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–+ servings
Homemade Black Forest Cake slice with moist chocolate layers, whipped cream, cherry filling, and topped with fresh cherries and chocolate curls.

Black Forest Cake

5 from 1 vote
This stunning Black Forest Cake combines moist chocolate layers, tart cherries, and fluffy whipped cream for a showstopper dessert that’s easier to make than it looks.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Chill Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: German
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Chocolate Cake:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour - GF Option: use 1:1 gluten-free blend
  • 2 cups granulated sugar - Keto: use monk fruit sweetener
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs - Vegan: 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon flax + 6 tablespoon water)
  • 1 cup buttermilk - Dairy-Free: almond milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil - Healthier: use unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup hot coffee - Caffeine-Free: use hot water
For the Cherry Filling:
  • 2 cans cherry pie filling - 21 oz each – or use fresh/frozen cherries
  • 1 lb fresh/frozen cherries - + ½ cup sugar if not using canned
  • 2 tablespoon Kirschwasser - Optional – or 1 teaspoon almond extract + cherry juice
For the Whipped Cream:
  • 4 cups heavy whipping cream - Dairy-Free: use chilled coconut cream
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Decoration:
  • Fresh cherries - With stems, or use maraschino
  • Dark chocolate - Shaved or curled for garnish

Equipment

  • 8-inch round cake pans (Lined with parchment)
  • Electric mixer (Stand or hand mixer)
  • Large mixing bowls (For wet and dry ingredients)
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Rubber spatula
  • Serrated knife (For leveling cakes)
  • Cake stand (Or large serving plate)
  • Offset spatula (Optional, for smoother frosting)

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line three 8-inch cake pans with parchment.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat until just combined.
  4. Stir in hot coffee. Batter will be thin—this is normal.
  5. Divide batter between pans and bake for 30–35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pans, then fully on racks.
  6. Simmer pitted cherries with sugar for 10 minutes. Cool and stir in Kirschwasser or almond extract.
  7. Chill bowl and beaters. Beat cream to soft peaks, add sugar and vanilla, continue to stiff peaks.
  8. Use a serrated knife to level cooled cakes for even stacking.
  9. Place first cake on plate, brush with syrup, add whipped cream and cherries. Repeat layers.
  10. Frost top and sides, press chocolate shavings, pipe rosettes, and top with cherries.
  11. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight to set and meld flavors.

Nutrition

Serving: 150gCalories: 520kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 5gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 350mgPotassium: 320mgFiber: 3gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 950IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 3.8mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes.

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