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Black Forest Cake is a traditional German dessert made with chocolate sponge cake layers filled with whipped cream and cherries. This delicious cake recipe is completely made from scratch and perfect for special occasions!
This is probably the most famous German cake! Made with three layers of light and fluffy chocolate cake that are topped with homemade cherry filling and fresh whipped cream, this cake is a showstopper.
Why you should make my recipe
- I’m German, and I love Black Forest Cake! Growing up, this cake was served at every birthday and family gathering, and I know exactly what it should taste like.
- This is a traditional recipe. It’s just the way my Oma would make it! Jarred cherries, whipped cream, and three layers of sponge cake made with lots of eggs. Definitely no butter, oil, or instant coffee. If you want an authentic recipe, make mine!
- Black Forest cake is not an easy cake to make, but I have plenty of tips and break it down into easy steps so even a novice baker can make this cake.
- Cooked cherry filling: Some recipes use fresh cherries instead of the traditional cooked cherry filling, but the cooked filling made with cherries from a jar is superior because it holds up longer, doesn’t bleed into the cream, and the texture is exactly how you want it.
- One cake, cut into three layers: You don’t need three separate baking pans, and the chocolate cake layers will have a much lighter texture, and the cake is easier to decorate.
Are you looking for more traditional German cake recipes? Try out my German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen), German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen), or German Plum Cake (Pflaumenkuchen).
Key Ingredients (& Swaps)
Here is an overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom for quantities.
Black Forest Cake, or Black Forest Gateau, is a chocolate sponge cake sandwiched with a rich cherry filling and whipped cream. It is usually decorated with more whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and whole cherries.
- Kirsch: Traditionally, Kirschwasser (also known as just kirsch) is added to the cake. But if you don’t have kirsch or can’t use alcohol, substitute with more cherry juice. Cherry brandy is not the same as Kirsch; please don’t use it.
- Sour Cherries: I use a 24 oz jar of pitted sour cherries (affiliate link) in light syrup or cherry juice for this recipe; sometimes they are also called Dark Morello Cherries. Walmart usually has them in the international aisle, but you can also find them at Aldi or Trader Joe’s. The light syrup works great as cherry juice, and one 24 oz jar has enough cherries and liquid for this cake. You should get about 1.5 cups of liquid after draining the cherries. If you can’t find jarred cherries, you can use 2 cups of canned cherries or defrosted frozen cherries. If the cherries don’t come in light syrup, substitute with 1.5 cups of cherry juice; otherwise, the cake will be too sweet.
- Cocoa Powder: I always use Dutch-process cocoa powder because that is the one that is common in Germany.
- Flour: I use a mixture of all-purpose flour and cornstarch for this cake. This is an easy way to make cake flour, and the result is an airy, light texture of the cake layers.
- Eggs: The egg whites make the cake rise and fluffy. You need a lot of eggs for this recipe because that’s how a sponge cake (Biskuitkuchen in German) is made.
- Heavy Cream: The higher the fat content of the cream, the better it will whip up. Heavy whipping cream usually has a fat percentage of 35%, which works best.
- Chocolate: This cake is traditionally decorated with chocolate shavings. Bittersweet baking chocolate works best, and it’s easiest to make them with a vegetable peeler. Make sure the chocolate is cold.
History of the recipe
Black Forest cake comes from Germany, where it is known as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. The dessert is named after the specialty liquor known as Schwarzwälder Kirsch(wasser) of the Black Forest mountain range in southwestern Germany, which gives the dessert its distinctive flavor.
More German Recipes
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German Cucumber Salad Recipe
Sides & Salads
Easy German Spaetzle Recipe
Main Dishes
Flammkuchen
Main Dishes
German Schnitzel
My Top Tips before you start
- You will need a lot of whipped cream for this cake. I use a KitchenAid Professional, so whipping up 4 cups of heavy cream is no problem. But if you’re using a smaller stand mixer or hand mixer, it will be best to whip the cream in two batches. Check out my post on how to make homemade whipped cream for more tips and tricks!
- Assemble the cake on your serving platter; transferring is difficult. Slide two pieces of parchment paper under the cake from opposite sides. This keeps the serving platter clean, and you can easily pull it out after you decorate the cake.
- Using a serrated bread knife is the easiest way to cut the cake into three layers. Try to hold the knife as horizontally as possible and work slowly. Use a piece of cardboard or a special cake board to lift the layers off. This also makes it easier to transfer the layers back when you assemble the cake.
- After cutting the cake into three layers, use the bottom layer (bottom up) as the top layer of the cake; this way you have a smooth top, which makes decorating easier.
How to make Black Forest Cake
The base for this cake is a fluffy chocolate sponge cake that gets its special texture from whipped egg whites. The egg whites make the cake rise and become fluffy.
To keep as many tiny air bubbles in the batter as possible, the dry ingredients are sifted and carefully folded in with a spatula. Using an electric mixer or hand whisk would destroy the air bubbles and make the cake dense and compact.
Step 1: Whip up the egg whites and part of the sugar using a stand mixer or hand mixer until soft peaks form.
Step 2: Then combine egg yolks, remaining sugar, and vanilla. Whip until thick and pale. Fold mixture into egg whites.
Step 3: Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Sieve into egg mixture and fold in with a spatula. This works best in batches.
Step 4: Transfer carefully to a springform pan lined with parchment paper (the sides are not greased!). Smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 25 minutes.
Step 5: Using a long serrated knife, cut the cake into three layers. Use the top layer (smooth top down) as the first layer of the cake. Put a cake ring (or the ring from the springform pan) around the cake and assemble the cake on a cake platter.
Step 6: Slide two pieces of parchment paper under the cake from opposite sides. Drizzle the cake layer with cherry juice or kirsch and top with half of the cherry filling, leaving a 1-inch border to the edge of the cake so the cherries don’t ooze out.
Step 7: Top with 1/4 of the whipped cream, then use an offset spatula to smooth out the cream.
Step 8: Put the middle layer on top and repeat steps 6 and 7.
Step 9: Top with the cake layer that was the bottom while baking, smooth side up, and spread 1/3 of the remaining whipped cream on top. Then remove the springform ring.
Step 10: Spread the remaining cream with a spatula around the sides of the cake until it is completely covered in whipped cream.
How to decorate Black Forest cake
I like to decorate my Black Forest cake the traditional way. The sides are covered in dark chocolate shavings. These are easily made with a vegetable peeler. Use a spoon or your hands to lightly press chocolate shavings onto the sides.
Then pipe 16 swirls (1 for each piece) of whipped cream on top. Start with two swirls opposite each other and so on, for a symmetrical look. Garnish a circle in the middle of the cake with the remaining grated chocolate. Put a cherry on top of each cream swirl and refrigerate the cake until serving.
To decorate the cake, I use fresh cherries with stems and pits (they look great but are harder to eat) or more jarred sour cherries (the juice will bleed into the cream after a short time, so wait until just before serving). I’m not a fan of the sugary maraschino cherries you can find in the cake decoration aisle, but those could be used too.
Troubleshooting
Here are some reasons why your sponge cake might have turned out flat, collapsed after baking, or be dense and compact:
- Not enough air incorporated: Make sure to beat the egg yolk sugar mixture until thick and pale, and don’t overbeat the egg whites. You want to have as many tiny air bubbles as possible because they act as a leavening agent.
- Stirring instead of folding: The egg yolk mixture or the flour mixture was stirred into the egg whites and not gently folded with a spatula or spoon. Stirring the mixture makes the tiny air bubbles, which make the cake fluffy and act as a leavening agent, pop.
- Greasing the sides of the baking pan: Don’t line the sides of the pan with parchment paper or grease it! Only the bottom of the pan should be lined with parchment paper. The sponge will not rise during baking or collapse after taking it out of the oven if the sides of the pan are greased because the batter will slide down.
- Waiting too long to bake: The sponge cake needs to be baked immediately after folding in the flour mixture. Letting it sit out for too long makes the air bubbles pop.
