This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
This Black Forest Cake is my version of the famous German chocolate cake, aka “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.” It has 4 chocolatey layers, 1 lb of kirsch-infused cherries and a light whipped cream.
It is a stunning and decadent cake but it’s fairly simple to make with just 11 ingredients (which is peanuts for a cake!). The chocolate shavings make this Black Forest cake very forgiving in terms of decoration for those of us who are cake styling impaired :).
This black forest cake is an adult cake as it has kirsch (a cherry liqueur) and isn’t overly sweet. The kirsch is not overpowering but you can tell it’s there. I figured if you slice it into 12 generous pieces, each would have 1 tsp of kirsch. If making this cake for children, omit the kirsch and add a 1 Tbsp sugar to the cherry syrup for more flavor.
*Recipe Tips: You can use thawed frozen cherries or canned cherries. If using canned cherries, select cherries in water or juice, omit the 1/4 cup additional water and use the juice from the can instead. Also, maraschino cherries can be used for the topping/decor. A golden rum would taste good too, but kirsch is more authentic. Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly!
*Note:
Recipe for the Black Forest Cake updated 4/22/16 to be more fail proof. Several of you mentioned your cakes did not rise as much as mine. I heard you and re-baked the cake. After some testing, I noticed the best results when increasing the mixing time to 8 minutes (rather than 5) and using 4 Tbsp butter (rather than 8). It rose beautifully and perfectly. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake Layers:
9 large eggs, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (not hot)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
What you’ll need:
Two 9″ cake pans and flour sifter or fine sieve
Ingredients For the Filling:
4 cups (1 lb) bing cherries, pitted, plus 12 whole cherries for decor (If not in season, see *Recipe Tips)
3 Tbsp kirsch (a cherry liqueur)
1/4 cup cold water
For the Frosting/Topping:
3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup Confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp kirsch (cherry liqueur)
4 oz good quality dark chocolate
How to Make Black Forest Cake Layers:
If you’ve never made a European Sponge Cake, watch the video before you get started to see what the batter should look like.
Prep: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line the bottom of two 9″ round pans with parchment paper (don’t grease sides).
1. Beat 9 large eggs with the whisk attachment for 1 min on high speed. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed a full 8 min. It will be thick and fluffy.
Tip from reader, Hilda: “How do you know u get the right consistency? Lift up your beater (whisk) from the batter. Make a figure “8” using the batter that drip off the beater. Then count to 10 seconds. If the figure 8 still remains on top of the batter, then u have the right consistency. If the figure 8 sinks into the batter before 10 secs, then u need to beat it longer.”
Tip: the mixture it should fall off the whisk and still ‘stand up’ on the cake mixture
2. Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup cocoa powder and sift in thirds into the batter, folding with a spatula between each addition. Once all flour is in, continue to fold just until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the bottom of the bowl to get any pockets of flour hiding at the bottom; do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
3. Gently fold in 1/2 tsp vanilla and room temp butter, folding as you add butter in a steady stream and scraping from the bottom to make sure you don’t have butter pooling at the bottom. Fold just until incorporated. Divide batter equally between two prepared cake pans and BAKE RIGHT AWAY in fully preheated oven at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes (my oven took 22 min), or until a toothpick comes out clean. Note: Once the butter is added, it must be transferred to baking pans and put into the oven immediately or the batter can deflate quickly.
4. Let cool in pans for 10 min then run a knife or thin edged spatula around the edges to loosen cake. Transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. When cakes are at room temp, and you’re ready to assemble, slice cake layers in half with a long serrated knife.
Making the Syrup for Black Forest Cake:
1. Roughly chop pitted cherries and place in a medium bowl with 3 Tbsp kirsch. Let sit at room temp for at least 30 min, stirring a couple times, then drain cherries in a sieve over a bowl. Keep the cherries and syrup. Add 1/4 cup cold filtered water to the syrup to get about 3/4 cup total syrup.
Making the Cream:
For best results freeze bowl and whisk attachment 15 min before using.
