakes could have benefited from some extra time in the oven. A little sinking is normal since this cake is so moist and the batter is so thin. Cocoa powder is not as structurally strong as flour, so chocolate cakes normally don’t bake up quite as high as vanilla cakes, for example. Thank you for giving this recipe a try, and I hope you’ll find another recipe here that works better for you!
The Dan sweet cherries in heavy syrup are hard to find, and I live in a big city. What is a good substitute?
Hi Susan! Canned dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup (they are sold as such) are imperative to the recipe. We don’t recommend using fresh dark sweet cherries, sour cherries, or maraschino cherries. If you can only find cherries in light syrup instead of heavy syrup, you can use them in a pinch with no changes necessary.
Thank you. I ended up using two cans of cherry pie filling and one jar of sour cherries in juice. I thoroughly rinsed the pie filling in a colander over a bowl with the cherry juice. I then reduced the resulting liquid (pie filling liquid plus juice) for the heavy syrup, flavoured with Kirsch. I used the mix of cherries, which I also flavoured with a bit of Kirsch, for the cake. I simply cannot find canned dark cherries in Calgary, Alberta, not even online, so this was my alternative. But the resulting cake was absolutely delicious. My ganache was too thick and I wish I had realized that before I put it on the cake. I think it was because I used 60% chocolate (it is what I had plus I thought dark chocolate and cherries is a good combination). I should have thinned it with cream so it was pourable but the cake was still great!
Hello Sally. Can this be made in 3x 6-inch pans? Thanks 🙂
Hi Bernadette, For the cake you can use the recipe for Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes and follow the baking directions in the post 6 Inch Cakes. You can cut the amount of cherries, whipped cream, and ganache in half for this size cake. Let us know if you give it a try!
Thanks Lexi. I’ve decided to make 3x 8 inch cakes. I only have 2 pans, though. Will it be okay for the remaining batter to sit on the bench whilst the other 2 cakes cook?
Yes, we would let it sit covered at room temperature.
I just made this recipe as a 6 inch with three layers. I baked for 23 minutes and halved the entire recipe, including the chocolate cake layer part of the recipe. It came out great!
This is my favourite cake. It is perfect every time. Thank you! I use the cake as a base for many cakes now. Can I freeze the cake or will it be no good? Thank you!
Hi Lauren, The frosted cake can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Great cake! Everyone loved it. Now I will say mine wasn’t pretty. I don’t think I whipped the cream enough and my ganache was too warm so it was too thin and runny. If I had looked at the picture I would have figured it out. When I next make it I will know. (Also made it on the hottest day of the year!)
My changes were that I increased the whip cream to 3 cups (per someone else’s comment), I think that may be a safer bet for newbies. And I made the ganache with half milk/half semisweet chocolate, because I know my family.
Wow! I made this for my son’s birthday and it was a hit with everyone; old and young. I used 3 x 8″ cake pans and baked for 25 minutes at 350°F.
The ganache didn’t turn out and I think I will just omit it next time as we felt we didn’t need it.
I made my own cherry sauce and just used that as the filling.
For some reason, we didn’t have enough icing so I would just use 4 cups of heavy whipping cream next time.
Just leaving a note that I did try this recipe with frozen cherries I had from my last big cherry haul. I got plenty of cherry juice to turn into syrup (with a little sugar and the liquor added) and the cake still turned out phenomenal. I do wish there was a bit more tartness to cut the sweet, just my taste. If I could do it again I might add a squeeze of lemon juice. But it is possible and you’ll still make a delicious cake!
Hi! What if I want to use Dutch process to get a richer chocolate flavor? How would I adjust the baking soda/powder? Thank you!
Hi Jessica, natural cocoa powder really is best here. If you use the Dutch process and make any adjustments, let us know how it turns out.
Can I use a half cup of melted butter instead of the oil?
Hi Christine! Oil is really best for this chocolate cake. The cake would taste dry with butter instead.
How far ahead of time can I make this so that the whip cream doesn’t melt?
Hi Sarah, The assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 1 day before slicing and serving.
I am wondering how this could be adapted to make a Black Forest sheet cake (9×13 pan). Any ideas for me? Want to take this to my book group and I think a sheet cake would be easier to serve. Thank you!
Hi Martha, you can bake this cake in a 9×13 inch baking pan (or, make two separate batches for 2, 9×13 layers). Same oven temperature, about 35-40 minutes bake time. You may need to get a little creative with how you layer the whipped cream, ganache and cherries – you’ll likely need less of each. Hope it’s a hit!
I made this for my brother-in-law’s birthday. It was absolutely delicious and a huge hit! My only issue was that you couldn’t really taste the cherry. I read other reviews where people said the same so I used all of the simple syrup on the cake and made extra to drizzle on the layers of whipped cream. I couldn’t really even taste a hint of it so I did regret spending extra money on the kirsch. However, it was still a great cake and the texture was perfect! Your website is my go to for recipes and techniques!
Hi! I was going to make this for my dad’ birthday. I was just wondering if i could make it with normal cocoa powder? I’m in New Zealand and we don’t have specifically labeled cocoa powder. How would I know what’s natural vs dutch? Thank you!
Hi Sofia, check the ingredients label. If it mentions that it’s “alkalized” or “processed with alkali” then it’s Dutch. If not, then it’s natural.
I’ve been making this cake for my husband’s birthday every year since 2019, so I thought it was about time I left a comment! Every year I am blown away by how delicious it is – thank you Sally for this amazing recipe!
I want to make this for a friends birthday party. There will be lots of kids in attendance and I was wondering what I could substitute for the liqueur to make the cake kid friendly?
Hi Kayla, See recipe note– it’s totally optional! No need to replace with anything.
Omg this a hit
The family loved it
Will def make again
Didn’t have the liquor it called for so I used an orange liqueur it was great
So happy to read this, Lindylou. Thanks for giving this cake recipe a try.
Hi Sally i have tried to get natural cocoa powder to no avail
i have Dutch or cocao power which would be the best to use?
Hi Carol Ann Joyce, natural cocoa powder really is best here. Can you order some online by chance? You can use raw cacao powder in recipes calling for natural cocoa powder, but the two taste different, so the intended taste of this cake will be slightly different.
I made this for my husband’s birthday last year and it was a HUGE hit! My mom said it’s the best cake she’s ever had. I’m going to attempt this recipe but tweak it to make cupcakes for my sister’s birthday this month. Any tips on this are welcome!
Hi Shaniya, you can use this recipe for at least 2 dozen cupcakes; fill them halfway with batter. About 20-22 minutes bake time at 350F. Or, if you need a smaller yield, you can use our chocolate cupcakes recipe instead. Enjoy!
I’m making this for my husbands 40th birthday. It’s his favorite cake. Can I use 3 8in round pans? Or I guess I should do two 8in pans…?
Hi Emily! You can use three 8 inch cake pans for this cake. The layers will be slightly thicker and require a slightly longer bake time (not much though).
hi Sally, is it possible to bake this cake in two layers instead of 3? I only have 2 9-inch pans. Looking forward to your reply!
Hi Sarah, you can use 2 cake pans instead. Bake time will be slightly longer for the thicker layers, so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Or if you want to keep this as a 3 layer cake, you can bake the first 2 layers and keep the batter for the third layer covered at room temperature. Once the first 2 layers are done and cooled, remove them from the pan and bake the final third layer. Hope you enjoy the cake!
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I made this for my co- worker and best friend and she loved it ! She said it was the best she ever had and it’s her fav kind of cake. My first time making it.