This cherry chocolate cake is perfect for Valentine’s Day (or any other time, really). The Black Forest cake is moist and delicious, and the cherries add sweetness and elegance.
This is a very tossed-together Black Forest Cake, or, as I like to say, when I am too lazy to bring out the piping bag and tips, it’s RUSTIC. All of the components of the classic German torte without the fuss.
This cherry chocolate cake has layers of dark chocolate cake, fresh whipped cream and sweet cherries spiked with Kirschwasser (“cherry water,” or clear sour cherry brandy). These flavors are among the most celebrated combinations in the history of pastry making and yet this cake is often cloyingly sweet, overly fussy and conjures images from my 1970s childhood.
I made this cake as part of my monthly Zoë’s Baking Academy. Learn more and join the fun on my Substack!
Honestly, the version I remember was probably made with Cool Whip, Maraschino cherries and a cake from a box. Don’t get me wrong, that was just fine with me when I was 13. But, now my taste buds always cringe a bit at the thought of those Day-Glo-red cherries, a frozen whipped topping, that tastes like anything but cream, and the cake from a box just can’t compete with my Devil’s food recipe. The swoon worthy homemade version is super fast and easy to put together.
Watch me make the cherry topping and assemble the cake below, and you’ll find the full recipe at the bottom of this post. You can use any two layers of your favorite chocolate cake recipe. I also love it with my Hot Chocolate Cake recipe, which you’ll find in my cookbook Zoë Bakes Cakes.
Video: Black Forest Cake (Cherry Chocolate Cake)
How to Make Cherry Topping
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cherries, water, and kirschwasser. Cover and cook until the cherries are tender, about 10 minutes (for frozen cherries), or 15 minutes (for fresh cherries).
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Strain the cherries through a fine-mesh sieve and return the juice to the pan; reserve the fruit.
Add the sugar mixture to the juice, turn the heat to medium, and cook until it comes to a boil and the liquid thickens and is transparent, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved fruit back to the pan and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Transfer the filling to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to Assemble Cherry Chocolate Cake
Place one layer of the cake on a serving platter.
Spread half of the whipped cream over the top.
Distribute half the cherries over the cream.
Repeat with the next layers of cake, cream and cherries. Add chocolate shavings to the top, if desired.
Serve cherry chocolate cake immediately or place it in the refrigerator.
Video
Ingredients
Devil’s Food Cake
- 2 1/3 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (50g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) hot strong coffee you can substitute with flat cola or stout beer
- 2 Tbsp rum or brandy you can substitute with flat cola or stout beer
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) mild-flavored oil such as vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cherry Filling and Topping
- 4 cups fresh or frozen sweet dark cherries pitted
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water
- 2 tbsp kirschwasser or brandy
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
Perfect Whipped Cream
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1-2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175℃. Generously grease two 8-inch / 20cm round cake pans then line with greased parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. In a small bowl, stir together the coffee and rum.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla until well combined. Add the egg mixture and half the coffee-rum to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until smooth. Slowly add the remaining coffee-rum and whisk until totally blended and smooth. The batter will be quite thin.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Gently tap the pans on the counter several times to release excess air bubbles.
- Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely before removing from the pan and inverting onto a serving plate.
For the Cherry Filling and Topping
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cherries, water, and kirschwasser. Cover and cook until the cherries are tender, about 10 minutes (for frozen cherries), or 15 minutes (for fresh cherries).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.
- Strain the cherries through a fine-mesh sieve and return the juice to the pan; reserve the fruit.
- Add the sugar mixture to the juice, turn the heat to medium, and cook until it comes to a boil and the liquid thickens and is transparent, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved fruit back to the pan and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the filling to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Perfect Whipped Cream
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla and beat on medium speed (you read that right) until just thick—it will start to leave marks from the whisk in the cream.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using the whisk attachment, continue whipping by hand for several seconds until the cream reaches the desired consistency. This ensures the stand won't over-mix.
Assembly
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
- Using an offset spatula, spread half of the whipped cream over the top of the cake. Distribute half the cherry filling over the cream. Repeat with the remaining cake, whipped cream, and filling. Finish by topping with chocolate shavings.
- Serve the cake immediately or store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 24 hours.
I made this Chocolate Cherry Cake recipe using fresh dark sweet cherries & unsweetened cocoa for a Luncheon today. Helpful comment on the whipping cream. Received rave reviews! Thank You Zoe
Hey so I’m in the process of making this. Made the batter and divided into two 9 inch pans. The cakes themselves came out very flat compared to the pictures of the cake on here. I followed the recipe exactly. So confused about what could have happened!?
