Black Forest Cake
Once upon a time, on the edge of a great forest, there lived a very poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel.
– Grimm Brothers, Hansel and Gretel.
Legend has it that the great forest in Hansel and Gretel is none other than Der Schwarzwäld, or the Black Forest, in Germany. And though black forest cake, or Schwarzwälder kirschtorte, is actually named for the cherry brandy – kirsch – distilled there and not for the region itself, just the words ‘black forest’ evoke the dark tales of the Brothers Grimm, don’t they? I like to think of this chocolate, cherry and whipped cream cake as the reward at the end of the dangerous dark journey through the perilous wood; the delicious treat happily eaten by Hansel and Gretel once safe from the witch in the forest.
The cake may have evolved from the German habit of serving poached sour cherries with kirsch-laced whipped cream, or it may not be German at all, but rather Viennese or Swiss. Indeed, according to the late food columnist Gil Marks, Austrian and Swiss versions typically feature the whipped cream for the filling while some German versions use a heavier buttercream.
The Steps
- Mix your dry ingredients.
- Mix your wet ingredients.
- Pour into two 8-inch round cake tins and bake.
- Steep canned cherries in kirsch for 30 minutes.
- Reduce the syrup from the can with more kirsch.
- Cut each cake in half to make four layers.
- Brush the reduced syrup onto the cake layers.
- Top each layer with whipped cream, halved kirsch-soaked cherries, and a drizzle of the syrup.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake and decorate.
Reality Bakes
More modern recipes like the one you’ll find here use fewer eggs than traditional recipes, as well as oil instead of butter. While oil can affect the flavor of white or vanilla cake, I often prefer it to butter in chocolate mixes like this cake or these chocolate cupcakes.
I have tried making Black Forest cake the old-fashioned way with lots of butter and lots of eggs (6!) but it always comes out too dense. This recipe, on the other hand, is rich-yet-light, the chocolate sponge nice and fluffy, and the homemade whipped cream a perfect counterpoint to the kirsch-soaked cherries.
I had beautiful, Italian Amarena black cherries in syrup that a friend gave me and they were wonderful in this cake, but you could use any cherries in syrup. I personally wouldn’t skip the kirsch because it’s so perfect in this cake but for a more kid-friendly version you can leave it out.
Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 oz dark chocolate for decorative shavings (optional)
For the Cherry Syrup:
- 2 15 or 16 oz cans cherries in syrup*
- 3/4 cup kirsch (cherry brandy), divided
For the Whipped Cream:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine all the dry ingredients and mix.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients, taking care to add the hot water slowly so as not to cook the eggs.
- Add the wet ingredients to the mixer bowl with the dry ingredients and mix gently on low until smooth. Do not overmix. The batter should be thin.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two 8-inch round cake pans. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and cool in the pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Cherry Syrup and Garnish
- Drain the cherries, reserving 1 cup of the syrup. Set syrup aside. Put cherries in a bowl and pour 1/2 cup kirsch over them. Let steep for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, simmer the reserved syrup and 1/4 cup of kirsch in a small saucepan over low heat until reduced down to about 1/2 cup. Set reduced syrup aside.
- Drain the cherries again. Reserve some whole cherries for decorating the top, then slice the remaining cherries in half.
Whipped Cream
- Whip the heavy cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium until just firm, usually about 7 minutes.
Assembly
- Trim cake tops if necessary and divide each cake into two even layers; you should have four cake layers in all. Brush the syrup generously all over the top of each of the cake layers. Reserve left-over syrup.
- Place one layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with about 1 cup of the whipped cream and spread in an even layer. Add a layer of halved cherries and drizzle with a little of the reserved syrup. Repeat with the remaining layers, then lightly frost the top and outside of the cake.
- Decorate the top of the cake with chocolate shavings and curls (optional), whipped cream rosettes, and cherries, as desired.
- Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
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I love black forest cake! Looks so delicious and perfect for special occasions ♥
Right?! Lots of work but so worth it when you’re celebrating something special. I had a heck of a time finding the kirsch this time but it all worked out in the end.
Can you please provide the gram measurements for the flour? Some say 1/4 cup of flour is 30 grams, while others say it’s 35. This makes a difference. Thank you.
(Also – will decreasing the sugar by 3/4 alter the texture? My family hates desserts that are too sweet.)
Hi Monika –
My flour comes out closer to 32 grams for 1/4 cup, or 128 grams per cup. (I use King Arthur AP flour.) So, 224 grams for this recipe. As far as the sugar, I’m thinking you could probably cut 5 to 7 teaspoons with few ill effects but beyond that, I’m not sure how the texture will come out. You might check out this King Arthur article on reducing sugar in cakes, which I often use as a guide. I’d love to hear how it comes out.