- Oven temperature too low: The sponge won’t rise if the oven is too cold or it wasn’t properly preheated.
- The oven door was opened during baking: Opening the oven door too soon makes the sponge collapse. Wait until the baking time is nearly over before opening the oven door!
- Sponge was not completely baked: If the sponge collapses after taking it out of the oven, it might not have been baked long enough. Always test with a skewer for doneness!
Make Ahead
You can make the cake 1 day in advance and store it in the fridge. It tastes best on the first and second day; after that, it still tastes great, but the texture of the cream will start to change.
What I like to do is to bake the sponge cake a day or two in advance, let it cool completely, wrap it in plastic wrap, and store it at room temperature. It will be easier to cut into layers after a day. Then make the cherry filling and whipped cream the night before and assemble the cake.
Storage & Freezing
Store: Black Forest cake should always be refrigerated because of the whipped cream. It keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Freeze: A Black Forest cake does NOT freeze well because of the whipped cream. But you could freeze the chocolate sponge cake itself tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.
Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or vanilla sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
For the Cherry Filling:
- 24 oz jar of morello cherries, or sour cherries
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ⅓ cup kirsch, divided or more cherry juice
For the Whipped Cream:
- 4 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
For Garnish:
- 16 fresh cherries, or maraschino cherries
- 4 oz bittersweet Baking chocolate, coarsely grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃) and line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Do NOT grease the sides of the pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with ½ cup sugar on high speed until soft peaks form, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.5 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar
- In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine egg yolks, the remaining ½ cup of sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat at medium speed until thick, creamy, and pale, about 3-5 minutes. Carefully fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and cocoa powder. Working in batches, sieve the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold in carefully until combined.1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ⅓ cup cornstarch, ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
- Transfer to the springform pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few crumbs attached.
- Remove the ring of the springform pan and carefully invert the cake onto a parchment paper-lined cooling rack, peel off the parchment paper from the bottom, and let it cool completely.
- When the cake has cooled completely, use a long serrated knife to cut the cake into three even layers.
- To make the cherry filling, we need the liquid from the jar of cherries. Set aside the cherries. Remove 4 Tbsp from the liquid and combine it in a small bowl with the cornstarch and sugar. Bring the remaining cherry juice in a small saucepan to a simmer, then remove it from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Bring back to a simmer while whisking constantly until it starts to thicken. Stir in the cherries, simmer for 1-2 minutes until thick, then remove from heat. Add half of the kirsch to the cherries if you're using it. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.24 oz jar of morello cherries, 5 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons sugar, ⅓ cup kirsch
- To make the whipped cream, beat 4 cups of heavy cream (depending on your mixer, you might have to whip the cream in two batches) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at high speed until soft peaks form. Then add powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes longer. The whipped cream should be very stiff and spreadable, but be careful not to overwhip it. Refrigerate whipped cream until ready to assemble the cake. Set aside about ¾ cup of whipped cream for decorating the cake.4 cups heavy cream, ½ cup powdered sugar
Assembling the cake
- Use the top layer of the cake as the bottom. On a serving platter, put a cake ring around the cake and two pieces of parchment paper below the cake (see notes above). Drizzle 1.5 tablespoons of kirsch (or cherry juice) over the cake layer, then top with half of the cherry mixture, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with about ¼ of the whipped cream, smoothing it out with a spatula.
- Top with the middle cake layer and repeat drizzling with liquid, topping with cherries and cream. Put the third cake layer on top (smooth side up). Spread ⅓ of the remaining whipped cream on top, then remove the cake ring and spread the remaining cream with a spatula around the sides of the cake until completely covered in whipped cream.
- Decorate the sides of the cake with grated chocolate. Pipe 16 swirls of whipped cream on top using the set-aside whipped cream, and garnish the middle of the cake with the remaining chocolate. Put a fresh cherry on each cream swirl and refrigerate the cake until serving.16 fresh cherries, 4 oz bittersweet Baking chocolate
There was only one birthday cake for me while I lived in Germany and it was this one. But not that I am a sourdough bigot, I wonder if this could be made as well using sourdough and a long ferment to mitigate the phytic acid in wheat and cocoa?
