Black Forest Cake

Black Forest cake is a drool-worthy chocolate sponge cake soaked in a distilled cherry liquor called kirsch, then slathered with whipped cream and layered with cherries for mile-high temptation.

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Servings

Calories 783kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

The Cherry Filling

¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
½ cup (118ml) cherry liquor (or cherry juice)
½ cup (100g) sugar
3 cups (420g) pitted and quartered cherries, or a jar of sour cherries (drained)

The Cake

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5g) salt
1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (4g) baking powder
½ cup (42g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 cup (213g) brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (170g) sour cream, at room temperature
12 ounces (340g) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee

The Whipped Cream

4 cups (908g) heavy cream
⅓ cup (37g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract

The Garnishes

16 fresh cherries
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely grated

Instructions

The Cherry Filling

Prepare your cherries by removing the seeds and slicing them in half. If using the cherries in the can or jar, drain the cherries and reserve the cherry juice.
Combine cornstarch and liqueur or reserved cherry juice.
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, add water and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves, then add in the cornstarch mixture and stir to combine.
Add in the cherries and stir to coat them with the sugar mixture. Cook mixture until the cherries start to soften and let out juices.
Remove from heat when the cherries are juicy, and the juice has begun to thicken. Pour the mixture into another bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

The Cake

To make the cake layers, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare three 8 inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper at the bottom.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix eggs, sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Mix the boiling water with the espresso granules and slowly add the hot coffee to the batter and mix until combined well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Remove cakes from the oven and cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

The Whipped Cream

To make the whipped cream, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl. Whip with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.

Black Forest Cake Assembly

To layer the cake, first use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the tops of the cakes, so they are flat.
Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round.
Pipe a dam around the outside of the cake layer with some of the whipped cream.
Spread ¾ to 1 cup of the cherry mixture on top of the cake, in the center of the dam. The juices will soak into the cake.
Fill in the rest of the dam with a layer of whipped cream and spread into an even layer.
Add the second layer of cake, then repeat the previous three steps.
Add the third and final layer of cake on top.
Frost the top and outside of the cake with the whipped cream.
Pipe swirls of whipped cream around the top of the cake using the remaining whipped cream.
Finish off the cake with a few additional cherries and some chocolate shavings. To make the chocolate shavings, just run a vegetable peeler along the edge of a chocolate bar.

Notes

While canned or frozen cherries work best, don't sweat it if you only have fresh cherries. Simply remove the pits, put them in a saucepan, add a tablespoon of sugar to macerate, stir, and let them sit for about an hour or until you see juice collecting. Then simmer them to soften them up and finish extracting the juice (strain and reserve the juice).
If you prefer to use strawberries instead of cherries, you won't have a genuine Black Forest cake. However, it will still be delicious, and I won't tell if you don't.
Have your oven preheated so you can immediately put the cake in the oven when it's ready. If you wait too long, it will fall.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition