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black forest sheet cake slice on a plate
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Black Forest Cake

Decadent chocolate cake brushed with homemade cherry syrup, topped with whipped cream frosting, fresh cherry filling, and chocolate ganache drizzle. The perfect black forest cake to feed a crowd!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings 24 slices

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 9x13 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 piping.

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

*DIY Buttermilk Recipe: add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe. 
Kirsch: If you want a more traditional black forest cake, add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of kirsch (cherry brandy) to the cherry filling ingredients. 
Make Ahead Tips:
  1. 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. 
  2. The cherry filling and syrup can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
  3. 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.
  4. The stabilized whipped cream cannot be made ahead. It should be made right before you're ready to assemble the cake. 
  5. 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.