What’s your idea of a perfect black forest cake recipe? Soft chocolate cake layers sandwiched between cherry filling, covered with whipped cream and cherries on top? Yummmm writing that makes me want to eat a piece of it. If that’s what you are looking for, keep reading because I am about to give you the perfect recipe.
In my lifetime, I have tasted pretty dry and overwhelmingly too sweet black forest gateau do you agree? some of the black forest cake recipes do not deserve a space in some of the shops, because it is an insult for the cake itself!!!
I was searching for the best black forest cake recipe and did a few trials. Starting with my husbands birthday cake. Truth be told, he does not like black forest cake, I made it anyway hahaha. His birthday but my rules 
How to decorate a black forest cake
Decorating a black forest cake is pretty simple. Honestly, I am not that good at decorating cakes, because I have no patience, but this is just the easiest cake to decorate.
Cream: For black forest cake icing all you need is vanilla whipped cream to cover the whole cake, a piping bag with a star nozzle to pipe roses on the top.
Cherries: These are the cherries that come in a syrup ( Maraschino cherries) I buy them from dan Murphys, I have actually not come across this in Woolworths or coles here in Australia. But if you guys know where to buy them from other than Dan Murphys please comment below. even if it is in any other country so, it will help the other readers. Obviously, dan murphy store it because it is used in cocktails a lot and you can find it in the cocktail section
Chocolate logs: Now this is a bit technical and needs patience and practice, so if you can’t get proper logs just make chocolate shards. The rest of the chocolate logs need to be crushed to put on the sides of the cake.
All these steps are written down on my recipe and detail instructions are on my video as well.
Black forest cake cherry filling
This is the crucial part of the recipe, this needs to be done properly as this filling is what makes it a black forest cake a good black forest cake. Now I have used tinned cherries called pitted morello cherries, please use this instead of any other cherries. And don’t use fresh cherries, I know some recipes use fresh cherries, but it won’t give the same taste. These cherries can be found in Woolworths or coles here in Australia.
Traditional black forest cake recipe
The traditional black forest cake recipe uses a cherry liqueur called kirsch. Which is quite strong and delicious. I have made it without the liqueur. So everyone can make it as I know you guys will ask for a substitution But if you can definitely use the liqueur as it gives a better taste. It is also known as the kirsch cake for this reason.
How to make a black forest cake moist
So like I said previously I have come across some dry cakes and the secret is, soak the cake layers in cherry syrup. I can’t stress this enough this is not only for FLAVOUR!!! but also for the textural element!!! and MOUTHFEEL!!!
How to assemble the cake
How long can I store a black forest cake?
2-3 days maximum, this cake is covered with whipped cream, after some time the cream will fall apart. So if you are making it in advance make it 1-day in advance.
How to store black forest gateau
Definitely, it needs to be stored in the fridge. It has whipped cream so it needs to be stored in the fridge
You can also check my other dessert recipes here
How to make a black forest cake recipe
Black Forest Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Cake mixer
- Oven
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge cake
- 6 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 275 g Sugar
- 50 g Cocoa powder
- 100 g Plain flour
- 150 g Butter Melted and cooled
Cherry filling
- 680 g Morello cherries in syrup
- 85 ml Morello cherry syrup
- 110 g White sugar
Slurry for cherry filling
- 4 teaspoons Cornflour
- 60 ml Morello cherry syrup
- 35 ml Kirche or Morello cherry syrup ( After being taken out from fire)
Black forest cake decoration
- 1 L Cream Thicken, whipping
- 2 tsp Vanilla essence
- 40 g Icing sugar
- 100 g Dark chocolate ( Cooking chocolate)
- 12 Mascherino cherries or fresh cherries
Instructions
Chocolate sponge cake
- Preheat oven at 180C (Conventional oven), Line 3 round 20cm (8 inches) pans grease with oil spray or butter and line with baking paper
- Sift cocoa powder and flour into a medium-size bowl and leave aside
- In a cake mixer with the whisk attachment whisk eggs then slowly add sugar little by little and beat on high speed for 6-7 minutes until pale in colour and double in size Once doubled in size add vanilla whisk for further 10 seconds.Do not skip this steps, there is no leavening agent ( baking powder or baking soda in this cake, the whipped eggs are what is going to give volume to the cake)
- Fold in the egg mixture to the flour mixture by HAND try not to deflate the eggs
- Lastly, add in the melted butterYou might see the mixture deflate slightly, but that's ok, make sure the butter mixture is not hot
- Pour the mixture equally into the 3 lined pans and bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until cooked and when a skewer inserted into the cake, it comes out clean
- Take out the cake, cool for 10 minutes then turn the cake onto a wire rack to cool off completely
Cherry filling
- Drain the cherries and reserve the liquid
- Make a slurry with cornflour and cherry syrup in a small bowl and leave aside
- Into a small pan add 85ml of cherry liquid and sugar and heat on medium heat. once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture comes to a simmering point add in the slurry mixture. Whisk well and leave it on the fire for 1 -2 minutes until the syrup has thickened and has become syrupy
- Take it out of the fire add the drained cherries and Kirche or 35ml of reserved cherry syrup. Mix all well, leave aside to cool down completely
Chocolate curls
- Leave a flat tray in the fridge for about 1 hour before doing this step
- Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until melted ( 30 seconds to 1 minute)
- Spread the melted chocolate on the BACK of a flat tray using a palette knife (See video)Leave it in the fridge for 3-5 minutes
- Using a bench scraper, spatula, hold it at a 45-degree angle and scrape along the tray away from you to create curls. If the chocolate is too hard, the curls may break (leave to soften slightly and try again). If the chocolate is too soft, the curls sag and won't roll (refrigerate more to harden)If it is too hard to make logs then don't worry just scrape the chocolate to make shards
- Once the logs or shards are made, keep them refrigerated until needed
Whipped cream
- Just prior to assembling the cake, in a mixing bowl add cream, icing sugar and vanilla and whisk until stiff peaks are formed (3-5 minutes). Refrigerate until needed.Do not over whisk the cream, it will turn into butter if whisked for too long
Assembling
- Firstly add one layer of chocolate cake on the bottom
- Then using a brush, soak the cake with the cherry syrup on the top
- Then add a layer of whipped cream
- Then add a layer of cherry filling
- Repeat the process until the final layer of choclate cake is placed and soaked in cherry syrup.
How to decorate black forest cake
- Cover the whole cake with whipped cream
- Pipe roses of whipped cream on the top edges of the cake using a large star nozzel
- Place cherries on each rose piped
- Add chocolate logs in the middle. crush the rest of the chocolate logs into small pieces using your hands and gently press them onto the sides of the cake
- Leave it in the fridge for atleast 4 hours before serving so the flavours develop