The Black Forest cake, the German cake made with chocolate sponge cake generously soaked in kirsch syrup, filled with whipped cream and Amarena cherries, is highly appreciated at Christmas, New Year’s Eve, but also throughout the year.
It’s a cake that needs no introduction, as it’s so famous. It’s one of the classic traditional cakes of pastry known everywhere in the world.
If you’re new to baking, this recipe is for you. The Black Forest cake is the simplest yet most beautiful and delicious cake. I’m not talking about the simple yogurt cake or even a delicious marble loaf cake, etc. But of a real cake presentable as a birthday cake for both girls and boys or for a party.
The traditional Black Forest cake is beloved for its simplicity while still being delicious. It’s the kind of layer cake to make without any fuss. You don’t need a perfect smoothness to cover a Black Forest cake. The chocolate sponge cake, once filled, is generously covered with cream and chocolate shavings in no time.
Black forest – birthday cake
Table of Contents
Origin of the cake
| Black Forest cake, known as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in German, which literally means “cake with cherries from the Black Forest”, is a German pastry consisting of cocoa sponge cake soaked in kirsch liqueur and filled with whipped cream and cherries It is covered with whipped cream and decorated with chocolate shavings. SOURCE : Wikipedia |
A Black Forest Gateau Festival has been held every two years since 2006 in Todtnauberg, a district of Todtnau in the Black Forest, where amateurs and professionals compete in two competition classes with their homemade Black Forest cakes.
The only thing that might seem difficult to you in making this Black Forest recipe is the sponge cake and the whipped cream. Don’t worry, there’s nothing difficult about achieving a beautiful, tall, and fluffy sponge cake. I explain everything in detail in the chocolate sponge cake article.
You also have all my detailed tips on whipped cream in the mascarpone whipped cream article. You’ll easily succeed in making your whipped cream and you’ll have a light and delicious whipped cream.
Foolproof German Black Forest Cake
A few tips for success
To prepare this lovely layer cake, you won’t need a lot of time or a lot of ingredients. You can make a beautiful cake in less than 2 hours.
You will need a cocoa sponge cake, which you can prepare the day before or several days in advance and freeze.
For the cream, use whipping cream with more than 30% fat content to ensure it whips easily. You can also use a whipping cream with a bit of mascarpone for a firmer chantilly cream. The President brand offers such a product.
You’ll need to prepare a simple sugar and vanilla syrup, which takes less than 5 minutes to make. Alternatively, you can use cherry syrup from a jar if that’s what you’re planning to use.
As for the cherries, my favorite are Amarena cherries, which give the Black Forest cake an incomparable taste. However, if it’s cherry season, you can use fresh cherries. I sometimes use cherries in syrup or even candied cherries. The Black Forest cake always turns out delicious.
For decoration, the essential ingredient is chocolate shavings. You don’t need perfect shavings if you’re not confident. Take a slightly softened chocolate bar and grate it with a vegetable peeler.
Leave the finished Black Forest cake in the refrigerator for several hours before serving. It will absorb all the flavors of the cherries and syrup. The chocolate sponge will be even more moist.
The recipe on video
Black forest preparation steps
| NB: Find the complete recipe with detailed ingredient quantities in the recipe- card at the end of the article, which you can also print out. Below are the instructions, which you can also view in images. |
For a black forest cake for 12 people
Chocolate sponge cake
You can prepare it the day before, wrap it well and leave it in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) on conventional heat.
1. Grease a cake pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder with the baking powder and mix with a whisk.
3. Place the eggs, vanilla sugar, and regular sugar in a large mixing bowl because the mixture will triple in volume.
4. Place a little boiling water in another slightly smaller bowl for a bain-marie. The bottom of the bowl containing the eggs and sugar should touch the water, but the water should not rise up the sides of the mixing bowl.
5. Place the mixing bowl with the eggs and sugar over the bowl with hot water.
6. Beat for 15 minutes, or more depending on the power of your mixer. The mixture should triple in volume, become pale, and very creamy. The whisk should leave trails.
⚠️ Check the temperature of the sabayon (whipped eggs and sugar). The mixture should always remain barely warm, otherwise remove from the double boiler.
7. Remove from the double boiler. The sabayon should be cold; otherwise, continue to whisk it, outside of the double boiler, to cool it down.
8. Fold in the mixture of flour, cocoa, and baking powder in 4 or 5 additions. Gently work from bottom to top without whisking to avoid deflating the mixture.
9. Fill the mold and immediately place it in the oven for 55 minutes, a little more or a little less depending on the oven.
Check for doneness at three quarters of the baking time.
At the end of the baking time, check with a skewer inserted into the center of the sponge. The skewer should come out dry, without any trace of batter. Leave the cooked sponge in the turned-off oven, with the door slightly ajar, for 5 minutes.
10. Remove the sponge from the mold onto a wire rack and let it cool before cutting it into 3 discs.
Chocolate shavings
1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, stirring it several times to mix well.
2. Spread it thinly on the work surface.
3. Once the chocolate starts to set and is no longer sticky, create curls using a dough scraper (see at 2:47 minutes in the video).
You can make shavings with a chocolate bar and a vegetable peeler. Just soften the chocolate bar slightly.
chocolate chips for black forest decor
Syrup for soaking
You won’t need to prepare a syrup if you’re using cherries in syrup, as their syrup will be used to soak the sponge cake.
1. Put the water, sugar, and vanilla sugar in a saucepan with 5 cherries and bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat as soon as the sugar has completely dissolved.
3. Let it cool before using.
4. Flavor with kirsch if desired (about 2 tablespoons, to taste).
Preparing the whipped cream
- Use a cream with 35% fat content if possible. The richer the cream, the firmer and better the whipped cream will be.
- Chill the cream and the bowl in the refrigerator or for about fifteen minutes in the freezer. They need to be very cold.
- The powdered sugar should be very fine or sifted.
1. Place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and start whisking at medium speed to avoid splattering.
2. As soon as the cream begins to thicken, add half of the powdered sugar.
3. Increase the speed to the maximum setting on the mixer until the cream starts to achieve a good consistency.
4. Stop the mixer before the whipped cream is fully firm to taste and check the sweetness. Add the remaining sugar according to your taste.
5. Whisk at maximum speed until you achieve a firm whipped cream.
Be careful towards the end, as soon as the cream is firm and smooth, stop the mixer. If you go beyond this point, the cream will turn into butter.
Assembly:
1. Place the whipped cream in a piping bag, preferably without a tip.
2. Place a gold cake board on a serving plate and cover the edges with pieces of freezer bag, just on the edges.
3. Place a sponge cake layer on top and brush it with syrup using a pastry brush.
4. Pipe a layer of whipped cream on top and spread it evenly.
5. Place the cherries over the entire surface.
6. Press the cherries slightly into the whipped cream.
7. Soak the second sponge cake layer on the side that will be against the cream, then place it on the cherries. Then, soak the top.
8. Spread a second layer of whipped cream on top and add cherries.
9. Soak the last layer of sponge cake on the side that will be against the cream, then place it on top of the cherries. Soak the top as well.
10. Smooth out any cream that has spilled over the sides.
11. Cover the entire Black Forest cake with whipped cream and smooth it out.
12. Put the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M or 2D tip and pipe rosettes around the edge. The decoration is up to your preference.
13. Cover with chocolate shavings and place cherries on top of the rosettes.
14. Once the Black Forest cake is finished, refrigerate it for at least 4 hours; it will only get better. I often assemble it a day before serving or in the morning for the evening.
Storage tips
Sometimes, you may want to prepare the cake well in advance and relax on the big day. As mentioned above, you can prepare it a day in advance, and it will only improve with time. If you want to prepare it several days ahead, the Black Forest cake freezes very well without any issues.
Once you’ve finished decorating it entirely, place it in the freezer until it sets well. The outer cream should be firm. Cover it with a large freezer bag, inserting the bag from the top of the cake.
You can keep it frozen for up to 3 months without any problems.
A day before serving, remove it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator for a slow thaw.
I hope this Black Forest cake inspires you to make it for a special occasion.
Easy Black Forest Cake Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Sponge Cake (for a 23 cm by 8 cm mold)(9 in by 3 in mold)
- 6 large eggs 68g to 72g per egg with shell (2.4 to 2.6 oz )
- 200 g sugar (7 oz)
- 170 g flour (6 oz)
- 30 g cocoa powder (1 oz)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 packets vanilla sugar
Syrup for Soaking
- 180 g sugar (6.3 oz)
- 150 ml water (5.1 oz)
- 2 packets vanilla sugar
- A few cherries optional; if using cherries or cherries in syrup, use their syrup for soaking
- A few drops of Kirsch optional
Whipped Cream
- 750 ml heavy cream preferably 35% fat (25.4 oz), (30% can work, but it must be very cold)
- 80 g powdered sugar (2.8 oz), more or less to taste
- 2 packets vanilla sugar 15g or the seeds from one vanilla bean (optional)
- Note: If using vanilla sugar, subtract its weight from the powdered sugar
For filling and Topping
- 500 g cherries in syrup or preferably Amarena cherries or fresh cherries (pitted) (17.6 oz)
- 165 g dark chocolate for chocolate shavings (5.8 oz)
PREPARATION
Prepare the chocolate sponge cake
- You can prepare it the day before, wrap it well and leave it in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) on conventional heat.
