Black Forest Cake Recipe
This Black Forest Cake is a rich, chocolatey delight with layers of cherry filling and whipped cream. A classic German favorite that’s elegant, delicious, and perfect for celebrations!
How to Store Black Forest Cake
To keep your Black Forest cake fresh, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze slices wrapped in plastic wrap and foil for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the fridge before serving.
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Black Forest Cake Recipe
Try this authentic Black Forest cake recipe with layers of rich chocolate sponge, luscious cherry filling, and whipped cream. A classic German dessert perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 6 Eggs large
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (140 g) Cake flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- ½ cup (50 g) Cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (60 g) Butter melted
- ½ teaspoon Salt
For the syrup:
- ½ cup (120 water) Water
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Kirsch or cherry liquor (optional)
For the cherry filling:
- 1 Jar (680 g) Cherries
- Cherry juice from the jar/can
- ⅓ cup (40 g) Cornstarch
- ¼ cup (50 g) Sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Kirsch or cherry liquor
For the cream filling:
- 2½ cups (600 ml) Heavy cream cold
- ½ cup (65 g) Powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons Instant pudding optional *read notes
For decoration:
- ½ cup (120 ml) Heavy cream cold
- 2-3 tablespoons Instant pudding optional
- 2 tablespoons Powdered sugar
- Maraschino cherries/fresh cherries
- Dark chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180C˚). Butter a 9-inch (23cm) cake pan and line the bottoms with a parchment paper, grease the sides. Lightly dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer witted with whisk attachment, or in a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and salt. Whisk for 6-7 minutes until doubled in volume. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add flour mixture into wet mixture and gently fold until combined and smooth. Add melted butter, vanilla extract and mix until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile make the syrup: In a small saucepan heat water and sugar. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, turn the heat off and add the kirsch/liquor. Set aside.
- Make the cake filling: drain the cherries and set aside. Place the cherry juice in a saucepan, add kirsch (optional), sugar, cornstarch and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, while whisking, then reduce to medium-low heat and whisk constantly until thickness. Remove from heat, add the cherries and stir. Set aside.
- Make the cream filling: in a large bowl whisk heavy cream and powder sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag and set aside.
- Assembly: cut the cake horizontally into 3 even layers, using a
- Place the bottom cake layer on a cake stand or plate and brush with the syrup lightly. Pipe whipped cream around the edges of the cake. Then spoon half of the cherry mixture in the middle of the cake. Cover cherry mixture with whipped cream and smooth the top. Place second layer of chocolate cake and repeat the process one more time.Brush the top of the cake with syrup and cover the top and the sides of the cake with the remaining cream. Chill the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
- Decoration: before serving the cake, whip 1/2 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and instant pudding (optional) until stiff peaks form, transfer to a piping bag. Pipe some whipped cream on top of the cake, place cherries on the whipped cream. Decorate the sides of the cake with chocolate shavings.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze individual slices for up to 2 months.
- Cherries: Use fresh, canned, or frozen cherries for the filling.
- Alcohol-Free Option: Skip the kirsch and use cherry juice instead.
- Whipped Cream: Stabilize it with gelatin or cornstarch to keep it firm longer.
- Whipped Cream Stabilization: Instant pudding helps stabilize whipped cream and keeps it firm for longer. If you don’t have instant pudding, you can use:
- Gelatin: Dissolve 1 teaspoon gelatin in 2 tablespoons warm water, let it cool slightly, and mix it into the whipped cream.
- Cornstarch: Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch per 1 cup of heavy cream while whipping to help maintain stability.
- Watch the video recipe: For better understanding the recipe, I recommend watching the step-by-step video.
Nutrition
Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 6gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 246mgPotassium: 144mgFiber: 2gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 953IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically generated and thus we can not guarantee it is 100% accurate.
This is my husband’s favorite cake. He had it in Manchester in the hotel we were staying in, the night we arrived. He has never had as good a one as then in England.
What is instant pudding which is optional in your Black Forest recipe
I had great success making this cake. Everyone enjoyed it. I have two comments. The sponge was a little dense for a Black Forest cake. I would try using cake flour to make a lighter sponge. The cream filling was excellent. I would just make more for the decoration. I found the ratio of pudding mix was too much. Nice to work with but too yellow and tasted too much like vanilla pudding.
Thank you for tutorial and sharing it
You make it very easy to cook
Iam a beginner, will try it out
Worked perfectly! Reminds me the cake I was eating in our vacation to Germany a few years ago. For decoration I used fresh cherries and no alcohol for me.