Black Forest Cake Recipe

You can stop your recipe search because this one’s been tested, tweaked, and is totally reliable every time. If you’re looking for a classic Black Forest Cake recipe made completely from scratch—with no shortcuts on flavor—you’ve found it. This easy Black Forest Cake has moist chocolate cake layers, sweet-tart cherry filling, real whipped cream, and plenty of chocolate shavings for good measure. It’s an absolute show-stopper!

What is Black Forest Cake?

Black Forest Cake (Black Forest Gateau), is a German dessert made out of chocolate sponge cakes, sandwiched together with fresh whipped cream, cherry filling, and Kirsch (a type of brandy). Although my recipe doesn’t include cherry brandy and is therefore alcohol-free, the cherry filling brings plenty of flavor on its own. More about the different variations below!

Cherry Filling Options

To make the homemade cherry filling you’re going to need ingredients like frozen tart cherries, sugar, cornstarch, butter, and almond extract. These all come together to make a sweet-tart gelatinous filling.

Sweet Cherries – If you like things on the sweeter side, opt for sweet cherries instead of tart.
Canned Cherry Filling – Alternatively, you can use the canned cherry filling as a store-bought shortcut!
Kirsch – As mentioned above, a traditional black forest cake recipe contains Kirsch so feel free to add in a healthy splash to the cherry filling, while cooking, if desired.

Black Forest Cake Decoration

The whole outside of this Black Forest Cake is covered in homemade whipped cream, dusted with chocolate shavings, and topped with more cherries.

While I absolutely adore whipped cream, I totally get if you prefer Cool Whip. It’s more stable and ready to use. Or if you’d rather use an actual frosting recipe, my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting would work great.

And if you don’t want to buy a block of chocolate and shave it down, just buy a bag of mini chocolate chips. Lots of option to make it your own!

Ingredients Needed For Black Forest Cake

For the chocolate cake–

All-purpose flour: the base of the cake batter that creates structure
Dutch processed cocoa powder: gives the cake deep chocolate flavor
Baking powder + baking soda: helps the cake rise and stay fluffy
Salt: balances sweetness
Buttermilk: adds moisture and tang
Vanilla extract: enhances flavor
Instant coffee granules: optional, but boosts the chocolate flavor
Vegetable oil: keeps the layers of chocolate sponge cake tender
Granulated sugar: for sweetness and structure
Large eggs + egg white: adds richness and helps bind the batter

For the cherry filling + syrup layers–

Granulated sugar + cornstarch: thickens the cherry syrup
Tart cherries: frozen or canned, drained (avoid heavy syrup)
Unsalted butter: adds richness to the filling
Almond extract: enhances cherry flavor
Chocolate syrup: spread between layers for an extra chocolate hit

For the whipped cream + toppings–

Heavy whipping cream: base for the whipped cream frosting
Powdered sugar: sweetens without graininess
Vanilla extract: adds flavor
Bittersweet baking chocolate or block of chocolate: use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate shavings or chocolate curls
Fresh cherries or maraschino cherries: for garnish on top of the cake

Variations

Use maraschino cherries instead of fresh cherries for easier garnish
Sub sour cream for buttermilk if needed
Add cherry brandy (kirsch) to the cherry syrup or brush it over the cake layers
Use chocolate chips or chocolate bark instead of shaved chocolate
Make a layer cake with only two layers if you want to skip slicing the cakes in half

How to Make Black Forest Cake

For full recipe details, including ingredients needed and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here is step by step what to expect when making this cake:

The first thing to do to make this black forest cake is to make the chocolate cake! If you don’t use the cake recipe I have down below, make sure your recipe makes enough to make two 8-9 inch cakes.

1. Preheat Oven + Prep Pans

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Pro Tip: Regardless of how you bake this cake, be sure to use lighter-colored baking pans (or glass). Using a darker pan will make the edges cook a lot quicker than the center of the cake, giving you darker, crispier edges which isn’t what we’re going for with this chocolate cake recipe.

2. Prepare the Dry + Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together to combine. Set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk, instant coffee granules (if using) and vanilla extract together. You want to stir to dissolve the coffee granules. They will slowly dissolve over the course of 5-10 minutes as they sit in the buttermilk and as you add them into the chocolate cake batter. Set aside.

3. Make the Cake Batter

In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined. Add in the eggs and egg white, one at a time, until mixture becomes lighter in color. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.

Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.

4. Bake + Cool

Divide chocolate cake batter evenly between 2 baking pans and smooth the tops. Bake 28-35 minutes in the lower two thirds of the oven. Cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. (Keep a close eye on the cake around the 25 minute mark, as ovens vary!)

Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert on cooling racks. Once you can handle the warm pans with your bare hands, you can flip them out. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.

5. Make Cherry Filling

For the cherry filling, stir sugar and cornstarch together in a cold small pot until combined. Add in cherries and toss. Place over medium-low heat to melt frozen cherries. Once a paste has formed around the cherries, increase the heat to medium and keep stirring until all the liquid has come out of the cherries and the mixture is boiling. Continue to stir until it becomes very thick, about 4 minutes or boiling. Be careful to not walk away from this mixture because it can burn easily. Remove from heat and stir in butter and almond extract. Cool completely.

