Classic Black Forest Cake with Cherries (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)
Very beautiful, very tasty, festive, and fluffy! Classic Black Forest cake with cherries isn’t an everyday bake. It’s bright, showy, and aromatic - perfect as a centerpiece for any table. Great for New Year’s, birthdays, or any special celebration.
Updated : 21 January, 2026
Easy
About 1 hour.
Ingredients
5
Eggs
170 grams
Sugar
100 grams
Wheat flour
50 grams
Starch
30 grams
Cocoa
30 grams
Butter
0.25 teaspoon
Baking soda
1 sluoksnis
750 grams
Heavy cream
170 grams
Powdered sugar
2 teaspoon
Cocoa
2 sluoksnis
400 grams
Sour Cherry
50 grams
Sugar
3 sluoksnis
100 grams
Chocolate
10
Sour Cherry
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
To make a classic cherry Black Forest cake, start with the chocolate sponge. Prepare everything you need. Sift the flour and cornstarch to aerate them. Use natural unsweetened cocoa; sift it too to remove lumps. Melt the butter and let it cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F.
Step 2
For the sponge, combine the eggs and sugar and place the bowl over a water bath. Stir constantly and heat to 43°C / 109°F (slightly warmer than body temperature). Warm eggs whip much better and more evenly.
Step 3
Remove the bowl from the heat and whip the eggs with sugar into a light, fluffy foam - about 10-15 minutes. The mixture should greatly increase in volume.
Step 4
Gently fold in the flour, cornstarch, cocoa, and baking soda by hand with a whisk, using bottom-to-top motions so the batter stays airy. Adjust by consistency (you may need a little more or less flour). The batter should be fluid, not thick.
Step 5
Add the melted butter little by little, folding it into the batter.
Step 6
Take an 18-20 cm (7-8 inch) springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment and clamp it with the ring. Do not grease the sides. Pour the batter into the pan and gently rotate the pan in one direction so the batter levels out and doesn’t dome. Bake at 180°C / 356°F for 45-60 minutes (exact time depends on your oven). Don’t open the oven for the first 25-30 minutes, or the sponge may collapse.
Step 7
Check doneness with a wooden skewer - if it comes out dry, the sponge is ready. The baked sponge should spring back slightly when pressed. Remove from the pan, cool, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight so it sets and slices more easily. Cut the rested sponge into 3 layers.
Step 8
For the cherry filling, take cherries and sugar.
Step 9
Bring the cherries and sugar to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Cool, then drain in a colander. Use the cherries for the cake, and soak the sponge layers with the remaining juice.
Step 10
For the cream, whip 33-35% heavy cream with powdered sugar until thick and stable. Reserve 1/3 of the cream for decoration. Fold cocoa into the remaining cream.
Step 11
Brush the soaked sponge layers with cream and add cherries as the filling.
Step 12
Assemble the cake.
Step 13
For decoration, grate chocolate or make chocolate shavings. To do this, warm the chocolate in the microwave for 5-7 seconds - shavings are easy to make with a vegetable peeler. You may need a few short warm-ups. The chocolate should not melt, but the peeler should glide smoothly.
Step 14
Lightly coat the sides with the reserved cream, then cover the sides with chocolate. Pipe cream rosettes on top, add cocktail cherries, and fill the center with chocolate curls. Refrigerate the finished cake for a few hours so it sets and soaks through.
Step 15
Enjoy your tea time!
Author note
Share the recipe
)