Black Forest Chocolate Cherries (Printable)

Rich chocolate layers paired with cherries and light whipped cream create an indulgent German delight.

# What You Need:

→ Chocolate Cake

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
04 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup whole milk
09 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil
10 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11 - 1/2 cup boiling water

→ Cherry Filling

12 - 2 cups pitted dark sweet cherries (fresh or jarred, drained)
13 - 1/2 cup cherry juice or syrup
14 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
15 - 2 tablespoons kirsch (optional)
16 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

→ Whipped Cream

17 - 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
18 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
19 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Assembly & Decoration

20 - 3 ounces dark chocolate, for shavings
21 - Extra cherries (fresh or maraschino), for garnish

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture. Beat until smooth.
04 - Gradually stir in boiling water until batter is fully combined and thin in consistency.
05 - Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
06 - In a saucepan, combine cherries, cherry juice, and sugar. Simmer gently. Stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add kirsch if using, and cool completely.
07 - Beat cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Keep chilled.
08 - Carefully slice each cake layer horizontally to create four thin layers total.
09 - Place one cake layer on serving plate. Brush with cherry syrup. Spread cherry filling, then a layer of whipped cream.
10 - Repeat layering with remaining cake, cherry filling, and whipped cream, finishing with whipped cream on top and sides.
11 - Garnish with chocolate shavings and extra cherries. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's the kind of dessert that makes people pause mid-conversation and just close their eyes for a moment.
  • Once you nail the layers, you've got a showstopper that looks far more complicated than it actually is.
  • The balance of dark chocolate, tart cherries, and sweet cream creates this perfect storm of flavor that keeps you reaching for another slice.
02 -
  • Chocolate cakes are incredibly humid, so your kitchen temperature matters—if it's hot and sticky outside, your cake might be denser than you'd like, and that's not a failure, it's just physics.
  • The cherries absolutely must cool completely before you assemble, or the whipped cream will collapse into a soupy mess and you'll be standing there wondering what went wrong.
  • Leveling those cake layers with a serrated knife feels scary the first time, but a gentle sawing motion with a cake turntable underneath makes it almost impossible to mess up.
03 -
  • If your whipped cream starts to separate or turn grainy while you're beating it, stop immediately—you've overwhipped it and you're making butter, so start fresh with a new batch.
  • Room-temperature ingredients mix more evenly into cake batter than cold ones do, so pull your eggs and milk out 30 minutes before you start baking and you'll see a real difference in texture.
Go Back