Black Forest Cake
This straightforward Black Forest Cake recipe uses a chocolate cake mix for convenience, elevated with coffee and buttermilk for depth. Layers of rich chocolate cake are filled with luscious whipped cream and kirsch-laced sour cherries, then adorned with more cream and chocolate shavings, offering a classic dessert with minimal effort.
Equipment
- 2 8-inch Round Cake Pans
- 1 Electric Mixer
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl Preferably chilled
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Serrated Knife For leveling and slicing cake
Ingredients
Main
- 1 box chocolate cake mix for two 8-inch rounds plus necessary ingredients
- Strong brewed coffee as needed
- Buttermilk as needed
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- One 24-ounce jar sour cherries drained
- 2 tablespoons kirsch
- Chocolate shavings for garnish
Instructions
- For the cake: Make the cake according to the package instructions, but substitute half of the water with coffee, and the other half with buttermilk (most likely it will call for 1 cup total of water). Bake in two 8-inch round cake pans according to package instructions. Let the cakes cool completely.
- For the cream: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream, sugar and almond extract together in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.
- For the cherries: Combine the cherries and kirsch in a small bowl.
- To assemble: Use a serrated knife to cut the cakes in half horizontally. Create layers of cake, cherries and whipped cream, repeating. Top the cake with whipped cream, a few cherries and chocolate shavings.
Notes
For an enhanced chocolate flavor, the coffee in the cake mix intensifies the chocolate notes without making it taste like coffee. Ensure your heavy cream, mixing bowl, and whisk attachment are very cold before whipping for optimal stiff peaks. If sour cherries are unavailable, fresh or frozen sweet cherries can be used, though the tartness of sour cherries balances the richness of the cake and cream better. Adjust kirsch to taste; for a non-alcoholic version, substitute cherry juice or syrup. A light crumb coat with whipped cream before the final layer ensures a clean finish and prevents crumbs from showing. Chill the assembled cake for at least 30 minutes for best results before slicing.