Hi Elizabeth, we’re so sorry for the confusion. This recipe got updated to match Zoë’s book back in February, but it looks like it recently reverted to an older version. I just updated it again to match the book. Again, so sorry for the issue and I hope it’s still delicious!
Delicious! I did this with stabilized whipped cream and frosted the entire cake. Huge hit for my niece’s birthday. Thank you!
Great flavors. Cherry topping is a real keeper. Will be a little bolder about whipping the cream next time.
Delicious.
I made this for our Valentine’s Day dessert as part of Zoe’s baking academy. The cake is delicious and beautiful but I especially love the cherry topping/filling!!!
I used a quarter of the recipe, baking in a 6-inch pan and slicing the cake through the middle to make two layers. I loved how quickly the devil’s food cake came together with no mixer required! I did use my favorite trick of blooming the cocoa in the hot coffee instead of mixing it with the dry ingredients to maximize the chocolate flavor; it didn’t seem to affect the cake adversely. Even though I’ve never been a fan of confectioner’s sugar, it made the cream whip (and hold!) gorgeously. I used an extra-bitter chocolate for the shavings, but even the cake filling wasn’t too sweet. My mom not only loved it, she suggested baking several full-size versions! Hats off to Zoe…
I made this as part of the Baking Academy and it is just delicious! The cake is moist and has great chocolate flavor and the cherries are the best. I used fresh cherries that were super sweet so I cut back the sugar a bit and they were just right. Can’t wait to make this again!
Thank you it did and it tasted great. The only thing was that my whipped cream frosting made cutting a little challenging and the layer was sliding around a bit. The main thing is the cake was great!
Hi Zoe and team!
I have baked the cake, my cherries are cooling but I have not yet assembled it as it’s cooling. I need this cake to serve tomorrow afternoon. I have a couple of questions please 🙂
1) Does this whipped cream frosting require unflavored gelatin to stabilize it?
2) Can I make it in advance (as in tonight) so all I have to do it assemble it in the morning?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Milena! 1). No gelatin needed. 2). You will need to make the whipped cream just before assembly, but after assembly it will last a couple of days assembled. I hope this helps!
Thanks for posting the recipe. I’m excited about making it for a house guest that’s coming tomorrow. It’s actually in the oven now! I was curious though about two things. You list cocoa as an ingredient, but you don’t mention anything about adding it. Also you list 1 egg white and 1 egg. When you say to wisk the eggs with the other liquids, is the egg white just runny at this point – no wisking the white first? Not really an issue for me this go round as the guest is anaphylactic to eggs, but if I make it again it would be nice to know. Again thanks so much! You bring a lot of joy to people.
Hi Carter, Thank you for pointing this out! I updated the recipe to reflect when to add the cocoa powder (whisk with dry ingredients). As for the egg white, no need to whisk it separately first as it will be whisked in with the other liquids.
The cake turned out great. One of our guests is anaphylactic to eggs, so the only change I made was an egg substitute. I posted pics and tagged @zoebacks. Hope I did right by her! Cheers. Carter
Hi, I really want to make this cake but I am not sure about the number of eggs. In the recipe it says 1 egg and 1 egg white but in the video it says two full eggs, which one is the correct one? Thank you!
Hi Kate! The recipe on this blog post is just slightly different than the one Zoë made in the video. She used the recipe from her book in the video. You can also use the hot chocolate layer cake recipe. Whatever chocolate cake you love will work great with this recipe!
This recipe is outstanding. I don’t leave too many reviews, but had to for this one. I used Remy Martin for the brandy. Next time will try with the cherry brandy. Definite hit with all the guests. Rustic, and beautiful.
Just found this cake in October of this year, and made it for a friend’s birthday. It r ceivedmrave reviews. When I told my sister about it, she requested I make it for our Christmas Eve dinner. It’s in the oven, now, looking forward to sharing this new find.
What can I use in place of booze and coffee, since I don’t use coffee or booze ever?
Hi Mitzi,
This is a tough one, the coffee and alcohol (or at least one of them) act to counter the sweetness of the cake, which gives it the depth of flavor. I am trying to think of something else you can use to recreate that flavor contrast, without being too powerful. You don’t taste the coffee or alcohol, they just add a bitter edge. Let me ponder and if I come up with something I will let you know.