1. Beat 3 1/2 cups heavy cream with whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form, add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp kirsch and beat on high until stiff and spreadable (1-2 min). Refrigerate until ready to use (tip: keep whisk attachment in the bowl – you can whip it another 30 seconds if it seems slightly loose after refrigeration).
Assembling your Black Forest Cake:
1. Place first cake layer on a cake stand and brush with 1/4 of the syrup. Cover the top with about 3/4 cup frosting (3 ice cream scoops’ worth) and top with 1/3 of the chopped cherries. Repeat with remaining layers and top with the flattest layer. Transfer 1 1/2 cups frosting to a pastry bag with a large flower tip and refrigerate until ready to use (don’t handle the bag too much or the cream will soften). Fill the cracks along the sides of cake with frosting then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting.
2. To make chocolate shavings, you can either melt chocolate in the microwave, spread it thin over the back of a baking sheet with the help of a food scraper, then refrigerate a few minutes and use a food scraper to create bark-like shavings. This is the more authentic way. Alternatively, you can use a potato peeler to shave a chunk of chocolate, It will still be pretty but it won’t have the same “black forest cake” feel to it.
3. Cover sides and top of cake with chocolate shavings leaving a 1″ perimeter on top for piping frosting. Pipe rounds of frosting around the top of the cake and place a whole cherry over each one. Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving for the flavors to meld.
Black Forest Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake Layers:
- 9 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, not hot
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
What you'll need:
- Two 9" cake pans and flour sifter or fine sieve
Ingredients for Cherry Filling:
- 4 cups 1 lb bing cherries, pitted, plus 12 whole cherries for decor (see *Recipe Tips)
- 3 Tbsp kirsch, a cherry liqueur
- 1/4 cup cold water
For the Frosting/Topping:
- 3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup Confectioners, powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp kirsch, cherry liqueur
- 3 oz good quality dark chocolate
Instructions
How to Make Cake Layers: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line bottoms of cake pans with parchment (don't grease sides).
- Beat 9 eggs with the whisk attachment for 1 min on high. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed a full 8 min. It will be thick and fluffy. Tip: the mixture it should fall off the whisk and still ‘stand up’ on the cake mixture
- Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup cocoa powder and sift in thirds into batter, folding with a spatula between each addition. Once all flour is in, continue to fold just until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the bottom of the bowl to get any pockets of flour; do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
- Gently fold in 1/2 tsp vanilla and room temp butter, folding as you add butter in a steady stream and scraping from the bottom to make sure you don't have butter pooling at the bottom. Fold just until incorporated. Divide batter equally between two prepared cake pans and BAKE RIGHT AWAY in fully preheated oven at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes (my oven took 22 min), or until a toothpick comes out clean. Note: Once the butter is added, it must be transferred to baking pans and put into the oven immediately or the batter can deflate quickly.
- Let cool in pans for 10 min then run a thin edged spatula around edges to loosen cake. Transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. When cakes are at room temp, and you're ready to assemble, slice cake layers in half with a long serrated knife.
Making the Syrup:
- Roughly chop pitted cherries and place in a medium bowl with 3 Tbsp kirsch. Let sit at room temp for at least 30 min, stirring a couple times, then drain cherries in a sieve over a bowl. Keep the cherries and syrup. Add 1/4 cup cold filtered water to the syrup to get about 3/4 cup total syrup.
Making the Cream: For best results freeze bowl and whisk attachment 15 min before using.
- Beat 3 1/2 cups heavy cream with whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form, add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp kirsch and beat on high until stiff and spreadable (1-2 min). Refrigerate until ready to use (tip: keep whisk attachment in the bowl - you can re-whip if it seems slightly loose after refrigeration).
Assembling your Black Forest Cake:
- Place first cake layer on a cake stand and brush with 1/4 of the syrup. Cover top with about 3/4 cup frosting and top with 1/3 of the chopped cherries. Repeat with remaining layers and top with the flattest layer. Transfer 1 1/2 cups frosting to a pastry bag with a large flower tip and refrigerate until ready to use (don't handle the bag too much or the cream will soften). Fill the cracks along the sides of cake with frosting then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting.
