06/02/2026
🍒 The easiest, most amazing Black Forest Cake everrr! 🍫
Ok so… I keep seeing people ask for a good Black Forest Cake, and I finally wrote down exactly how I make mine! It looks super fancy and intimidating, but honestly, if you just take it step by step, it’s a breeze. It's so moist and the cherry-chocolate combo is just to die for. You guys have to try it!
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup strong black coffee (hot!)
For the filling & frosting:
1/2 cup cherry liqueur (Kirsch) - optional!
3 cups heavy whipping cream (make sure it's cold)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
A block of chocolate (for shavings)
Fresh cherries (if you want to make it look cute on top)
How I do it:
First, get your oven going at 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans really well. Use whatever pans you have, honestly, but 9-inch works perfect for me.
In a big bowl, just whisk together all your dry stuff for the cake: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Toss in the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix it up until it looks combined—don't overmix it though!
Now, carefully stir in the hot coffee. The batter is gonna look super watery and weird, but trust the process, it's supposed to look like that!
Split the batter evenly between your pans. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or just cook until done (totally depends on your oven, so poke it with a toothpick until it comes out clean). Let them cool completely before you even think about frosting them.
While those cool, make the frosting. Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until it holds nice, stiff peaks.
Assembly time! I like to slice my two cakes in half horizontally so I have four thin layers, but do it however you want. Drizzle the cake layers with the cherry liqueur (or just use a little cherry juice from the can if you aren't using the alcohol).
Put down a cake layer, spread a good amount of whipped cream, and spoon on some of that cherry pie filling. Repeat until you run out of layers.
Use the rest of the whipped cream to frost the outside of the cake.
Notes / swaps:
If you don’t have buttermilk, just put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup, fill the rest of the 1 cup with regular milk, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Works like a charm!
If you're making this for kids or just don't want the cherry liqueur, just swap it for the syrup/juice from the canned cherries.
Serve:
Take a veggie peeler to your block of chocolate and let the shavings fall all over the top and sides of the cake. Add a few fresh cherries on top if you have them. Serve and enjoy! So good!