Black Forest Cake
This Black Forest Cake recipe is built around (100 g) butter, and it comes together in about 3 hours from start to finish. Most of the time is hands-off while the oven does its thing, which makes it an easy one to fit around other dishes. Scroll down for the ingredients, the step-by-step method, and answers to the questions we get asked most about it.
- Cook 3h
- Total 3h
- Level Hard
Ingredients
- 4 oz (100 g) butter
- 8 oz (225 g) brown sugar
- 4 oz (100 g) plain chocolate
- 7 oz (200 g) self-raising flour
- ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ Pint sour cream
- 3 tbsp Strong cold black coffee
- 2 Eggs
- 1 pinch Salt
- 4 oz (100 g) cream flour
- 1 pinch Salt
- 2 oz (50 g) icing sugar
- 2 oz (50 g) Irish butter
- 1 Egg yolk
- A few drops of vanilla essence
- 1 Pint cream
- 1 Tin (1 lb) black cherries
- 4 tbsp Black cherry jam
- Brandy or cherry juice
- 4 oz (100 g) grated chocolate
Method
- Cream the butter and sugar together well.
- Melt the chocolate and beat into the creamed mixture, then beat in the eggs.
- Sift flour, salt and cinnamon together.
- Fold the dry mix lightly into the liquids, then fold in the sour cream and cold coffee.
- Pour the mixture into a lined and greased 9-inch round, deep cake tin, and bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes.
- Set to cool on a wire rack.
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and bind until the mixture stiffens.
- Roll the pastry onto a floured board worktable until pastry is about the same size as the base of the cake tin.
- Lay out on baking sheet and bake for 20–25 minutes at 350°F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Whip cream until it holds its shape.
- Put some whipped cream into pastry piping bag with a star tip attached, and reserve this for the decoration.
- Slice the cake horizontally into 3 equal-sized layers.
- Drain the cherries, reserve 8 for decoration and remove the stones from the remainder.
- Put pastry on serving plate and spread the pastry with black cherry jam.
- Soak the cakes with brandy or cherry juice.
- Put one layer of cake on top of coated pastry.
- Spread a layer of cream on the cake, and top with half the stoned cherries.
- Add the second layer of cake, then another layer of cream and cherries.
- Top with the final layer of the cake.
- Cover the entire cake with the remaining cream, and press on the grated chocolate.
- Decorate the top with piped rosettes of cream and the reserved whole black cherries.
Tips for the best Black Forest Cake
- Keep the simmer gentle. A hard boil toughens (100 g) butter and drives off the liquid too fast.
- Read the whole method before you start and measure out the 20 ingredients first — it keeps the pace relaxed once the heat is on.
- This is a 21-step recipe, so set up your workspace in the order the steps use it.
- Use a kitchen scale for the dry ingredients if you have one — baking is less forgiving than cooking.
Variations
- Spicier version: add a pinch of chilli flakes or a sliced fresh chilli with the aromatics.
- Swap the egg for silken tofu — keep the cooking time similar and check for doneness.
- Individual portions: divide into ramekins or a muffin tin and reduce the baking time by about a third.
Serving ideas
Serve slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoon of thick cream.
Storage
Keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days, or refrigerated for up to a week. Most versions freeze well for 2 months.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Black Forest Cake recipe hard to make?
It is rated hard: 20 ingredients and 21 steps. Follow the order and the tips above and it is very forgiving.
What can I substitute for (100 g) butter?
Any ingredient with a similar texture and cooking time works; see the variations below for ideas. Keep quantities the same and adjust seasoning at the end.
How long does Black Forest Cake take to make?
About 3 hours in total — roughly under an hour of preparation and 3 hours of cooking.
Can I make Black Forest Cake ahead of time?
Yes. It actually improves after a few hours, so make it earlier in the day and reheat gently before serving.
Adapted from Wikibooks Cookbook, CC BY-SA 4.0 — source
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