- Grease a cake pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder with the baking powder and mix with a whisk.
- Place the eggs, vanilla sugar, and regular sugar in a large mixing bowl because the mixture will triple in volume.
- Place a little boiling water in another slightly smaller bowl for a bain-marie. The bottom of the bowl containing the eggs and sugar should touch the water, but the water should not rise up the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Place the mixing bowl with the eggs and sugar over the bowl with hot water.
- Beat for 15 minutes, or more depending on the power of your mixer. The mixture should triple in volume, become pale, and very creamy. The whisk should leave trails.
- ⚠️ Check the temperature of the sabayon (whipped eggs and sugar). The mixture should always remain barely warm, otherwise remove from the double boiler.
- Remove from the double boiler. The sabayon should be cold; otherwise, continue to whisk it, outside of the double boiler, to cool it down.
- Fold in the mixture of flour, cocoa, and baking powder in 4 or 5 additions. Gently work from bottom to top without whisking to avoid deflating the mixture.
- Fill the mold and immediately place it in the oven for 55 minutes, a little more or a little less depending on the oven.
- Check for doneness at three quarters of the baking time.
- At the end of the baking time, check with a skewer inserted into the center of the sponge. The skewer should come out dry, without any trace of batter. Leave the cooked sponge in the turned-off oven, with the door slightly ajar, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the sponge from the mold onto a wire rack and let it cool before cutting it into 3 discs.
Prepare the chocolate shavings
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, stirring it several times to mix well.
- Spread it thinly on the work surface.
- Once the chocolate starts to set and is no longer sticky, create curls using a dough scraper (see at 2:47 minutes in the video).
- You can make shavings with a chocolate bar and a vegetable peeler. Just soften the chocolate bar slightly.
Prepare the syrup for soaking
- You won't need to prepare a syrup if you're using cherries in syrup, as their syrup will be used to soak the sponge cake.
- Put the water, sugar, and vanilla sugar in a saucepan with 5 cherries and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat as soon as the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Let it cool before using.
- Flavor with kirsch if desired (about 2 tablespoons, to taste).
Prepare the whipped cream
- Use a cream with 35% fat content if possible. The richer the cream, the firmer and better the whipped cream will be.
- Chill the cream and the bowl in the refrigerator or for about fifteen minutes in the freezer. They need to be very cold.
- The powdered sugar should be very fine or sifted.
- Place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and start whisking at medium speed to avoid splattering.
- As soon as the cream begins to thicken, add half of the powdered sugar.
- Increase the speed to the maximum setting on the mixer until the cream starts to achieve a good consistency.
- Stop the mixer before the whipped cream is fully firm to taste and check the sweetness. Add the remaining sugar according to your taste.
- Whisk at maximum speed until you achieve a firm whipped cream.
- Be careful towards the end, as soon as the cream is firm and smooth, stop the mixer. If you go beyond this point, the cream will turn into butter.
Assembly
- Place the whipped cream in a piping bag, preferably without a tip.
- Place a gold cake board on a serving plate and cover the edges with pieces of freezer bag, just on the edges.
- Place a sponge cake layer on top and brush it with syrup using a pastry brush.
- Pipe a layer of whipped cream on top and spread it evenly.
- Place the cherries over the entire surface.
- Press the cherries slightly into the whipped cream.
- Soak the second sponge cake layer on the side that will be against the cream, then place it on the cherries. Then, soak the top.
- Spread a second layer of whipped cream on top and add cherries.
- Soak the last layer of sponge cake on the side that will be against the cream, then place it on top of the cherries. Soak the top as well.
- Smooth out any cream that has spilled over the sides.
- Cover the entire Black Forest cake with whipped cream and smooth it out.
- Put the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M or 2D tip and pipe rosettes around the edge. The decoration is up to your preference.
- Cover with chocolate shavings and place cherries on top of the rosettes.
- Once the Black Forest cake is finished, refrigerate it for at least 4 hours; it will only get better. I often assemble it a day before serving or in the morning for the evening.
- Enjoy this simple black forest with family and friends for dessert or as a birthday cake.
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