I can never let cherry season go by without making black forest cake, and this year I decided to change things up and make a sheet cake version! It’s even easier to assemble than my original layer cake version, but with the same delicious components: decadent chocolate cake soaked with homemade cherry syrup, fresh cherry filling, deliciously light whipped cream frosting, and a drizzle of chocolate ganache. The chocolate-cherry flavor really shines in this cake and it’s always a crowd favorite!
What is a Black Forest Cake?
A traditional black forest cake is a rich chocolate sponge cake with whipped cream and sour cherries often soaked in a cherry-flavored brandy called kirsch. This cake originated in Germany in the early 1900s, and since sour cherries and kirsch are produced in the Black Forest region, this is believed to be where the cake gets its name.
As the cake gained popularity worldwide, the recipes vary – more traditional recipes contain alcohol in the cherries and whipped cream, have a lighter cocoa-flavored sponge, and aren’t super sweet. More Americanized versions are almost always alcohol-free, feature a more dense and deeply chocolatey cake, and use sweeter cherries and sometimes buttercream as the frosting. My version is a blend of both: alcohol is optional, the cake is deeply chocolatey and moist, the cherry filling is homemade and the cherry juice is further cooked into a syrup and used as a soak, and the whipped cream frosting keeps it deliciously light.
Black Forest Sheet Cake Components
Now that we know what goes into a traditional black forest cake recipe, here are the elements that I use in mine:
- Chocolate Sheet Cake. This is my favorite easy chocolate sheet cake recipe that uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. It’s super moist and decadent and pairs so beautifully with the cherry flavors in this cake.
- Cherry Filling. I make the cherry filling with fresh cherries (sweet or tart) that I cook together with a little sugar, water, lemon juice, and almond extract. The mixture simmers until the cherries soften up and release their juices.
- Cherry Syrup. After cooking the cherries, I strain them from the liquid in the saucepan and continue cooking the leftover juice until it reduces into a syrup. This is what I use to soak the chocolate cake in the assembly process.
- Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting. To fill and frost the cake, I made a whipped cream frosting that is lightly sweetened. I like to add a little unflavored gelatin to stabilize the frosting, which helps the frosting keep its shape and prevents it from deflating or weeping over time. You can alternatively use whipped cream cheese frosting or whipped mascarpone frosting for this cake if you’d rather not use gelatin.
- Chocolate Ganache Drizzle. While not traditionally part of a black forest cake, a chocolate ganache drizzle adds decorative flair and a little more chocolate flavor.
How to Make & Assemble a Black Forest Sheet Cake
This black forest sheet cake is a little easier to assemble than the layer cake version. You can assemble it in the baking pan for easy transport, or serve it on a platter. Either way, it will be absolutely delicious!
Step 1: Bake the Chocolate Sheet Cake. You can make the chocolate cake using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or simply with a whisk and large bowl. You’ll essentially combine all of the dry ingredients, mix in most of the wet ingredients, and then whisk in some hot coffee (or hot water) to create a thin chocolate cake batter with incredible flavor.
After baking, cool the sheet cake to room temperature and decide whether you want to assemble it with the other components in the pan or transfer it to a serving plate.
Step 2: Make the Cherry Filling and Cherry Syrup. Combine all of the cherry filling ingredients in a saucepan set over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until the cherries soften, which takes about five minutes. Then, strain out the cherries and store them in a separate bowl or container.
Continue cooking the liquid that’s left in the saucepan for an additional 10 minutes, until it reduces by about half. Remove it from the heat and place in a separate container. This will be your cherry syrup.
Step 3: Make the Stabilized Whipped Cream. It’s best to make the whipped cream frosting right before you assemble the cake and it doesn’t take long at all. With the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into the bowl and beat on high speed until it reaches soft peaks, about 1 minute. Stabilize it with gelatin, then continue beating until stiff peaks form, another 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Make the Chocolate Ganache. Whisk together chocolate chips and simmered heavy whipping cream to make a smooth ganache. You’ll use this as a drizzle to decorate the cake.
Step 5: Assemble the Black Forest Sheet Cake. Once all of your elements are room temperature, use a pastry brush to brush all of the cherry syrup onto the chocolate cake, covering the entire surface. Add a thin layer of the whipped cream frosting on top and make a slight dam around the edges with your spatula to keep the cherries from leaking out. Add all of the cherries on top of the thin layer of whipped cream, pressing them down slightly afterward.
Add the rest of the whipped cream on top of the cherries and use a small angled spatula to frost swirls and rustic texture on the surface. Drizzle the chocolate ganache on top using a piping bag, then place fresh cherries around the border. Voila!
Black Forest Cake FAQ’s
- Can I Use Kirsch (or Kirschwasser) In This Recipe? Yes! I don’t include it only because I don’t drink alcohol. If you want a more traditional black forest cake, add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of kirsch into the cherry filling portion of the recipe. This will add kirsch flavor to the cherry filling and to the syrup as well.
- Can I Use Canned Cherries? Yes. I prefer making the cherry elements from fresh cherries, but if you’d rather use canned cherries you can use one 15-ounce can of dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup. Strain the cherries from the syrup, then cook the syrup and kirsch (if using) together in a saucepan set over medium heat. Simmer until the syrup is reduced by half, about 5-10 minutes. When the syrup reaches room temperature and you have the rest of your elements ready, proceed with the assembly instructions below.
