Throughout many birthdays, my family and friends have asked me what kind of cake I’d like for my celebration. My answer has always remained the same: something divinely chocolatey. As I’ve grown into my adult years, and as my kitchen appliance collection grows with me, I’ve begun baking more for others, leading to more complex (and utterly delicious) recipes.
Just a few months ago, I took on the challenge of baking a black forest cake for my friend’s birthday (her answer to what kind of cake she wanted was also, “something chocolatey”). Despite a few changes in the ingredients and my less-than-ideal decorating skills, the dessert was a huge, sugary hit. Here’s why I’ll be making this summer treat all year-round—including the impending holidays.
Why I Love This Black Forest Cake Recipe
Although my taste buds favor chocolate, I’m very picky about cake of any flavor. The dessert is either so rich or sweet that I can only gulp down a few bites, or it’s so dry and flavorless that I avoid it altogether (either from user error or the recipe itself). However, this Black Forest Cake recipe is the perfect combination of moist, flavorful, and decadent. The dessert features layers of chocolate cake (made from basic ingredients I already had in my pantry), a fruity cherry topping, and a light-weight whipped cream frosting. What’s not to love?
How to Make Allrecipe’s Black Forest Cake
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- Prep the pans. Always grease and flour your cake pans before use. Use two 9×9-inch round pans here. At this step, it’s important to place a medium bowl in the refrigerator to chill before making the whipped cream frosting later on.
- Whisk the batter. Pour the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl (I used my KitchenAid here). Whisk until combined.
- Add in the wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
- Bake the cake layers. Pour the batter into the cake pans and bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove the layers and let them sit out for 30 minutes. I then placed them in the refrigerator for another hour to chill before frosting.
- Mix the cherry topping. Drain the cherries and reserve some juice. Mix together the reserved juice, cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan on a low heat. Wait until thickened, and then stir in the vanilla. Allow the cherry topping to cool for 30 minutes.
- Whip the frosting. Using the chilled medium bowl, whip the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar at a high speed with an electric mixer until peaks form (similar to the texture of the meringue in a lemon meringue pie).
- Cut your cakes in half. Halve each cake to create four total layers. Mash one of those layers into crumbs for decoration.
- Assemble the cake. Spread frosting on one layer, followed by the cherry topping. Repeat this with the second cake layer. Frost the sides of the cake, decorate it with the crumbs, and then pour the remaining cherry topping onto the top of the third layer.
Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
- You may have to adjust the cherry topping. It’s worth noting that sour cherries are in season throughout the summer, usually in June and July, so they will likely be hard to find during the winter months. I personally couldn’t scout them out, so I opted for maraschino cherries. These offer a sweeter taste, so I reduced the amount of sugar the recipe called for in the cherry topping in order to offset the flavors. Use your best judgement here—and go low and slow with this topping to avoid burning.
- There’s no need to get fancy. I didn’t have piping equipment handy, so I just iced the outside with a knife and attempted to heighten the outskirts of the top of the cake with additional icing to replicate a piping design.
- Don’t over-mix the icing. It is very easy to lose track of time when you’re whipping that frosting, which can lead to it curdling or becoming grainy. Avoid this by watching it carefully and stopping the mixing process when the icing has body to it.
Praise From the Allrecipes Community
- “Wow made this cake for my birthday, my guests were absolutely amazed! The taste, texture were so good. Will definitely make this again!” —FancyCrab4380
- “AMAZING!!!! I made an Ermine frosting and oh my goodness, it was wonderful!! My family absolutely loves this & with an icing that isn’t as sweet as a traditional buttercream, it was literally the icing on the cake!” —YellowStraw4362
- “I think this cake has to be the best; I think this should win an Emmy Award.🥇 Seriously.” —VioletSnap1173
Get the recipe: Black Forest Cake
