This Black Forest Sheet Cake has all the beloved flavors of traditional Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte - tart & fruity cherries, rich chocolate cake, and a smooth vanilla frosting. The only difference is that this version is much easier & faster to make, since there's no need to stack cake layers!
Black Forest Cake is as synonymous to German baking as pretzels and brotchen. Traditionally, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte or “Black Forest Kirsch Cake” is made from a chocolate sponge cake that’s soaked with cherry brandy called kirsch.
Then the cake is layered with whipped cream and sour cherries. Grated bittersweet chocolate and extra cherries are the most popular decoration on this impressive cake.
While this traditional German torte is impressive, sometimes making an fancy layer cake can be daunting. When you want all the delicious flavors of a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte but without all the fuss, then you can make this Black Forest Sheet Cake!
This is a great cake to bring to parties for birthdays, holidays, or gatherings with loved ones. And once they taste your Black Forest sheet cake, they’ll know you love them. 😉
For more delicious Black Forest-inspired desserts, try Black Forest cupcakes, Black Forest Bundt cake, a traditional four-layer Black Forest cake, and Black Forest brownies!
Since I don’t consume alcohol, even in baked goods, I replace the kirsch with syrup from canned whole cherries. The chocolate cake soaks up the cherry flavor and it makes the cake extra moist and delicious.
The cherries in traditional Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte are also often soaked in kirsch. But I find that canned cherries in syrup provide a delicious flavor and moist texture to the cake, without any booze.
Traditional Black Forest cake includes whipped cream, and is allowed to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours. However, I find that whipped cream on a sheet cake can tend to slide around or melt if it’s left out at a party for a while. That's why I prefer using less traditional but more stable vanilla buttercream as the frosting.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- Milk - Both dairy and non-dairy milk work to make homemade buttermilk, which makes the cake super delicate.
- Lemon juice - You can substitute white vinegar to make the homemade buttermilk.
- All purpose flour - Creates the base structure for this light yet rich cake.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - Adds a super rich, chocolate flavor and turns the cake black.
- Salt - I recommend using non-iodized table salt or fine sea salt since those are ideal for distributing within cake batter and enhancing all the other flavors.
- Baking soda and baking powder - Leaven the cake so it rises in the oven.
- Eggs - Provide essential structure to the cake and also helps it rise in the oven.
- Vanilla extract - Enhances the flavors of all the other ingredients.
- Vegetable oil - Creates a super moist cake that stays soft even after it's been refrigerated.
Cherry Filling
- Canned dark cherries in syrup - Canned or jarred sour cherries or dark cherries in syrup add the perfect fruity cherry flavor that's quintessential to Black Forest Cake.
- Cornstarch - Thickens the cherry juice so it doesn't all immediately soak into the cake, making the cake fall apart.
Vanilla Frosting
- Unsalted butter - Allow two sticks of butter to soften to room temperature so it's easy to beat into a fluffy texture.
- Powdered sugar - Sweetens the frosting while keeping the texture light and smooth. Other types of sugar like granulated sugar will make the frosting too grainy.
- Salt - Just a little bit of salt balances the sweetness in the frosting and enhances the vanilla flavor.
- Milk - A small amount of milk helps to loosen the frosting so it's easier to spread on the cake.
- Vanilla extract - Adds the vanilla flavor; you could substitute other extracts for a variation on the flavor, like almond extract.
How to Make a Black Forest Sheet Cake
1. Pour the milk and lemon juice in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature to curdle to become homemade buttermilk.
3. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil and your homemade buttermilk.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
7. Brush 2 tablespoons of the syrup from the canned cherries onto the warm cake. Set the cake on a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. In a medium saucepan on high heat, boil the canned cherries and any remaining syrup. Add the cornstarch-thickened syrup and boil for 1 minute.
11. Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and milk. Continue to beat until it is fluffy.
13. Gently spread out the vanilla frosting in an even layer.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix it until there is no dry mixture visible.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
8. Combine 2 tablespoons of the syrup from the canned cherries and the cornstarch in a small bowl.
10. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until it is fluffy and smooth, after about 3 to 5 minutes.
12. Either leave the cake in the baking dish, or carefully remove it with the parchment paper. Spread the cooled cherry filling on top.
14. Top with grated chocolate and fresh or reserved canned cherries. Slice squares of the cake and enjoy!!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- If you don’t have a pastry brush to brush the cherry syrup on the cake, you can use a spoon drizzle the syrup onto the cake with a smooth as lightly as possible. Try to evenly coat the whole cake.
- When grating chocolate, the chocolate can tend to melt really quickly, because the grated pieces are so small. I recommend storing your chocolate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before you grate it. Then use the large holes on a cheese grater or box grater to quickly grate the chocolate directly onto your frosted cake.
