German black forest cake - With an irresistible combo of your favorite chocolate cake soaked in cherry syrup and coated in decadent frosting, it’s no wonder this cake is a world favorite. It’s definitely a beautiful showstopper dessert for your next celebration.
I’ve made a seriously decadent cake for you with a generous addition of sweet cherries. Hey, do you love cakes? Obviously, who could resist a moist piece of cake slathered with sweet, decadent frosting?
So, I’m going to tell you all about a cake that is a big hit with my family. German black forest cake. Moist, chocolatey cake with a filling of sweet cherries and vanilla frosting. What’s not to love?
Obviously, making this blackforest cake is time consuming. But, believe me, this homemade cake is 101% better than the store bought version.
The best chocolate cake recipe I shared to celebrate the New Year is going to be the base of this cake. I know, the chocolate cake is perfect on its own. But, the cherry filling just takes it to another level.
One of the quintessential elements of a classic German black forest cake is kirsch or cherry liquor. As you know, the authentic version of this cake is not kid-friendly. But, if you’re making this cake for adults, I highly recommend adding liquor to both the cherry filling (3 tbsp) and the frosting (1 tbsp). And omit the liquor for kids’ cakes.
I made my cherry filling out of fresh pitted cherries. In my humble opinion, the flavor from fresh cherries is way better than the canned ones. Having said that, you have to rely on canned cherries when fresh ones are not in season.
To make the cherry filling for this black forest cake, I cooked fresh cherries, white sugar and cornflour in a saucepan until the cherries are soft and the liquid thickens. Just before you remove it from heat, stir in vanilla extract (or kirsch if you are using). Again, kirsch is very sweet, so reduce the amount of sugar you use in this recipe.
Next up, melt chocolate in your microwave, spread it on a cookie sheet or chopping board as thin as possible, and refrigerate. Once the chocolate is set, you can easily scrape out chocolate barks.
Finally, the frosting. Super simple frosting recipe with just 3 ingredients- whipped cream + icing (powdered) sugar + flavoring (vanilla extract or kirsch).
Bring everything together, assemble the cake with frosting and cherry syrup, you’re in for a treat. If you have time, let the cake soak in the cherry syrup. A few hours in the refrigerator will do the trick. Trust me, this simple step accentuates the flavor of the cake and takes it another level.Now that totally tastes out-of-this-world.
More Cake recipes:
- No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
- No Bake Mini Thandai Cheesecake
- Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cheesecake Cake
- No Bake Mango Cheesecake
- Best Chocolate Cake
- Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Zucchini Chocolate Cake
German Black Forest Cake | Video
Ingredients
Chocolate cake:
- Recipe link just below this recipe
Cherry syrup:
- 500 g fresh pitted cherries or canned sour cherries with juice
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 3 tablespoon kirsch
Chocolate shaving:
- 300 g cooking chocolate milk or dark
Frosting:
- 600 ml heavy or whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon kirsch
To assemble cake:
- 12 whole fresh cherries or canned maraschino cherries
Instructions
Chocolate cake:
- Follow the recipe instructions to make the cake. Recipe link just below this recipe.
Cherry syrup:
- Place cherries, white sugar, and cornflour in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 6-8 minutes or until cherries soften and syrup thickens. Stir in vanilla extract (or kirsch if you are using). Remove from heat. Leave to cool.
Chocolate shavings:
- Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Melt. Spread chocolate on a cookie sheet or chopping board as thin as possible. Refrigerate for few minutes. Scrape with a sharp knife to make chocolate barks. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer, beat together cream, sugar and vanilla extract (or kirsch) until thick and fluffy. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Assemble black forest cake:
- Place one layer of cake on a serving plate. Top with whipped cream and cherry syrup. Repeat layering, finishing with a layer of cake. Cover the cake with frosting. Pipe roses around the edges of the cake. Place chocolate shavings on the sides of the cake. Pour in the cherry syrup in the middle of the cake. Decorate with whole pitted fresh cherries.
Video
Notes
- If using kirsch, reduce the amount of sugar in cherry syrup to ½ cup
- Omit kirsch for kids cakes
Nutrition
*** Get the chocolate cake recipe here
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Sakshi says
Hi! The cake looks lovely! I have a question though. Is that dairy whipping cream that u used for making the frosting? Also, which piping tip did u use?
Nish Kitchen says
Thanks Sakshi. Yes, it's dairy whipping cream, and I used star tip to pipe the roses.
Vaesnar Sinum says
As for the frosting have you ever tried using French, Swiss or Italian butter cream; just a little curious because I will attempt to replicate you recipe.
Rose Mary George says
You can customize this cake with your favorite frosting. Thanks!