6. Make the Whipped Cream

For the whipped cream, whip heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

7. Time to Assemble the Cake!

Once everything is prepared, it’s time to stack and assemble the cake. This creates a total of seven layers: cake, chocolate syrup, cake, cherry filling, cake, chocolate syrup, and cake.

Slice both 8-inch cake rounds in half horizontally (this leaves you with four 8-inch cake rounds).
Place one round onto a cake plate then drizzle the top of the cake with 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and spread using the back of a spoon. Top with the other half of the cake round.
Add on cooled cherry filling leaving a 1-inch border. (You may not use all of it…FYI! I had about 2 tablespoons left).
Place another layer of cake on top of cherry filling. Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and spread. Top with the remaining cake layer.

8. Decorate!

Spread whipped cream over the entire cake.

Pro Tip: I find it always better to add way too much and then as I clean up the cake, I remove the excess. This helps ensure not a ton of crumbs get into your cream.

If desired use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate shavings with the chocolate baking bar. Freeze 5 minutes before applying to the sides and top of the black forest cake. Garnish with cherries if desired. Serve!

Storage + Make Ahead Directions

Any cake leftovers can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 2 days (unfortunately Black Forest Cake doesn’t last very long). And yes, this cake does need to stay refrigerated because of the filling and the whipped cream “frosting”.

Can I make Black Forest Cake ahead of time?

To make this cake ahead of time, I wouldn’t recommend freezing it whole (once again, because of the whipped cream). To get around these hurdles, make the cake and filling ahead of time and frost the day you plan on serving. That way you can extend the life of this delicious treat.

More Chocolate Cake Recipes!

Molten Lava Cake
Chocolate Candy Cane Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze
Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
Chocolate Cobbler

Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or just want to bake something memorable, this recipe brings it all together. The printable recipe card below. Have a great day, friends.

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.

Black Forest Cake

This Black Forest Cake recipe is made from scratch with my perfect chocolate cake recipe, homemade cherry filling, and vanilla whipped cream!

Ingredients

for the chocolate cake-

▢ 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
▢ 3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
▢ 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional)
▢ 3/4 cup vegetable oil canola oil
▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
▢ 2 large eggs
▢ 1 large egg white

for the cherry filling and chocolate syrup layer-

▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
▢ 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
▢ 2 cups tart cherries frozen or canned (drained) + extra for garnish if not using fresh
▢ 1 tablespoon butter
▢ 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
▢ 6 tablespoons chocolate syrup divided

for the whipped cream and toppings-

▢ 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
▢ 1/4 cup powdered sugar
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ 8 oz bittersweet baking chocolate I used Ghirardelli (2 bars)
▢ 8-12 fresh cherries optional, for garnish

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together to combine. Set aside.
In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk, instant coffee granules (if using) and vanilla extract together. You want to stir to dissolve the coffee granules. They will slowly dissolve over the course of 5-10 minutes as they sit in the buttermilk and as you add them into the chocolate cake batter. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined. Add in the eggs and egg white, one at a time, until mixture becomes lighter in color. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.
Divide chocolate cake batter evenly between 2 baking pans and smooth the tops. Bake 28-35 minutes in the lower two thirds of the oven. Cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. (Keep a close eye on the cake around the 25 minute mark, as ovens vary!)
Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert on cooling racks. Once you can handle the warm pans with your bare hands, you can flip them out. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.

for the cherry filling-

Stir sugar and cornstarch together in a cold small pot until combined. Add in cherries and toss. Place over medium-low heat to melt frozen cherries.
Once a paste has formed around the cherries, increase the heat to medium and keep stirring until all the liquid has come out of the cherries and the mixture is boiling.
Continue to stir until it becomes very thick, about 4 minutes or boiling. Be careful to not walk away from this mixture because it can burn easily. Remove from heat and stir in butter and almond extract. Cool completely.

for the whipped cream-

In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

assemble-

Slice both 8-inch cake rounds in half horizontally (this leaves you with four 8-inch cake rounds).
Place one round onto a cake plate then drizzle the top of the cake with 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and spread using the back of a spoon. Top with the other half of the cake round.
Add on cooled cherry filling leaving a 1-inch border. (You may not use all of it…FYI! I had about 2 tablespoons left).
Place another layer of cake on top of cherry filling. Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and spread. Top with the remaining cake layer.

decorate-

Spread whipped cream over the entire cake. I find it always better to add way too much and then as I clean up the cake, I remove the excess. This helps ensure not a ton of crumbs get into your cream. Get decorative on top with a few piped rosettes with a fresh cherry on top of each if desired.
If desired use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate shavings with the chocolate baking bar. Freeze 5 minutes before applying to the sides and top of the black forest cake.

Video

Notes

*Use lighter-colored baking pans (or glass). Using a darker Teflon will make the edges cook a lot quicker than the center of the cake, giving you darker, crispier edges which isn’t what we’re going for with this chocolate cake recipe.

Nutrition