Black Forest Cake Recipe

A round cake on a white pedestal stand, decorated with white frosting, chocolate shavings on the sides, a circle of chocolate shavings on top, and eight swirls of whipped cream each topped with a red cherry around the edge. The background is a wooden surface.

5 from 2 votes

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.

Prep Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: German

Keyword: cake

Servings: yields

Calories: 451kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the cake:

6 Eggs large
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tablespoon Cake flour
2 teaspoons Baking powder
½ cup Cocoa powder
¼ cup Butter melted
½ teaspoon Salt

For the syrup:

½ cup Water
½ cup Sugar
¼ cup Kirsch or cherry liquor (optional)

For the cherry filling:

1 Jar Cherries
Cherry juice from the jar/can
⅓ cup Cornstarch
¼ cup Sugar
¼ cup Kirsch or cherry liquor

For the cream filling:

2½ cups Heavy cream cold
½ cup Powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons Instant pudding optional *read notes

For decoration:

½ cup Heavy cream cold
2-3 tablespoons Instant pudding optional
2 tablespoons Powdered sugar
Maraschino cherries/fresh cherries
Dark chocolate shavings

US Customary - Metric

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