I’m not sure, Darryl! But it sounds like an interesting idea!
Hello! I noticed this cake doesn’t call for any oil, butter, or other liquid substitute. Is that common for a Black Forest Cake? I see so many “authentic” versions calling for those ingredients, and even coffee. I know the cake needs to hold the filling and whipped frosting, but won’t the layers be too dense?
I get that this can get confusing when so many recipes call for those ingredients but my recipe is as authentic as it can be – this is how my Grandmothers in Bavaria make this cake. A real Black Forest Cake is made with what we call a “Biskuitteig” in Germany, the only ingredients are eggs, flour, and sugar – no oil, butter, or other liquid, definitely not coffee. The eggs are whipped for a long time until they are very airy and that makes the cake airy instead of dense. The layers are not dense like chocolate cake, they are airy similar to angel food cake or a sponge cake.
Finally an authentic recipe! Yes. Butter, oil, or any liquids will only weigh down the fluffy egg whites. That is the last thing we want to do. Thank you!
This looks really delicious! I was wondering if the recipe could be converted to bake in a 6 inch pan instead as it’s just for 2 people. What percentage would you recommend that I reduce the recipe by and typically how long I should adjust the baking time to?
Can’t wait to try it out!
I haven’t tried and tested it but you should be able to bake it in a 6-inch pan. Making half the recipe might work but I’m not sure about baking time and exact measurements.
Hello!
I am making this cake this week and I am wondering what size of pan did you use? Thanks for answer and the instructions.
I use an 8-inch springform pan (see instructions Step 1)
Hello,
I’m wondering if you use cherries or sour cherries in the recipe as both are mentioned, but they taste completely different?
Thank you!
Check out the notes in the recipe card, Krisztina! I use jarred sour cherries but I list a few alternatives if you can’t find them at your grocery store.
Hello,
It looks really yummy! & the guidelines that you wrote down in order to make cake is awesome.
I was planning to follow another recipe of black forest cake but when saw your page,really want to make on my daughter’s graduation party on July 30th.. I want to make this cake in 13×9 pan on her graduation as she really loves black forest cake.
Please can you help me out
1- Do i need to increase the ingredients & how much ?
2- I bought the maraschino cherries 🍒 can i use those & how much& can i use the syrup of this cherries instead of krich ?
3- I saw in some recipes they use i tbsp coffee in the cake mix, would you prefer?
Thanks
I have never made the cake in a 9×13 pan but I would double the recipe. I don’t recommend using maraschino cherries (or the syrup of maraschino cherries), they are a lot sweeter than normal cherries and would change the whole cake. You can use them as a garnish. If you don’t want to use kirsch you can just leave it out. You could add instant coffee to the cake mix if you like, it intensifies the chocolate flavor. Hope this helps and congratulations to your daughter!
My cake sunk from center , it looked perfect when it came out of the oven . Can you guide me what can be the reason . Thanks
Sorry, this happened to your cake Mahima, there are a few reasons why this might happen. Check out the part of the post titled “Reasons why your sponge cake might have turned out flat, collapsed after baking or is dense and compact”. That should help you figure out what went wrong!
is there any way to make this like the trend “letter cakes” that are on social media lately? I am trying to combine the two concepts but wanted the cake to be authentic taste – figured will have to bypass the shape and that they dollops of icing wont work since will be real whipped cream – thoughts…
Mmh I have never tried it with this cake, but you could bake it in a 9×13 pan, only cut it once, so you have 2 layers, and then cut out the letters. Depending on how many letters you need you will need to make more than one cake. The whipped cream could work but it needs to be very well whipped or stabilized.
Baked this cake recently and everyone loved it! I did leave the alcohol out and I love how there’s no oil used in making the sponge cake. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
How far in advance can i make this cake?
I answered this question in detail in the post, you can find the answer just above the last image.