This chocolate cherry cake or Black Forest Cake is made from scratch with gluten-free or wheat flour, cherry pie filling, and homemade chocolate frosting, so it is moist, rich, and delicious.
Even with the mess and inconvenience, I love baking with my kids.
By that, I mean that I make excuses to bake with my kids. I beg them to come into the kitchen and cook with me.
Allie still goes for my tricks; she likes to bake with me, too. She likes to stick her fingers in the batter and lick them off and stick them back in again, and she likes that I pretend not to notice. (We're just feeding the family here. I guess I wouldn't let her stick them back in the batter if we were feeding other people. But maybe I would, and that's why nobody comes over.)
Grace has aged out of the baking fun and would prefer to read or watch Ruff Ruffman on the iPad.
But Allie still appeases me, and we have great fun baking together.
Like we did this weekend as we made this amazing chocolate cherry cake. Allie was naked, freshly out of the bathtub, and she whisked and measured and I just stood alongside her and took pictures, trying to preserve her modesty as much as possible.
Anyway, this recipe is so easy that a 4-year-old can make it. You will have this put together in less than ten minutes, and you can spend the rest of your evening looking at poorly drawn cartoons on Facebook or reading through my recipe archives because your cake will be finished.
Why this is the best chocolate cherry cake recipe
This recipe works with gluten-free flour or all purpose flour, so it is easy to adjust to your diet needs and preferences.
This Black Forest cake is so moist and rich that you'll only be able to eat a small piece.
The cherry filling provides a burst of sweetness that pairs well with the taste of the chocolate cake.
Don't let the long list of ingredients fool you. The hardest part of this cake is measuring everything. Once you've got that done, the batter comes together in two steps, and then you bake!
I recommend making the cake from scratch because it is relatively easy and comes out tasting so divine. However, if you really need to shortcut the process, you could use a chocolate cake mix or even a devil's food cake mix for the cake layers.
What you'll need to make the best chocolate cherry cake
EQUIPMENT
- Cooking spray - This cake is exceptionally moist, so you will need a lot of cooking spray or shortening to grease the pans very well. If you don't, the cake will stick.
- Parchment paper - I like to put a circle of parchment paper into the bottom of each of my cake pans, to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
- 9-inch cake pan - You'll need 2 or even 3 cake pans to make the layers of the cake. This recipe makes a lot of batter.
- Electric mixer - This isn't 100% necessary but will make the homemade chocolate frosting come together much more easily than a whisk.
INGREDIENTS
See printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
- White sugar
- Gluten-Free Baking Mix or all-purpose flour - I have made this cake with Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking Mix, and I have also made it with all-purpose wheat flour. It is wonderful both ways. The gluten-free baking mix makes it a little more dense and moist, but you can't go wrong either way.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - This is used in both the cake batter and the homemade chocolate frosting. Cocoa powder is where your rich chocolate flavor comes from. I use plain old Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder because I am not a cocoa powder snob. I have seen recipes that say you have to use dutch pressed cocoa powder or some fancy or expensive brand. You don't. This cake is delicious with the cheap stuff.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Large eggs
- Whole milk - Low fat or non-dairy milk will work well too. This is used in both the cake batter and the homemade frosting.
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract - This is used in both the cake batter and the frosting.
- Almond extract - This is also used in both the cake batter and the frosting.
- Hot water
- Melted unsalted butter
- Sifted powdered sugar
- Can of cherry pie filling
How to make a chocolate cherry (Black Forest) cake
For the chocolate cake:
- Prepare the pans. You will need to spray 2 or 3 9-inch round baking pans with cooking spray and then cut a circle of parchment equal to the bottom of each pan and then spray that with cooking spray. Otherwise, this cake is going to stick and make you sad.
- Prepare to make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a second, slightly smaller mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, almond extract, and water together.
- Make the batter. Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- The batter will be very thin and runny, but don't worry. It's supposed to be that way.
- Pour the batter into the pans. Distribute the batter between the cake pans.
- Bake 2 cakes for 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. If you're using 3 pans, check them after 20 or 25 minutes; they will cook more quickly than 2 pans.
- When the cakes are done, let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a wire cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper. Do not frost the cakes until they have cooled completely to room temperature.
For the homemade chocolate frosting:
- Prepare the powdered sugar. Sift the powdered sugar. This is necessary so that it's light and fluffy and not compacted at all.
- Make the frosting. Pour the melted butter into the cocoa powder and whisk until well blended.
- Add a scoop of the sifted sugar and whisk. Then add some milk and whisk. Alternate adding sugar and milk while mixing until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. You might want to use your mixer for this as it can take awhile. If your frosting seems too thick to be spread, add a little extra milk. If it seems too runny, add extra powdered sugar.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract.
To assemble the finished cake:
- Stack the layers. Place one of the cakes on a platter. Top with a generous layer of cherry pie filling.
- Add a second cake layer and more cherry pie filling.
- Top with the third cake layer. Always end with a plain cake layer; don't put cherries on top of the stack.
- Frost the cake with your homemade chocolate frosting.
How to keep a gluten-free cake from sticking to the pan
The first time I made this cake, I learned the hard way that the gluten-free version is super moist and sticky. It makes for a superlative eating experience, but if you don't prepare for it ahead of time, that rich, dense goodness is going to stick to the pan.
- Cut a round of parchment paper to fit each cake pan.
- Spray the pans thoroughly with cooking spray.
- Lay the parchment on top of the spray, then spray the parchment again.
It sounds like you're using a lot of oil, but it will prevent your cakes from sticking to the pans which is an absolute must in this recipe.
When the cakes come out of the oven, let them cool, then invert on a platter.
Peel the parchment off the top of the cake layer, and proceed with the instructions.
Simple, right?
If you're not into cherries but like a rich chocolate cake with homemade chocolate frosting, check out triple chocolate cake.
If you are into cherries, don't miss my chocolate cherry cheesecake with chocolate ganache. It's amazing.
Recipe
Chocolate Cherry Cake
Equipment
- Cooking spray
- 9-inch cake pan 2 of these
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1¾ cups Gluten-Free Baking Mix or all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 1¼ cups milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cups hot water
For the frosting
- ½ cups butter melted but allowed to cool slightly
- ⅔ cups cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ⅓ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
For the filling
- 1 large can cherry pie filling
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray 2 or 3 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line cake pans with a circle of parchment paper and then spray again with cooking spray. (This recipe makes a lot.)
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a second, smaller bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, almond extract, and water together.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. The batter will be very thin and runny.
- Distribute the batter between the cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. (If using 3 pans, check them after 20 or 25 minutes. They will cook more quickly than 2 pans.)
For the frosting
- To prepare the frosting, pour the melted butter into the cocoa powder and whisk until well blended. Add a scoop of powdered sugar and whisk. Then add some milk and whisk. Alternate adding sugar and milk while mixing until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. You might want to use your electric mixer for this as it can take awhile. If your frosting seems too thick to be spread, add a little extra milk. If it seems too runny, add extra powdered sugar. Stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract.
To assemble the cake
- To assemble, place one of the cakes on a platter. Top with a generous layer of cherry pie filling. Add a second cake layer and more cherry pie filling. Top with the third cake layer and frost with the chocolate frosting.
N R says
This cake was a hit. I used cake flour and it worked wonderfully. Cake is not too sweet. Frosting is perfect!