Black Forest Cake

Three-layer Black Forest Cake made with super moist cherry-kirsch soaked chocolate cake layered with homemade cherry compote, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and fresh cherry on top. This cake is sure to be the star on your dessert table, absolutely stunning and delicious!

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This recipe was originally published on June 27, 2019

This Black Forest Cake is absolutely one of my favorite cakes! The chocolate cake is so rich in chocolate and so fruity, thanks to the cherry juice. The compote is made with fresh sweet cherry and kirsch cherry liqueur. The cream is so fresh and light. Oh so good! If you’re a big fan of chocolates and cherry flavor combo, you need this Black Forest Cake in your life!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe >

Ingredients Needed & Notes >

Equipment You’ll Need >

Step By Step Instructions >

Baking Tips >

Serving & Storage >

Recipe Card >

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS BLACK FOREST CAKE

1. Surprisingly easy to make, trust me! Just follow the instructions and don’t rush the process, then you’ll have a delicious black forest cake in one day.
2. The chocolate cake is rich in chocolate, also soaked with cherry juice and kirsch cherry liqueur.
3. The filling is made with real cherries. It’s fresh and sweet!
4. It’s a 3-layer cake, tall and handsome! This cake is a gorgeous show-stopper!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED & NOTES

Cherry Compote – I use my homemade cherry compote, but feel free to use your favorite cherry compote or jam.
Kirsch – It’s not black forest cake without kirsch! It’s a clear brandy made from distilling sour cherries. If you don’t have this, you can substitute it with any other fruit-based eau de vie. If you make this cake for kids, you can just skip this ingredient.
Chocolates – You’ll need 70% – 72% cacao. You can use chocolate bars or chips, but make sure to use the highest quality ones for the best deep chocolatey flavor
Hot Brewed Coffee – I promise your cake will not taste like coffee, but it will deepen the flavor of the chocolate, resulting in a more chocolaty cake.
Milk – You’ll need whole milk for this recipe, it adds fat to the batter and creates a richer taste.
Cream – This recipe uses heavy whipping cream to assemble the cake, so you’ll need heavy whipping cream with 35% – 40% milk fat. Make sure it’s cold straight from the fridge, cold cream whipped faster and nicer.
Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted butter. I prefer unsalted butter because I don’t want my cake to taste too salty. If you use salted butter, I recommend to skip the salt.
Eggs – Make sure you’re using large eggs, egg size matters! Eggs bring richness through their yolks and moisture through their whites and also leaven the cake batter. For this recipe you’ll need 8 eggs in total, 4 whole eggs and 4 yolks only.
Flour – No fancy cake flour is required! You can use regular all-purpose flour to make this cake!
Cocoa Powder – I use unsweetened cocoa powder (aka natural cocoa powder) in this recipe. Cocoa powder also gives this cake its deep chocolatey flavor, so make sure you use high-quality cocoa powder.
Leaveners – This recipe uses baking powder and baking soda to lift the cake batter.
Salt – This will do the job of balancing out the flavor.
Sugar – You’ll need light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar to make this cake.
Vanilla – Enhances and balances the flavor.

EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED

• 8-inch round cake pans
• Heatproof bowl
• Saucepan
• Electric mixer
• Rubber spatula
• Parchment paper

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

(Be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions)

STEP 1 – Make the Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease three 8-inch round cake pans with butter and line it with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium heat-proof bowl, combine the chopped chocolates and hot coffee until all the chocolates are melted. You can also help the chocolate to melt faster and evenly by placing the bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water. Then, let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl, sift and combine together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Reduce the mixer speed to low speed, slowly pour the melted chocolate, and mix until just combined. Then, gradually add the sifted dry ingredients alternating with milk, and mix well until there are no more lumps. Do not over mix the cake batter.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pans and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.

STEP 2 – Make the Cherry Compote

You can make your own homemade cherry compote or use your favorite cherry compote or jam. I suggest making your own compote, it’s easy and quick. All you need is to prepare the ingredients well, then combine everything in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until thick and jammy. Let it cool completely to room temperature, then mix in 3 to 4 tablespoons of kirsch.

STEP 3 – Make the Whipped Cream

Make sure your heavy cream is cold. Place your mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Once chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Using the prepared mixing bowl, combine the cold heavy cream, confectioner sugar, and vanilla extract, then whip until stiff peaks. Stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for piping or decorating cakes. Be careful not to over-whip the cream.

STEP 4 – Assemble the Cake

Level off each cake to remove any doming, so the top of your cake is flat and even, then brush each cake with the cherry compote juice.

Place one cake onto your serving plate, spread or pipe an even layer of whipped cream, then evenly spread the cherry compote and chocolate shavings over the whipped cream. Repeat this layering process one more time, then decorate the top layer with whipped cream, fresh cherries, and chocolate shavings. You can also decorate with chocolate ganache drip around the cake. Chill the cake in the fridge for about 2 hours before serving.

To Make the Chocolate Ganache:

Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl, and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer until small bubbles appear around the edges. Do not boil the cream. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to stand for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth and shiny. Wait until the ganache is thickened slightly before you pour it over the cake.

If the chocolate has not melted completely, set the bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water. Keep stirring until the chocolate and cream are fully combined, smooth, and silky.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST BLACK FOREST CAKE

1. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Room-temperature ingredients blend easily and incorporate together to create a smooth batter without chunks of cold butter or flecks of eggs.
2. Measure flour correctly. When measuring the flour with cups, make sure to spoon and level the flour into your measuring cup. Do not scoop and pack the flour. By doing this, you will yield too much flour and make the dough dry. A kitchen scale is the best option, it’s so much more accurate than cup measurements, that’s why I always write the recipe with grams. 1 cup flour = 125 grams.
3. Keep your eyes on the cake while baking. Think of baking times just as suggestions, because every oven is different! The temperature can vary greatly, even when you set it to the same temperature as in the recipe.

Serving and Storage

How to serve this Black Forest Cake?

This cake makes 8 to 10 slices. You can enjoy it cold straight from the fridge or at room temperature.

How to Store this Black Forest Cake?

Place the cake in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you want to freeze this cake for later, I recommend cutting it into individual slices. Wrap each slice with layers of plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe container. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Send me a message or write a comment below.
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Happy Baking!