This deliciously moist Black Forest Cake is a cut above the rest with homemade whipped cream, rich chocolate ganache, and sweet spiked cherries.
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. 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 version of buttermilk 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.
I’m avoiding consuming seed oils such as vegetable/canola oil, as well as most other oils other than olive or avocado. Do you think this will turn out okay if I substitute melted butter for the vegetable oil?
Hi Ari, oil is key here for a supremely moist cake. We do not recommend swapping with butter, as the resulting cake may be a bit dry and even rubbery.
Good recipe, I did 4 x 8 inch tiers, cake flour (with 2 extra tbsp per cup), there was way too much panache. Could easily halve. Ended up covering the entire cake and still had lots leftover
Hello Sally , have you ever tried this recipe with cake flour instead of all purpose flour ? What were the results ?
Hi Yemurayi, We do not recommend using cake flour. The cake crumb is already so light and it won’t hold up properly with cake flour. The combination of cake flour and cocoa powder usually results in a flimsy cake. All-purpose really is best here!
Question
Why soft peaks vs stiff peaks with the whip cream?
Hi Janet, soft peaks helps give the whipped cream a billowy and smooth texture, and also makes it a bit easier to spread on/around the cake. Stiff peaks can cause the whipped cream to become curdled and grainy.
Came out amazing! Didn’t use liqueur. Used sour dark cherries in light syrup, it’s a ll I could find. So I made a simple syrup to use half/ half cherries syrup to help balance flavor. No ganache
This came out amazing!
This cake came out fantastic, even with with adjustments I made. Couldn’t find dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup, was able to get dark pitted cherries in light syrup, so I made a simple syrup to balance out the light syrup. Left out liquor. Left off ganache, personal preference.
This cake came out fantastic, even with with adjustments I made. Couldn’t find dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup, was able to get dark pitted cherries in light syrup, so I made a simple syrup to balance out the light syrup. Left out liquor. Left off ganache, personal preference.
The was really a simple recipe to follow and over the top yummy! I took the bits off cake I had left over from leveling and made a single layer of everything in a single-serving size dish and let it soak for an hour…amazing! I’m going to make it next time and create individual desserts in wine glasses, like a trifle. I need portion control! Love this site and all the recipes I make from here are amazing!
One question : I only have two cake pans. Can I bake two at a time and the third one after the first two are done and de-panned? Is it okay for the batter to rest that long with the baking soda in it or will the third cake not rise?
Hi Maggie, yes, you can absolutely do that. Simply leave the leftover batter covered at room temperature while waiting for the others to bake and cool. Hope you enjoy the cake!
I had so much fun making this cake. The chocolate cake is delicious! I felt like the recipe made too much whipped cream and too much chocolate ganache. I might try to cut those in half next time because there was extra leftover. The cake came together just as the recipe said. Very easy to follow the steps. This was my first time making whipped cream and it went well. Will definitely be making again!
Delicious, but ratios seemed off. I ended up with an extra 1-2 cups of whipped cream and could have easily halved the ganache (with some left over!).
Would there be any problems if I used something like Hershey ls cocoa powder vs a natural cocoa powder.
Hi Jarrod, the cocoa powder you often see in the baking aisle is natural — like Hershey’s (not the Special Dark, the regular) or Ghirardelli, so that will work just fine!
I love your recipes and your website is my number one go to for cakes. I think my ONLY qualm with this recipe is I was hoping for more of the cherry flavor to come through with the cherries and the reduced syrup. I do catch cherry notes from the drizzle depending how much syrup was there. Otherwise a very moist and delicious chocolate flavor as always from Sally.
Btw I see that your recipe says not to use fresh dark sweet cherries? What about frozen thawed one? If I wanted firmer cherries what would you recommend, thanks!
Hi Emily, 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 us know how it turns out for you!
Got a question does the liquor cook out or is there something I can use in place of that
Hi Hope, the liquor is optional, so feel free to leave it out. The cake is still fantastic without it!
I made this for my boyfriend’s birthday. It turned out so good. I didn’t have Kirsch so I only used the cherry juice, but next time I will buy a bottle.
Sally, have you had any success using the reverse creaming method with any of your chocolate cakes? Would it work for this exquisite Black Forest Cake? Your recipes are consistently reliable and delicious. Thank you!
Hi Patti! Because this cake (and all my chocolate cake recipes) are oil-based, instead of butter, reverse creaming wouldn’t be an option. Let us know if you give this one a try!
This recipe turned out perfectly. I made it for my brother’s birthday. The chocolate cake, cherries and cream were in perfect combination. The ganache pushed it over the top. Rave reviews from my family.
Can this beautiful cake be made in 3 6” pans?
Hi Eve, 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!
I am planning on making this cake next week for a graduation but I cannot find cherry liquor anywhere..would it be under a different name? I am also trying to search Amazon. Any recommendations or substitutions appreciated! I would like to use it in the cake vs omitting it!
Hi Ariel! It would usually be called kirsch or kirschwasser.
The chocolate cake was delicious–rich and dark and perfectly textured. That said, the richness really overshadows the cherries and renders them more like a texture variation than a flavor. Next time I will try with tart cherries to see if they can hold their own against the chocolate.
I loved the recipe so much but I did find that the chocolate ganache makes way too much. My first attempt turned into more of a trifle (still delicious) due to the weight causing it to fall apart but just made again with a perfect outcome after halving the ganache ingredients.
Both times I did substitute dark choc for milk choc so that may of had something to do with it but either way I had a sweet, rich chocolatey dessert both attempts.
Thank you sally im a frequent user of your recipes with my favourites being the scrolls, vertical cake and now this. Your page makes my family very happy
Can I make the cake layers and freeze them for later use? Thanks
Hi Christine, absolutely! Here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cakes.