- What if I Don’t Have a Cherry Pitter? You can either use a small metal straw to poke through the cherry and force the pit out, or slice the cherries in half and dig the pits out by hand.
- How Do I Store the Cake Once Decorated? Since this cake has a whipped cream frosting and fresh fruit filling, it’s best to store this cake in the refrigerator. It can be served at room temperature or cold, either way is delicious!
- Can I Make This Cake Ahead of Time? Yes. Aside from the whipped cream frosting, you can make the individual elements ahead (see the notes section of the recipe) or assemble the entire cake one to two days ahead. It actually tastes even better after a day or two in the refrigerator because the cherry flavor soaks into the cake even more.
- How Tall is this Cake? The cake layer bakes up to about 1.5 inches (slightly shorter on the sides). The frosting adds another .75 inch or so, so altogether each slice ends up being a little over 2 inches tall. If you want a taller sheet cake with filling in between the layers, you can double the recipe. I’d recommend baking two separate cake layers vs. torting one taller cake layer.
Similar Cake Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re a fan of black forest cake, here are some other recipes from my blog to add to your baking list!
- Black Forest Layer Cake
- Cherry Chip Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
- Berries & Cream Sheet Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake
- Raspberry Chocolate Cake
I hope you love this black forest sheet cake as much as I do! It’s so fun to make each of these elements and I promise each one is failproof. It’s also easy to assemble, ideal for your summer cherry harvest, and perfect for feeding a crowd. If you make it, let me know how it went in the comments below (don’t forget to rate the recipe!) and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me a photo. I love to see what you create with my recipes!
Black Forest Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Sheet Cake
- 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
- 1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk*, room temperature DIY recipe in the notes
- 1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee or hot water
Cherry Filling & Syrup
- 1 1/2 Cups (250g) fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and halved sweet or tart
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cold water
- 2 1/4 Cups (540ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 3/4 Cup (90g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache Drizzle (Optional)
- 1/4 Cup (46g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream
Garnish
- 16 fresh cherries sweet or tart
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF (177ºC) and prepare a 9×13 baking pan by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottom with parchment paper.
- Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot coffee (or hot water) in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before adding the toppings.
Make the Cherry Filling & Syrup
- Add all of the cherry filling ingredients into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Stir to combine and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking the cherry mixture for 5 minutes.
- Using a mesh strainer or slotted spoon, remove the cherries from the saucepan and place them into a separate container to cool. This will be your cherry filling.
- Continue cooking the liquid that remains in the saucepan, stirring frequently until it reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Pour the liquid into a separate container to cool and set aside. This will be your cherry syrup.
Make the Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Make the stabilized whipped cream right before you're ready to assemble the cake (the cake and filling/syrup should be cooled to room temperature). Get started by chilling the metal bowl of your stand mixer for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Sprinkle the gelatin into a small glass measuring cup or microwave safe dish. Add the cold water and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved. Set the mixture aside for 5 minutes to let the gelatin set.
- While the gelatin is setting, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into the chilled metal bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed to combine. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the mixture is thickened, stopping just shy of reaching soft peaks, about 1 min.
- At this point, the gelatin should be solidified. If so, pop it into the microwave for 5-10 seconds, until the mixture has re-liquified but is still cool to the touch. Use a whisk to briefly stir the gelatin mixture together to make sure it's smooth.
- With the mixer on low speed, drizzle the liquid gelatin into the cream. Slowly increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until you have reached stiff, fluffy peaks, about 2 minutes. Use immediately to ensure the best consistency for frosting the cake.
Make the Chocolate Ganache (Optional)
- Place the chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal) and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the heavy whipping cream until it just starts to simmer. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft simmer starting in the middle. When it's reached this point, pour the cream into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds.
- Whisk the chocolate and cream together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Cool the ganache at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature or slightly above, before drizzling the cake in the assembly instructions below.
Assembly
- Transfer the cooled chocolate cake onto a serving plate (upside down so you can peel off the parchment paper lining). You can alternatively assemble the cake in the baking pan. Use a pastry brush to add all of the cherry syrup onto the cake as a soak.
- Add a thin layer of whipped cream frosting onto the cake layer and create a slight dam on the outer edges by smoothing the center down lower than the edges with your angled spatula. This is to keep the cherry filling from spilling out. Add all of the cherry filling into the dam. Top with the rest of the whipped cream frosting and use an angled spatula to frost swirls and rustic texture onto the surface of the cake. Place the cake into the refrigerator while you prepare the ganache (if using).
- Drizzle with Ganache (optional): Make sure the chocolate ganache is room temperature so that it's easy to drizzle. If it's too warm/thin, you'll need to continue cooling until room temperature. If it's too cold/thick, you may need to heat it ever so slightly in very small increments in the microwave. Once it's room temperature, remove the cake from the refrigerator and place the ganache into a piping bag. Snip off a small opening on the piping bag and drizzle the ganache onto the surface of the cake diagonally in one direction, then diagonally in the opposite direction. Place fresh cherries around the edges of the cake and serve, or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- The chocolate cake can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, in the pan covered with plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The cherry filling and syrup can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- The chocolate ganache can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it as a drip, microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring after every interval until your ganache is room temperature and uniform in consistency.
- The stabilized whipped cream cannot be made ahead. It should be made right before you’re ready to assemble the cake.
- The assembled and decorated black forest sheet cake can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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