Black Forest Cake
This black forest cake is layered with rich dark chocolate cake, fresh cherry jam, fluffy whipped cream, and chocolate curls. My version is a re-imagined version of the outdated classic, bringing out all the best aspects of the flavors and textures. And, it’s not too hard to make!
First, I start with the chocolate cake. I take a basic recipe, then elevate it by adding instant espresso powder, good quality cocoa powder and vanilla extract, and an extra egg yolk. The espresso powder is important because it adds a depth to the cake and brings out the chocolatey flavor. It’s not mandatory, but I definitely recommend it.
The egg yolk adds richness, and the other ingredients improve the quality. I live and breathe by dutch cocoa powder, so definitely use that.
Then, I make the cherry jam. First, I pit about three cups of cherries. Two cups of those are cut into small pieces, and one cup of those is simply halved. This adds texture and variety to the jam. I start by adding the small pieces of cherry, lemon juice, sugar, salt, water, and cornstarch to a pot and cook down on low heat until jammy. Then, I fold in the rest of the cherries and some amaretto or kirsch.
For the whipped cream, I literally just whip heavy cream and add some vanilla and powdered sugar. The easiest frosting and a perfect complement to a rich cake.
For the chocolate curls, I melt down chocolate and spread it thinly on parchment paper. Then, I roll up the parchment paper and chill it in the fridge. Then, I unroll it and the curls should just fall out.
Finally, time to assemble: layer the chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherry jam, then top the final layer with piped whipped cream and the chocolate curls. Use a micro-plane or grater to add the final touch of chocolate shavings on top, and that’s it! Incredibly impressive and incredibly delicious.
Make sure to keep this cake in the fridge to keep the whipped cream from melting and the cake from collapsing (it ends up being pretty tall). Also, check out some of my other dessert recipes: my double chocolate chunk cookies and my decadent chocolate cheesecake, as well as my best fudgy brownies!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dutch cocoa
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup hot water
Cherry Jam:
- 3 cups fresh cherries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp amaretto or kirsch liquor
Whipped Cream:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly:
- 1/2 cup amaretto or kirsch liquor
- 3 oz chocolate bar
- 6 cherries
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line three 9″x9″ cake tins with a parchment paper circle and grease well with butter or nonstick spray. Set aside while you make the batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, eggs, egg yolks, buttermilk, vanilla, white sugar, brown sugar (sugar is considered a wet ingredient in baking). Stream in the hot water slowly so that you don’t cook the eggs.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk until just combined and there aren’t any more flour lumps. Pour the batter evenly between the three pans and spread it out evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes, then let cool completely in the pans.
Cherry Jam:
- Pit all of the cherries. Cut two cups of the cherries into small pieces, and cut the remaining cherries into halves. Add the small pieces to a pot along with the sugar, lemon juice, salt, cornstarch, and water.
- Cook the jam down for about 10 minutes until thickened, then fold in the halved cherries and liquor. Let cool completely.
Whipped Cream:
- Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar to a bowl and whip until stiff peaks are achieved. Set aside.
Assembly:
- Make the chocolate curls: melt about 3 oz of chocolate and spread it thinly on a piece of parchment paper. Roll the parchment paper up, then chill in the fridge until firm. Then, unwrap the paper and the curls should just fall off. Try not to touch the chocolate as much as possible because it can melt quickly.
- Cut each of the three chocolate cakes in half with a serrated knife, so you will have six layers of cake to work with.
- Place about half of the whipped cream in a piping bag with a star tip and leave the rest in the bowl.
- To assemble, spoon a dollop of cream on a cake stand. Place down your first layer of cake and use a spoon or brush to soak the cake layer in liquor. Pipe a border of whipped cream around the edge. Spoon in about 1/5 of the cherry jam and 1/2 cup whipped cream from the bowl. Spread it out until even, then place another cake layer on top.
- Repeat that process until you place the last cake layer on. Soak with the remnants of the liquor and spoon over the rest of the whipped cream in the bowl. Use what’s left in the piping bag to pipe six swirls on top of the cake.
- Top each swirl with a cherry, then remove the chocolate curls from the fridge and stack them in the middle as you see in the picture. Use a micro-plane or grater to shave chocolate on top to finish it off. Keep in the fridge until you want to serve then enjoy!
Black Forest Cake
Equipment
- micro-plane or grater
- three 9"x9" cake pans
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dutch cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup hot water
Cherry Jam
- 3 cups fresh cherries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp amaretto or kirsch liquor
Whipped Cream
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly
- 1/2 cup amaretto or kirsch liquor
- 3 oz chocolate bar and more to decorate
- 6 cherries
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line three 9"x9" cake tins with a parchment paper circle and grease well with butter or nonstick spray. Set aside while you make the batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, eggs, egg yolks, buttermilk, vanilla, white sugar, brown sugar (sugar is considered a wet ingredient in baking). Stream in the hot water slowly so that you don't cook the eggs.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk until just combined and there aren't any more flour lumps. Pour the batter evenly between the three pans and spread it out evenly.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, then let cool completely in the pans.
Cherry Jam
- Pit all of the cherries. Cut two cups of the cherries into small pieces, and cut the remaining cherries into halves. Add the small pieces to a pot along with the sugar, lemon juice, salt, cornstarch, and water.
- Cook the jam down for about 10 minutes until thickened, then fold in the halved cherries and liquor. Let cool completely.
Whipped Cream
- Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar to a bowl and whip until stiff peaks are achieved. Set aside.
Assembly
- Make the chocolate curls: melt about 3 oz of chocolate and spread it thinly on a piece of parchment paper. Roll the parchment paper up, then chill in the fridge until firm. Then, unwrap the paper and the curls should just fall off. Try not to touch the chocolate as much as possible because it can melt quickly.
- Cut each of the three chocolate cakes in half with a serrated knife, so you will have six layers of cake to work with. Place about half of the whipped cream in a piping bag with a star tip and leave the rest in the bowl.
- To assemble, spoon a dollop of cream on a cake stand. Place down your first layer of cake and use a spoon or brush to soak the cake layer in liquor. Pipe a border of whipped cream around the edge.
- Spoon in about 1/5 of the cherry jam and 1/2 cup whipped cream from the bowl. Spread it out until even, then place another cake layer on top.
- Repeat that process until you place the last cake layer on. Soak with the remnants of the liquor and spoon over the rest of the whipped cream in the bowl. Use what's left in the piping bag to pipe six swirls on top of the cake.
- Top each swirl with a cherry, then remove the chocolate curls from the fridge and stack them in the middle as you see in the picture. Use a micro-plane or grater to shave chocolate on top to finish it off. Keep in the fridge until you want to serve then enjoy!