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Black Forest Cake

5 from 1 vote
This particular black forest cake is essentially a chocolate cake with a cherry compote in between its layers, and a cherry syrup brushed over the cake itself.
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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 5 people
Course: Dessert
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 1 cup flour
  • ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • ⅔ cup buttermilk
  • ⅔ cup boiling water
For the Cherry Compote/Syrup
  • 1 ½ cup pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 orange
  • 1 tsp cherry liqueur (optional)
For the Frosting
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar

Method
 

For the Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Using the paddle attachment (or a spatula if mixing by hand), lightly mix the dry ingredients together.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and oil until combined.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix together using the paddle attachment (or a spatula if mixing by hand).
  5. Add in the boiling water and mix until combined.
  6. Grease two 6" cake pans and fill each with batter. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean — keep your eye on the cakes throughout the baking process, as baking times may vary.
  7. When the cakes come out of the oven, allow them to cool and then level them if necessary, using either a long knife or a cake leveler. Brush the cakes with cherry compote/syrup (see recipe for the compote/syrup below).
For the Cherry Compote/Syrup
  1. Zest and juice the orange.
  2. Over Medium heat, mix together the cherries, orange juice, and orange zest (and cherry liqueur, if using). Cook until the cherries have broken down and are soft. Avoid cooking until the juice evaporates — there should still be ample liquid for soaking the cakes later.
  3. Let the compote cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes, and then cool for another hour or so in the fridge, or until chilled.
For the Frosting
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer if doing by hand), whip the heavy cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form.
Putting It All Together
  1. Place one layer of the chocolate cake on a 6" cake round. Pipe a ring of cream around the circumference of the cake and then frost over.
  2. Pour the cherry compote onto the layer of cream, then stack the second layer of cake on top.
  3. Frost the rest of the cake using a turntable and icing spatula.
  4. Decorate as you see fit — you can pour any remaining cherry compote on top of the cake and let it dribble over, or use a flower tip to pipe around the edges.