Homemade Black Forest cake: A cherry-chocolate classic
Homemade Black Forest cake: A cherry-chocolate classic is a cakes recipe, about 180 minutes total, yielding 10-12 pieces, medium difficulty.
The Black Forest cake is the ultimate cake for anyone who loves chocolate and cherries - rich, fruity and full of nostalgia. This homemade version brings the classic layers of chocolate sponge cake, slightly tipsy cherries, fluffy whipped cream and a generous crown of chocolate shavings straight to your home.
The cake takes a bit of time, but every single step is easy - and the result is a real eye-catcher that is as much fun to bake as it is to enjoy.
Tipsy Cherries (or non-alcoholic)
Traditionally, the cherries are marinated in kirsch. But you can just as easily use cherries from a jar or fresh cherries pickled in cherry juice if you prefer non-alcoholic.
Perfect chocolate bases
The loose chocolate bases get a particularly intense note from cocoa powder and a touch of coffee. Baking them in springform pans makes them easy to layer and assemble later.
For the classic look, only whip the cream until it holds soft peaks - not too hard. With cream dots, whole cherries and dark chocolate shavings, the cake gets its typical retro look.
For particularly beautiful pieces, you should chill the finished cake for at least 1 hour before cutting it. It's best to store leftovers in the fridge - if there is any left at all!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g wheat flour (Type 405)
- 60g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 200 g fine sugar
- 120 g soft butter (unsalted)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 ml whole milk
- 100 ml strong, cooled coffee
- 450 g pitted black cherries from the jar (or fresh, pitted and pickled), drained, reserving the juice
- 3 tbsp kirsch (optional)
- 500 ml whipped cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 100 g dark chocolate (for shavings)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C top/bottom heat (fan oven: 160 °C). Grease two 20cm springform pans and line the bottom with baking paper.
- Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract.
- Fold in the dry ingredients, then add the milk and coffee and stir until a smooth dough forms.
- Divide the dough evenly between the two molds. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a wooden pick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- While the bases are cooling, soak the cherries (if desired) in the kirsch. Reserve the cherry juice.
- Beat the cream with the powdered sugar until stiff - but only until soft peaks form.
- Cut each layer in half horizontally so that you get 4 layers. Brush each layer with cherry juice.
- Fill the cake in layers with cream and cherries. Decorate with whipped cream, whole cherries and chocolate shavings.