This super easy but impressive three-layered Black Forest Gateau is decorated with whipped cream, black cherry conserves and dark chocolate curls.
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- Black Forest Gateau – without fresh cherries…
- Ingredients you’ll need for the rich chocolate layer cakes
- Equipment needed
- Step-by-step instructions to make the chocolate layer cakes
- What you need to assemble this black forest gateau
- How to assemble this easy black forest cake
- How can I make this Black Forest Cake alcohol-free?
- Can I make this cake in advance?
- Coffee in a chocolate cake?
- Tips for making homemade chocolate curls to decorate a cake
- Black Forest Gateau Recipe
- Pin this Black Forest Gateau recipe for later!
- Other recipes you might like
Black Forest Gateau – without fresh cherries…
… because at the end of September, in Shetland, there’s not a single fresh cherry to be found. Anywhere.
That didn’t stop me from having a serious craving for Black Forest Gateau recently, though. Its layers of rich chocolate cake are drizzled with cherry brandy. These fluffy, booze-infused cake layers are sandwiched together with sweetened whipped cream and black cherry conserve (or cherry pie filling, if you prefer).
Don’t forget those curls of extra dark chocolate on top, either. This is an all-out indulgent cake recipe, but it’s super easy to make and uses simple store-canned ingredients. You won’t have to wait for cherries to be in their oh-so-short season again, nor for your butter to soften to room temperature, either!
Ingredients you’ll need for the rich chocolate layer cakes
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 100 grams dark muscovado sugar
- 100 grams unsalted butter – straight from the fridge!
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 160 grams plain flour
- 40 grams cocoa powder
- 75 ml soured milk (see recipe notes)
- 120 ml strong coffee
Jump to the full, printable recipe below.
Equipment needed
- hand mixer
- mixing bowl
- rubber spatula
- 3 x 15 cm cake tins
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- cooling rack
- small heatproof bowl
- small saucepan
- stone slab
- piping bag
- wooden skewer
Step-by-step instructions to make the chocolate layer cakes
- Cream together butter and sugars using your hand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.
- Sift over the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Add the coffee and soured milk. Mix well.
- Spoon into 3 x 15cm greased and lined cake tins.
- Bake in a preheated 190°C/170°C fan oven for 25-30 minutes, until the cakes begin to come away from the sides of the tins and they are springy to touch. Cool completely on a wire rack before assembling/decorating.
What you need to assemble this black forest gateau
- 3 x 15cm chocolate sponge cakes
- 3 tbsp cherry brandy (or the traditional German kirschwasser, a clear spirit made with sour cherries)
- 150 grams dark chocolate (you won’t need to use all this chocolate for the cake, but you need this much to make the curls)
- 450ml double cream
- 25 grams icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 125 grams black cherry conserve (or cherry pie filling)
- black cherries in syrup (or fresh cherries, or jarred cherries soaked in kirsch)
How to assemble this easy black forest cake
- Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water. Spread the chocolate in a thin layer on a chilled stone slab (or piece of baking paper) and pop it into the fridge to harden.
- Whip the double cream with the icing sugar and vanilla.
- Using a wooden skewer, poke holes in each cake. Drizzle over 1 tbsp of cherry brandy into each cake (or more, if desired).
- Pipe a circle of whipped cream around the outside edge of the cake, filling the centre with black cherry conserve or cherry pie filling. Decorate with more cherries, if desired.
- Repeat with the second cake layer, and finish the third layer of cake off with a layer of whipped cream, piping swirls around the edge.
- Decorate with dark chocolate curls, made by scraping a knife over the top of the hardened chocolate and more cherries.
How can I make this Black Forest Cake alcohol-free?
If you prefer an alcohol-free Black Forest Gateau, simply replace the cherry brandy with some cherry syrup from a tin of cherries in syrup or use unsweetened cherry juice.
Can I make this cake in advance?
Yes, you can make the cakes themselves up to three days in advance (I actually think they taste better the next day), but once the cake is assembled with the whipped cream, it’s best eaten on the day.
Coffee in a chocolate cake?
Absolutely! Coffee adds a wonderful rich depth of flavour to chocolate cakes without making the cake taste like coffee. Trust me, you’ll love it!
