German · Dessert · Hard
Black Forest Cake
Layers of dark chocolate sponge soaked in cherry syrup, billowy cream and a crown of sour cherries. A celebration cake in every sense.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Black Forest Cake, in 5 ideas
- Brush the sponge layers generously with the cherry syrup; a dry layer is the most common failure with this cake.
- Chill the bowl and beaters before whipping the cream so it holds its shape for piping.
- Reserve your prettiest cherries for the top; appearance is half the joy of this cake.
- Use real sour cherries in syrup if you can find them; they taste far more authentic than fresh sweet cherries.
- Assemble cold and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the layers settle and slice cleanly.
What you need
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 180g caster sugar
- 130g plain flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- For the filling: 600ml double cream
- 60g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 350g sour cherries in syrup, drained (syrup reserved)
- 3 tbsp kirsch (cherry brandy), optional
- 100g dark chocolate, for shavings
- 12 fresh or jarred cherries, for decorating
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Line two 20cm round tins with parchment.
- Whisk the eggs and caster sugar for 8 minutes until thick, pale and tripled in volume. Sift over the flour, cocoa and baking powder and fold in gently.
- Divide between the tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until springy. Cool completely, then slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers.
- Mix the reserved cherry syrup with the kirsch if using. Brush every layer generously with the syrup.
- Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla to firm peaks.
- Layer the cake with cream and drained sour cherries, finishing with a cream-covered top and sides.
- Decorate with chocolate shavings and the reserved cherries. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Sour cherries in syrup from the international aisle are cheaper and more traditional than fresh cherries, and you get the syrup for soaking the sponge as a bonus.