- To make chocolate shavings, you can either melt chocolate in the microwave, spread it thin over the back of a baking sheet, then refrigerate a few min and use a food scraper to create bark-like shavings. This is the more authentic way. Alternatively, you can use a potato peeler to shave a chunk of chocolate.
- Cover sides and top of cake with chocolate shavings leaving a 1" perimeter on top for piping frosting. Pipe rounds of frosting around the top of the cake and place a whole cherry over each one. Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
♥ FAVORITE THINGS ♥
Shown in this post: (no one paid us to write this; just affiliate links for stuff we love):
*The lovely turquoise Fiesta Cake Plate with Server.
*The OXO strainer/sifter is totally multi-purpose!
* This OXO Cherry Pitter (works for olives too!)
*Ofcourse the “workhorse” of the kitchen: KitchenAid Pro 6Qt
*We sure enjoy our Wusthof knife block set. Great knives are essential.
Admit it, you want a slice! 🙂 What’s your favorite cherry dessert (besides this one of course)?
Hi Natasha
Could you tell me if any cherry liqueur can be substituted for Kirsch. I have Cherry Kijafa in the house and wondered if this can be used. It is NOT clear if that makes a difference. I’d like to make this – looks delicious!
Hi Elaine, cherry liqueur is what we always use, but you could experiment with a different liqueur. That may work; if you experiment, I’d love to know if it works for you!
Hi natasha if there’s no cherry liquer can I substitute an orange liquer?thanks
Hi Lorna, I haven’t tested it with orange liquer to advise on the outcome.
Can I use 2 8″ pan how long to cook
Hi Pamela, I haven’t tested it as an 8″ cake so you would have to estimate adjustments. If you click the “servings” part of the recipe card, it can help you scale the recipe up or down and give you a general idea. I worry it will overwhelm 8″ pans if they are not tall enough.
Tried this today at my son’s request for his birthday and it turned out awesome. This was such an easy to follow recipe and the result was a happy boy! I did not cut the cakes into halves as I wasnt sure I would be able to do it neatly, but it still tasted yum nevertheless.
Thanks Natasha! 🙂
You’re welcome, Anita. Thank you too for sharing that with us and for giving this recipe a great review!
Natasha, I loved this cake! Thank you for posting it. The only thing I did differently was I used canned vanilla icing that I further whipped to make it fluffy. Did this for 2 reasons:(1) my son prefers the “fake icing” to real buttercream,(Yes a strange kid… I am aware).
(2) using this icing made it counter stable and I didn’t have to store it in the fridge.
I feed 6 adults everyday so fridge space is at a premium,lol.
Now the only issue I have is that I have quite a bit of kirsch left over. Other than this cake and cheese fondue can you think of other recipes where it can be used? While I love this cake it’s not something I will make often. Once fresh cherry season is done I won’t make this again til next season.
Hi Julie, I’m so glad you loved it. I usually use the full syrup amount to make the cake moister, but you can use it to soak other cakes or cupcakes.
can you use strawberries instead of cherries? thanks
Hi Fatima, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
How do you get the chocolate shavings on to the sides of the cake? I have read about different techniques, but am wondering what you do??
Hi Vivian, we press them in light with our hands. We found that works best.
Why does recipe say 4TBSP 1/4 cup butter? Is that 4TBSP plus a 1/4 cup or 4TBSP OR a 1/4 cup? Thanks
Hi Madeleine, sorry the recipe card did not display that correctly, it should read 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup). It’s only 4 Tbsp which is equal to 1/4 cup.
Hello Natasha,
Question -do you have recipe of German chocolate cake? Would love to make it! Thanks
Hi Tatiana, I don’t have a recipe for that but thanks for your suggestion. Hope I can try that soon.
Question. I can’t find cherries in can of water or juice only pie filling (thick jelly type). Can I use & if yes what else would I adjust? Or should I use frozen cherries? Also can I use grenadine? Is that basically the same as cherry liqueur?
