Homemade Black Forest Cake with Brandied Cherries

This homemade black forest cake takes chocolate cherry cakes to a whole new level! Pairing three layers of dark chocolate cake, a boozy cherry compote filling, velvety vanilla buttercream and a rich chocolate ganache drip, this cake strikes the perfect balance between rich and sweet.

Cherry season is officially here and I can think of no better way to celebrate than with a decadently chocolate cake filled with brandied cherries.

Are you in or are you in??

Here's how to make this cake

First, make the chocolate cake.

In a small bowl, combine the boiling water and chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whip the eggs and sugar until light and frothy (about 2 minutes). It’s important to give the egg/sugar mixture the benefit of a full whipping here as this is part of what will help your cake rise and give it that fluffy texture.

Add the vegetable oil and continue whipping (on low) until just combined.

Add the milk and the water/chocolate mixture and, again, whip on low until just combined.

Gently stir in the baking cocoa, flour, baking soda and baking powder until the batter is lump free.

Divide the batter evenly between three greased and parchment paper lined 6" round cake pans. I like to weigh my layers to make sure the batter is distributed as evenly as possible. For this recipe, you'll want just about 15oz per layer.

Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out mostly clean.

Once the pans are cool enough to handle, turn the cakes out onto plastic wrap, cover and refrigerate until cool and firm. Chilled cakes are easier to cut, handle and frost.

Second, make the cherry compote.

Pit and halve your cherries. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the pitted cherries, sugar and brandy.

A note on brandy substitutions: If you're not a fan of brandy you can substitute an alcohol of your choosing at a 1:1 ratio. Want to make it alcohol free? Simply use orange juice in its place.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook the compote for about 10 minutes or until the juice is thick and syrupy.

Remove the compote from the heat and allow to cool until at least room temperature before using.

Third, make the frosting.

In a small saucepan, stir together the water and sugar. Over medium-high heat, cook the syrup until it boils and becomes completely clear.

While the syrup boils, whip the egg whites in a stand mixer until stiff. If the eggs stiffen before the syrup is ready, simply reduce the speed of the mixer to low and continue gently whipping.

With the mixer on high, slowly pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl and into the egg whites. It's important to have the mixer on high so keep the egg whites move so they don't get chunky while they cook. Whip the meringue until it cools to room temperature.

Turn the mixer down to low and add the butter in ½" cubes along with the vanilla extract. Slowly increase the speed until you reach high, and then whip until a smooth frosting forms.

A note about meringue buttercreams: It's not uncommon for these kinds of frostings to look curdle during the whipping process and it simply means they require more whipping.

Fourth, make the ganache.
In a small saucepan or the microwave, heat the heavy whipping cream until hot (but not boiling). Pour it over the chocolate and allow it to sit for a few minutes.

Using a whisk or a silicone spatula, stir the ganache smooth. If you're having a hard time getting it smooth, it may need just a little more heat. I like to microwave mine using 10 second increments when this happens.

Allow the ganache to sit for 10-20 minutes, or until it cools to just above room temperature.

Finally, assemble your cake.

If necessary, level the tops of your layers of cake using a large serrated knife.

Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top of the first layer of cake (just enough to lock in the crumbs and seal the cake from the softening effects of the compote) and pipe a ring of frosting around the edge.

Spoon half of the compote into the center of the cake. Top with the second layer of cake and repeat.

Once all of the layers are stacked, spread a thin layer of frosting around the sides and over the top of the cake.

If you're new to frosting and assembling cakes and would like a more detailed walk-through, I highly recommend checking out my post on how to frost a cake.

Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it to the edge and over the side. If you'd like to add more drips or place them in specific spots, you can pour the remaining ganache into a piping bag and add additional drips where you'd like.

Using the remaining frosting, pipe swirls onto the top of the cake and garnish with cherries.

Expert tips

• Getting even cake layers: I've found the best way to get even layers of cake is to weigh your batter when dividing it. For this recipe, you'll need about 15oz of batter per 6" round cake pan.
• Working ahead: The cake layers can be made, wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months. They can even be frosted frozen, but you won’t want to level or divide them while frozen.
• Chill your cake: A cool cake is easier to cut and handle, so chilling your cake for a short while before frosting it will help make the cake decorating process easier.
• Fixing a “broken” meringue-based buttercream: Sometimes you’ll find that your buttercream looks “broken” or curdled. There are usually two culprits: Either it hasn’t been beaten long enough or the frosting is too warm (either from the butter being too warm or being added to the meringue too early). If continue to beat it doesn’t work, try putting it in the refrigerate for 30 minutes to cool, then continue beating.
• Air bubble-free frosting: If your frosting has a lot of air bubbles in it, beat it on the lowest speed for 3-5 minutes to work them out.
• Storage: This cake will keep in the refrigerator, uncut, for 2-3 days.
• Storing a cut cake: Once your cake is cut, you’ll want to protect the exposed part. The easiest way to do this is to place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the exposed cake.
• Serving cake: Temperature affects food and cold foods tend taste less sweet and flavorful. I recommend serving this cake at room temperature.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

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If you liked this recipe, you might also like...

• Fudge sundae cake
• Small batch blackberry cherry jam
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Update Notes: This post was originally published in July of 2014 but was republished with an updated format and tips in June of 2022.

Oh hey! You made it to the bottom of the post. Wow, congratulations on completing that cake journey.

And speaking of which, I've had quite the cake journey myself. You see, I started baking cakes and taking photos for this blog back in 2012 and while I think it's important to update my blog with better versions of my favorite recipes, I hate getting rid of how far I've come over the years.

Not because I don't want to burn the old photos with fire (because really, I'd like nothing better) but because it's so easy to compare the beginning of your journey to the middle of someone else's. I know I sure did when I was starting out.

So in that spirit, please the circa 2014 version of this cake.

Yes that's a wrapping paper background. No, I don't know what I was thinking.