Tips for making homemade chocolate curls to decorate a cake
- melt your chocolate slowly in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally
- pour your melted chocolate onto a cold stone slab – marble works well
- pop into the fridge to harden
- drag a sharp, cold knife lengthwise along the top of the hardened chocolate, exerting just enough pressure to lift a layer of chocolate from the top. The chocolate will naturally curl as you drag the knife.
- don’t touch the chocolate curls with your fingers, as your body heat will melt them, transfer the curls to the top of the cake with the knife
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Black Forest Gateau Recipe
Ingredients
for the rich chocolate layer cakes
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 100 grams dark brown muscovado sugar
- 100 grams butter cold
- 1 large free-range egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 160 grams plain flour
- 40 grams cocoa powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 75 ml soured milk
- 120 ml strong coffee
to assemble
- 150 grams dark chocolate
- 450 ml double cream
- 25 grams icing sugar
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 grams black cherry conserve or cherry pie filling
- tinned cherries to decorate (or use fresh)
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Equipment
Instructions
To make the chocolate layer cakes
- Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C and grease and line 3 x 15 cm cake tins.
- Cream together butter and sugars using your hand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Sift over the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Add the coffee and soured milk. Mix well.
- Divide the batter evenly between your cake tins.
- Bake in the centre of your oven for 25-30 minutes, until the cakes begin to come away from the sides of the tins and they are springy to touch. Cool completely on a wire rack before assembling/decorating.
To assemble
- Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water.Pour the chocolate out in a thin layer on a chilled stone slab (or piece of baking paper) and pop into the fridge to harden.
- Whip the double cream with the icing sugar and vanilla.
- Using a wooden skewer, poke holes in each cake. Drizzle over 1 tbsp of cherry brandy into each cake (or more, if desired).
- Pipe a circle of whipped cream around the outside edge of the cake, filling the centre with black cherry conserve or cherry pie filling. Decorate with more cherries, if desired.
- Repeat with the second cake layer, and finish the third layer of cake off with a layer of whipped cream, piping swirls around the edge.
- Decorate with dark chocolate curls, made by scraping a knife over the top of the hardened chocolate. Garnish the whipped cream swirls with fresh or tinned cherries.
Notes
- To make soured milk: add 1/2 teaspoonful of white vinegar to 75ml of full fat milk.
- This cake is best eaten on the day that it is assembled, although the cakes themselves can be made up to three days in advance and kept in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Pin this Black Forest Gateau recipe for later!
Lamb Chilli con Carne
Oh my! This was my favourite dessert as a child I really want to go to the Black Forest one day and have Black Forest Gateaux like Michael Portillo did in his railway journey show. I think the next best thing is to make your gateaux here. It looks outstanding
My mummy loves black forest gateau! The boozier the better too! It’s always one of her favourite desserts but she’s never tried to make one yet… maybe now’s the time!
This looks absolutely epic, such a crowd pleaser. The method makes it sound like I could give this ago, so I know what I will be serving up next week. Thanks for sharing.
Black forest gateau is my all-time favourite, it has fallen out of love with the wider public in recent years but is slowly making a comeback. Yours looks absolutely amazing! I’ve printed the recipe and I’ll have to give it a try with my eldest daughter
Oh m gosh this looks absolutely amazing!! Black forest is one o my favourite cakes… ever! I will definitely give your recipe a try so thanks for sharing, the whisk definitely sounds like it made making this cake much easier and quicker too.
Wow, firstly you take stunning photos! I love Black Forest cake so I was drooling looking at the photos of it. My um’s been looking for a hand mixer so I will recommend the Breville Heatsoft Hand Mixer
WOW! My mouth is watering now. That looks incredible. That hand mixer certainly does look like it makes it a lot easier. Yum.
Just two weeks ago I was looking for the perfect Black Forest cake recipe to make for an event for one of my grandkids. I improvised, because I didn’t have time to do a full on recipe. But I used too much whipped cream and the top layer slid off in transit! Not that any of the Boy Scouts cared. But ever since, I’ve wanted to make it again. Well. And adult-friendly. This looks divine. I now need an excuse for cake!! xx
(ps: beautiful food photography!)