Hi Jenny, that may work, here’s what one of our readers wrote: “I’ve made this cake several times already, and my boyfriend and I absolutely love it! I simplified it a bit- like instead of regular cherries (they’re so expensive here!) I used the canned cherry pie filling, and used the thick juicy part for syrup. I can’t decorate to save my life so I just shave some chocolate over the top and it’s good to go. But it turns out so delicious every time! Thank you for posting!” I hope this is helpful.
Hey Natasha!
I am very excited to make this recipe and had a question about the kirsch cherry liqueur. Can I substitute it with something else? Possibly something without alcohol? Thank you!
Hi Samantha, I honestly haven’t tried other substitutes to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Samantha, I substituted it with pomegranate- cherry juice PomPom. Worked fine for us.
Hi Natasha, there is no video on Black Forest cake?? I got the recipe though.. If there is pl send the link or pl make one.. thank u so much. My children love this cake .
Hi Vasanthi, there is no video for this. It’s a slightly older recipe but it has everything that you need to make this cake.
Thanks for the awesome recipes. My cake turned out to be a bit hard and less sweet. I followed the recipe to the tee except used cherry juice instead of Kirsch. What do you think was the mistake? I noticed that you don’t use any leavening agents. Could that be the problem?
Hi S, The dense and hard cake could both be solved (usually) by beating the eggs and sugar a little longer since the cake relies on the volume of the eggs and sugar for leavening/ to rise. Make sure you are using a high-powered mixer and beating for the recommended time at the highest speed. Also, I recommend using our post on measuring specifically paying attention to dry ingredients. I hope that helps! 🙂
Hi Ms. Natasha! Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I’m excited to bake this cake for my brother’s birthday. I’d like to ask if it’s possible for me to bake the batter in just one big round pan? The problem is I have a small oven that only fits one pan at a time. Which would be better? To bake them all in one pan or to bake them in two different pans separately? The latter worries me as you said in your recipe notes that it should be baked immediately after mixing the batter. However, the first one also worries me as it will involve a different time and temperature setting because of its thickness. Thank you! Hoping for your response 🙂
Hi Jessy, yes, you definitely should bake right away on this one. I haven’t tried making it in a single pan. It may work but would need a longer baking time.
Hello!
I think I was too timid brushing the liquid on. Do you have to really soak the layers? I just brushed a little on the top
Of each cake. Will it be too dry now? I noticed after you said 1/4c per layer?. Ahhh first time making Black Forest cake.
Hi J, since this is a sponge cake, you don’t have to worry about it getting soggy as it absorbs really well. It should still be fine, but I do add 1/4 cup per layer.
Hi Natasha – when folding in the flour/cocoa, how much volume loss in the egg/sugar mixture is expected? I was sifting it in by thirds but found the last but was really not mixing in, but I was so worried about overmixing that I also maybe rushed through it (baking now so we’ll see results). Just curious how much deflation is okay before it just won’t rise enough in the oven.
Hi Joseph, if you’re gentle, it shouldn’t deflate by much. You can see our recipe photos for comparison in the original sponge cake recipe. We left this note for you: “If you’ve never made a European Sponge Cake, watch the video before you get started to see what the batter should look like.”
Hi! I’m trying to cook this for Valentine’s day but I haven’t been able to find a 9 inch heart mold, would a 8 inch be better or a 10 inch?
Thank you!
Hi Johana, you might be best off calculating the volume of the pan or do a google search to see the volume of those sizes of heart pan compared to a regular 9″ round cake pan.
Hello, I’m banking this cake, but how do you get 4 chocolatey layers only two cakes?
Hi Jenna, please read through the recipe post. You’ll notice step 4 says, “When cakes are at room temp, and you’re ready to assemble, slice cake layers in half with a long serrated knife.” We include a photo showing how we cut it.
Hi Natasha im planning to make this cake on weekend but i have couple of questions, first im using 8” square pans so should i use 9 eggs or 6 eggs sponge recipe? and secondly can i fondant this cake thanx
Hi Mavra, I haven’t tested this in an 8″ square pan but I would probably keep the recipe the same.
your Schwarzwald Kirsch is not bad, but it is certainly not an American Cuisine. As the name indicates it is from the black forrest and that is in Germany!
Thanks for your comments and feedback!