This Black Forest Cake is a classic German cake made with layers of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream and marinated cherries soaked in cherry syrup and cherry liqueur. YUM! The Black Forest Cake can be made with canned or fresh cherries, depending on the time of the year, but it is essential not to use cherry pie filling. It will yield much too sweet of a filling!
Enjoy this cake for any occasion, whether you’re hosting a Valentine’s Day dinner or a birthday party, it’s the perfect cake enjoyed by all ages.
ingredients
For the cake:
For the filling:
For the frosting:
directions
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line and grease 3 8-inch round cake pans.
In a large mixing bowl beat together eggs and sugar. Transfer bowl to a double boiler over low heat and continue beating just until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and beat until mixture has tripled in size, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and oil until combined.
Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Beat until the batter comes together.
Evenly divide the mixture among the 3 prepared cake pans. Bake until the top bounces back to touch, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cakes cool completely before assembling.
For the filling:
Strain liquid from cherries into a sauce pan. Simmer liquid over low heat until it reduces to a syrup.
Pour syrup over cherries followed by the kirsch. Stir until combined. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
For the frosting:
In a large mixing bowl whisk cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
To assemble:
Brush cakes generously with simple syrup. Begin with a layer of chocolate cake followed by a layer of whipped cream. Add ⅓ of the marinated cherries. Repeat. Finish the top and edges with whipped cream. Garnish with remaining cherries and sprinkle shaved chocolate.
