Black Forest Cake (Classic Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)
This showstopping Black Forest Cake layers rich chocolate sponge, billowy whipped cream, and boozy cherry filling for a bakery-worthy dessert you can make at home.
The Most Dramatic Dessert You'll Ever Pull Off at Home
There are cakes, and then there is Black Forest Cake. Towering layers of deeply chocolate sponge, cloud-soft whipped cream, and a bubbling kirsch-soaked cherry filling, all crowned with dramatic chocolate shavings and glossy red cherries. It is the kind of cake that makes a room go quiet the moment you set it on the table.
The original, known in Germany as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, hails from the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg, where sour cherries and kirsch (cherry brandy) are local staples. What began as a regional specialty in the early 20th century became one of the most recognized cakes in the world, and for very good reason. Every element does its job. The chocolate is rich without being heavy. The cream is cool and barely sweet. The cherries cut through it all with a bright, slightly tart punch.
This recipe is built to be genuinely achievable at home, broken down into three make-ahead-friendly components so the day of assembly is calm and enjoyable rather than chaotic.
Getting the layers right comes down to a few key things: quality cocoa, cold cream, and patience. Dutch-process cocoa gives you that dark, almost fudgy depth that grocery-store cocoa simply cannot match, and a good stand mixer ensures your whipped cream holds up beautifully through assembly and refrigeration. The right tools are not just nice to have here, they genuinely protect your work.
Tools & Ingredients We Recommend
The Three Components (And Why Each One Matters)
This cake is built on three parts that each deserve a little attention.
The Chocolate Sponge
This is not a dense, fudgy brownie-style cake. It is a moist, tender sponge with a delicate crumb that soaks up kirsch beautifully without falling apart. The secret is hot coffee in the batter. You will not taste the coffee, but it intensifies the cocoa in a way that nothing else quite replicates. Buttermilk keeps the crumb soft and adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness.
Chef's Tip: Do not skip the parchment paper lining. Chocolate sponge cakes have a tendency to stick, and tearing a layer mid-assembly after all that work is genuinely heartbreaking.
The Cherry Filling
Jarred sour cherries are your best friend here, especially outside of cherry season. The reserved liquid becomes the base of a lightly thickened compote that stays in place between the layers instead of sliding around. A generous pour of kirsch goes in at two stages: once into the filling itself and once brushed directly onto each cake layer.
The Whipped Cream
Keep your cream very cold until the moment it hits the bowl. Beat it to stiff peaks, but stop before it starts to look grainy. Three cups sounds like a lot, and it is, because this cake is unapologetically generous with cream in the most wonderful way.
Assembly Tips for a Showstopper Finish
Slicing each sponge layer in half horizontally gives you four thin layers rather than two thick ones, which creates a much more impressive cross-section and more even distribution of filling. A long serrated bread knife moved in slow, patient strokes is all you need.
For the chocolate shavings, a vegetable peeler dragged along the flat side of a room-temperature chocolate bar produces beautiful wide curls. Do not refrigerate the chocolate first or the shavings will crumble instead of curl.
Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least two hours before serving. This is not optional. The layers need time to settle and the flavors need time to come together into something that tastes like one unified, magnificent cake rather than its components.
Ready to build something truly beautiful? Here is the full recipe:
Black Forest Cake (Classic Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)
This showstopping Black Forest Cake layers rich chocolate sponge, billowy whipped cream, and boozy cherry filling for a bakery-worthy dessert you can make at home.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process preferred
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee, deepens the chocolate flavor
- 24 oz pitted sour cherries, jarred or canned, drained, liquid reserved
- 3/8 cup kirsch (cherry brandy), divided; see notes for alcohol-free swap
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar, for the cherry filling
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 3/8 cup powdered sugar, for the whipped cream
- 4 oz dark chocolate, for shaving, at least 60% cacao
- 12 fresh cherries with stems, for garnish
Instruction
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Slowly stream in the hot coffee while stirring gently. The batter will be quite thin, which is normal and results in an incredibly moist cake.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Do not assemble until fully cool.
While the cakes cool, make the cherry filling. Combine the drained cherry liquid (about 1 cup), cornstarch, powdered sugar, and half the kirsch in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, fold in the cherries, and let cool completely.
Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the cold heavy cream and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat.
Using a long serrated knife, level each cake layer if domed, then slice each layer in half horizontally so you have four thin layers total.
Place one cake layer on your serving plate or cake board. Brush generously with some of the remaining kirsch. Spread a layer of whipped cream, then spoon a generous amount of the cherry filling on top.
Repeat with the second and third layers, brushing each with kirsch, adding whipped cream, and then cherry filling.
Place the final cake layer on top. Frost the entire outside of the cake smoothly with the remaining whipped cream.
Use a vegetable peeler or box grater to create chocolate shavings from the dark chocolate bar, and press them gently onto the sides and top of the cake.
Pipe rosettes of any remaining whipped cream around the top edge and place one fresh cherry on each rosette. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.
Equipment
- Two 9-inch round cake pans
- Parchment paper
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Large mixing bowls
- Serrated cake knife or cake leveler
- Offset spatula
- Small saucepan
- Piping bag and star tip
- Vegetable peeler or box grater (for chocolate shavings)
- Wire cooling rack
- Cake board or serving plate
Notes
Serving and Storing Your Black Forest Cake
Serve each slice cold, straight from the refrigerator. A hot knife (run under hot water and wiped dry) gives you the cleanest cuts with the least cream smearing.
This cake keeps well covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, though it is at its absolute peak on day one and two. The cream is freshest, the sponge is perfectly moist from the kirsch, and the cherries still have that bright pop.
If you want to get ahead, bake and wrap the sponge layers up to two days early, and make the cherry filling the day before. Day-of assembly then becomes almost leisurely, which is exactly how a project this beautiful should feel.