Thanks, Zoë
Wow. The kitchen smells amazing. Can’t wait to assemble!
This cake was awesome and definitely a keeper. We are hosting a German Intern and he was craving a traditional black forest cake. His mother sent over the recipe in German and we found it a bit difficult to translate and convert. I found your recipe and we decided to make it. he was sooo happy. The taste was very similar to that from his homeland and every other guest thought is was absolutely delicious. Thank you! (I may try it using sour cherries next time – just for comparison sake)
Sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder?
We don’t use sweet cherries in our Black Forest cake in Germany. We use sour cherries. They are already cooked and in glasses.
This looks amazing! I’m going to make it for my mom’s birthday, but can I subsitute something for the kirschwasser or brandy? Thanks!
Thanks for sharing this. I can’t tell how I love this cake and I’ll give it a try as soon as possible. Thanks, thanks…
This was my favorite request for my birthday cake every year as a kid. Lost the recipe after mom passed away, but this is the closest I’ve seen from what I can remember. My daughter and I are excited to try it this valentine’s season!!!
Hi Nancy,
I hope you and your daughter enjoy the cake!
Cheers, Zoë
This recipe is amazing! Black forest cake is my boyfriend’s favourite and it was a hit!
Did you assembly and frost it the same day you served it? I have made it but haven’t made the whipped cream frosting yet and I need this cake for tomorrow. Thanks in advance!
Amazing! For me Black forest cake recipe was so inspiring that I have baked a tall 4 layers cake with rich cherry filling. Cherry and chocolate pastry make a special kind of magic together, it’s true! Btw, coffee seems to be a bit unexpected, but quite matching ingredient for this pastry.
I LOVE rustic cakes. They are beautiful. What can I substitute for coffee and brandy (is there anything?) We hold neither one in the house!
I would LOVE to make this cake.
Black forest cake is one of my favorite cakes. I fell in love with it when I first had the pleasure of tasting it in pastry school. Your version looks so beautiful and delicious.
yum! looks delish!
WoW! Makes me drool.=D
I am in the middle of preparing this and noticed that the instructions for combining the cocoa powder are missing. I assumed it is mixed in with the dry ingredients so that is what I did. I cannot wait to try it! It smells delicious and the raw batter is yummy 🙂
It was a deliciously smashing HIT!! Loved it! Thank you for the great recipe! Wish I could post a pic of the final 🙂
This is our all time favorite cake, just delicious!
I made this for my dad’s birthday last night, and it was wonderful – so simple, yet so pleasing. Thank you!
love the contrasts here – the colours, the flavours. 🙂 thanks for sharing.
This looks superb! chocolate cake and cherries! Yum!
2 of my favorite things, chocolate and cherries. This is a winner!
In my childhood version this was the one time my mom would bust out the real whipped cream, but the cake was boxed, and the cherries were pie filling. I’ve been making cooks illustrated’s version for a while and we all love it. You can never go wrong with chocolate and cherry!
Such a gorgeous cake, I love black forest anything!
Mmm this reminds me of the Black Forest Cherry Cake my great-grandmother used to make for holidays… only hers was perfectly decorated and fussed over and therefore not within my comfort zone. 🙂 This cake, however, is something I’d totally try! Yum!
Works for me! I’m down with a no fuss cherry chocolate cake 🙂
Ah! Cherries!! I can’t wait for them to hit the market here!! Hmmm.. tossed together or not, that’s a cake I want a slice of!
This looks like just the thing to make on a snowy/rainy day in May! I like rustic – I am ALWAYS too lazy to bring out the piping bag and tips. Thanks for giving me a term for the way I bake.
P.S. You look so young for having grown up in the 1070s. 🙂 (I know that was a typo…I’m just saying it in good fun.)
Gorgeous! And sounds SO delicious. I have yet to make a “Black Forest Cake” probably because I conjure up the same images, but this looks truly decadent and delicious. You do create such beautiful cakes with tips and piping bags, but I always love “rustic”…
Wow, this looks absolutely amazing! I need one now!! 🙂
Awesome…Its my fav cake flavor and actually In India, Black Forest Cakes are the most commonly known foreign cakes and a must at every birthday or event!
I am a big fan of black forest cake and a small bakery here sells it – I can easily eat 2-3 slices. your rustic no fuss version looks delicious! I am too afraid to get my hands on fancy cakes