- If you want a more traditional Black Forest Sheet Cake, use whipped cream instead of vanilla frosting. Whisk 3 cups of heavy cream with ¼ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until it forms stiff peaks.
- If you plan to remove the cake from the baking pan once it’s cooled, I recommend lining your baking sheet with parchment paper. This will help you lift out the cake. I tried getting the cake out of a greased baking dish that wasn't lined with parchment paper and the cake totally fell apart... Or leave it in the baking pan as you decorate it, and just lift out slices as you serve it!
Storing
Fridge: Lightly wrap the cake in plastic cling wrap and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Filling: You can make the thickened cherry filling ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
Frosting: You can make the frosting ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow it to soften at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you spread it onto your cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use cherry pie filling instead of canned cherries?
Technically yes, but the flavor will be really different. Canned cherries have a more natural flavor, so they're slightly sweet and slightly tart, which goes great with the chocolate cake and frosting. Cherry pie filling is sweetened, so your cake will be a lot sweeter.
Why is it called "Black Forest Cake"?
Black Forest Cake (or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte as it's called in Germany) is named after the sour cherry brandy (called kirsch) that's traditionally used to soak both the cake and cherries. The kirsch is made from black cherries from the Black Forest in Germany.
How many people will a sheet cake feed?
A standard "sheet cake" is about 18-inches by 24-inches and makes between 16 to 24 servings. This cake is technically a "half sheet" cake since it's 9-inches by 13-inches, and will make 12 large pieces of cake.
More German Cake Recipes
Black Forest Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 scant cup milk (both dairy and non-dairy milk work)
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice (or substitute white vinegar)
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Cherry Filling
- 14 ounces dark cherries in syrup (one can; also called sour cherries)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Vanilla Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoon milk (both dairy and non-dairy milk work)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings
- reserved canned or fresh cherries
- semisweet chocolate bar (grated with a cheese grater)
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper so the paper reaches over all four sides by a few inches.
- Pour the scant cup milk and two teaspoons of white vinegar in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature to curdle & become homemade buttermilk.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl, whisk together the two eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil and your homemade or store-bought buttermilk.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix it with a whisk or spatula until there is no dry mixture visible.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
Make the Cherry Filling
- Open the can of cherries and pour 2 tablespoons of the syrup from the can into a bowl. Drizzle or brush the 2 tablespoons of syrup onto the top of the warm cake once it comes out of the oven. Allow the cake to cool completely (for at least 1 hour). The cake will soak in the syrup as it cools.
- While the cake cools, prepare the cherry filling. Pour 2 tablespoons of the syrup from the can into a small bowl. Add the cornstarch and whisk with a fork until there are no clumps. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan on high heat, add the canned cherries and any remaining syrup in the can. Note that if you want to add a few cherries on top of the cake for decoration, set those aside in the fridge now, until the cake is ready to be decorated.
- Bring the cherries and syrup to a boil, then add the syrup and cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring the mixture as it boils for one minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and side aside to cool and continue to thicken.
Prepare the Vanilla Frosting
- While the filling and cake continue to cool, prepare the frosting. In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter until it is fluffy and smooth, after about 3 minutes.Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and milk to the butter and continue to beat until it is all combined and fluffy, after 3 to 5 minutes.
Assemble the Sheet Cake
- To assemble the cake, first remove the cooled cake from the baking pan by lifting it out with the parchment paper.
- Spread the cooled, thickened cherry filling on top of the cake in an even layer.
- Dollop the vanilla frosting onto the cherry layer, then use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to spread out the frosting in an even layer.
- Top with grated chocolate and fresh or extra canned cherries. Slice squares of the cake and enjoy!!
Notes
- When grating chocolate, the chocolate can tend to melt really quickly, because the grated pieces are so small. I recommend storing your chocolate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before you grate it. Then use the large holes on a cheese grater or box grater to quickly grate the chocolate directly onto your frosted cake.
- If you want a more traditional Black Forest Sheet Cake, use whipped cream instead of vanilla frosting. Whisk 3 cups of heavy cream with ¼ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until it forms stiff peaks.
- If you plan to remove the cake from the baking pan once it’s cooled, I recommend lining your baking sheet with parchment paper. This will help you lift out the cake. Or leave it in the baking pan as you decorate it, and just lift out slices as you serve it!
Vicente Avalos
Hi,
Am I just not seeing the proportion of sugar in the cake recipe?
Can you please provide?
I am thinking of showing this as a food demo at a 55+ community
Carissa Erzen
Hi Vicente, good catch! Thank you so much for letting me know! I just added the necessary sugar quantity for this cake, which is 1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar. Please let me know how your food demo goes, that sounds so fun!
Lina
Cool variation, will try this
Carissa Erzen
Thanks! Please let me know when you get a chance to make it! 😀
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