Description
This Perfect Chocolatey Black Forest Cake combines fluffy chocolate genoise layers with sweet cherries soaked in syrup, rich Chantilly whipped cream, and smooth chocolate ganache for a classic dessert that's sure to impress.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Genoise Cake
- 8 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130 g)
- ½ cup cocoa powder (50 g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
Cherries and Syrup
- 2 14 oz cans or jars of pitted cherries in syrup
- Handful of cherries reserved for decoration
Chantilly Whipped Cream
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled (720 g)
- ¼ cup sugar (50 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Ganache
- 240 g semi sweet chocolate (or mix of dark and milk chocolate)
- 1 cup heavy cream (240 g)
Instructions
- Prepare Cake Batter: Preheat the oven to 350F (conventional, no fan). Line four 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper at the bottom without adding oil or butter.
- Whisk Eggs and Sugar: Add eggs and sugar to the stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high for 5-7 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, fluffy, and has nearly tripled in volume.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Fold Dry into Wet: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture using a rubber spatula with slow, careful motions to preserve airiness. Stop as soon as no streaks remain.
- Divide and Bake: Evenly divide batter among prepared pans and spread. Bake for 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Avoid overbaking.
- Cool Cakes: Let cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then remove to cool completely while preparing other components.
- Prepare Cherries and Syrup: Drain cherries reserving all juice in a saucepan. Reserve a handful of perfect cherries for decoration and chop the rest. Slightly reduce the cherry juice by cooking 3-5 minutes, then let cool fully.
- Make Chantilly Whipped Cream: In a bowl, whisk cold heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium-high until medium peaks form—cream holds shape but is not stiff.
- Prepare Ganache: Combine chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth and fully melted. Let cool 10-15 minutes to thicken.
- Assemble Cake: Place one cake layer upside down on a serving stand. Brush generously with cherry syrup. Spread a thick layer of whipped cream, scatter one-third of chopped cherries into it, and drizzle 2-3 tbsp ganache. Repeat for next two layers.
- Final Layer and Frosting: Place last cake layer right side up, brush with syrup, and frost the entire cake with remaining whipped cream. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Decorate with Ganache Drip: Warm remaining ganache until runny but not hot. Pour over cake, spreading with an offset spatula to create drips.
- Optional Decoration: Pipe whipped cream dollops around the edge using a star tip. Top each dollop with a reserved cherry and sprinkle with grated chocolate.
- Serve: Let the cake set slightly then slice and enjoy your classic chocolatey Black Forest cake.
Notes
- If using fresh cherries, pit 2 cups and cook with 4 tbsp water and 4 tbsp sugar on medium-low for 10 minutes to make syrup; reserve syrup for soaking and chop cherries for filling.
- Genoise cakes can dry out quickly; best served fresh or decorated up to 1 day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10th cake)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 17 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg
