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5 from 1 vote

Black Forest Cake

Homemade Black Forest Cake made with layers of chocolate cake, sweet cream and cherries! Elegant Black Forest Cherry Cake made from scratch and decorated easily with cherries & chocolate.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time28 minutes
Chill Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 28 minutes
Course: Cake, Chocolate, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Black Forest Cake
Servings: 16
Calories: 623kcal

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 ⅔ cups flour
  • 1 ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • 1 ⅓ cups brown sugar
  • cup sugar
  • cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 3 eggs + 2 egg yolks
  • cup yogurt
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup cocoa
  • 1 cup warm coffee

Simple Syrup:

  • ½ cup maraschino cherry juice
  • ¼ cup sugar

Cherry Filling:

  • 2 ½ cup thawed chopped cherries
  • cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 Tbs cornstarch
  • ½ tsp salt

Sweet Cream Frosting:

  • 4 cups cold heavy cream
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 TBSP cornstarch
  • 1 cup fresh dark cherries

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2-9” round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Set aside.

Make the Cake Batter & Bake the Round Cakes

  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, sugar, vegetable oil and butter. Whisk in the eggs until completely smooth. Next, add in the yogurt, buttermilk and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture and the cocoa and whisk just until combined. Add in the warm coffee and whisk until smooth. The batter will be runny. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans and place into the preheated oven to bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Prepare the Cherry Syrup & Filling

  • While the cakes are baking, make the cherry simple syrup by whisking together the cherry juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Allow the mixture to simmer for 7-8 minutes or until the mixture has reduced slightly.
  • Once the cakes have baked, remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool for 5 minutes. Pour the cherry simple syrup over the surface of each layer of cake while it is still warm. Let set until completely cooled.
  • While the cakes are cooling, make the cherry filling by combining all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch in a medium to large saucepan. Place the mixture over medium-high heat and whisk constantly. Allow the mixture to simmer for 8 minutes. At this point, whisk in the cornstarch and return to the heat. Continue whisking and allow it to simmer for another 4-5 minutes or until the mixture has significantly thickened. Remove from the heat.

Whip the Sweet Cream Frosting

  • To make the whipped cream frosting, place the heavy cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for 8-10 minutes or until thick and fluffy whipped cream has formed. Add in the vanilla and cornstarch and whisk again on high-speed for another 2 minutes.

Assemble the Black Forest Cake

  • To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake onto a plate or cake stands. Smooth about ¾ cup of whipped cream frosting over the surface of the cake. Spoon on half of the cherry filling and spread almost to the edges. Place the second layer of cake on top making sure that the edges meet and that it does not hang over on one side. Spoon another thick layer of whipped cream frosting onto the top. If you wish to, you can also frost the sides. Spoon the remaining cherry filling onto the top of the cake avoiding the edges so that it does not spill over. Pile about 1 cup of fresh cherries on top. Serve cake fresh or chilled.

Notes

  • For the cherry filling, the more you let it simmer, the thicker the filling will become, however, you will also lose more moisture which in turn will decrease the amount of filling.
  • This cake is easier to assemble if the layers of cake as well as the whipped cream are previously chilled in the fridge for about 20 minutes. 
  • Storage: Cake may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 623kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 1164IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg