This easy 9x13 Black Forest sheet cake has all the beloved flavors of traditional Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte - tart & fruity cherries, + rich chocolate cake. But this version is much faster to make, since there's no need to stack cake layers!
A Simplified Version of Traditional Black Forest Cake
Black Forest Cake is as synonymous to nostalgic 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, and topped with bittersweet chocolate and extra cherries. (I'm drooling already.)
And while this traditional German torte is an impressive show-stopper, sometimes making an fancy layer cake can be daunting. So for those times when you want all the delicious flavors of a Black Forest cake without all the fuss, you can easily whip up this Black Forest sheet cake! You can also make the presentation fancier by baking Black Forest cake in a Bundt pan. Or bake a mini single-serve version with my Black Forest cupcakes recipe!
Whipped Cream versus Buttercream
Now let's talking about the topping real quick. Traditional Black Forest cake is topped with whipped cream. And I'm not shy when it comes to piling homemade whipped cream sky-high on my Black Forest chocolate brownies or Black Forest cherry cheesecake. But after several recipe tests (and unfiltered feedback from my family), I found 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 spreading vanilla buttercream on top - it's less traditional but wayyy more stable.
If you do want a whipped cream topping instead of vanilla frosting, go for it! Just beat 3 cups of heavy cream with ¼ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until it forms stiff peaks. Then dollop the whipped cream on top of the cherry filling and gently spread in an even layer.
Classic Kirsch Cake, Without the Kirsch
Since I personally don’t consume alcohol, I replaced 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. Plus that's one less ingredient you need to buy!
Now, the cherries in traditional Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte are also often soaked in kirsch, but I find that canned cherries in syrup provide just as much of a delicious flavor.
Notes on Cake, Filling, and Frosting Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- Milk - We'll make a quick version of homemade buttermilk, which makes the cake super delicate.
- Lemon juice - You can substitute white vinegar, which won't add a vinegar-y taste to your cake.
- All purpose flour
- 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
- 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 it 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
- Milk - A small amount of milk helps to loosen the frosting so it's easier to spread on the cake.
- Vanilla extract
Let's Make a Black Forest Sheet Cake Together!
1. Combine the milk and lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes so it can curdle.
3. Whisk the eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil & curdled milk.
5. Pour the batter into a baking dish.
7. Brush 2 tablespoons of the syrup from the canned cherries onto the warm cake.
9. Boil the canned cherries and remaining syrup. Add the cornstarch-thickened syrup and boil for 1 minute.
11. Mix in the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and milk.
13. Gently spread the vanilla frosting on top in an even layer.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder & baking soda.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Whisk 2 tablespoons of cherry syrup with 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. Spread the cooled cherry filling on top of your cooled cake.
14. Top with grated chocolate and fresh or canned cherries.
Bakery-Worthy Finish: Grated Chocolate
Grating a chocolate bar to add beautiful chocolate shards on top can be a little tricky. The chocolate tends to melt quickly, since the grated pieces are so small. To avoid this, place your chocolate in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you grate it.
Then use the large holes on a box grater to add a dusting of small chocolate pieces on top. Or use a vegetable peeler to create delicate chocolate curls. And for all my baking besties, I created this short video showing how to create chocolate shavings over on my YouTube channel!
Cherry Pie Filling versus Canned Cherries
I don't recommend using cherry pie filling on your cake, because the flavor will be really different. Canned cherries have a more natural flavor, so they're slightly sweet + slightly tart, which goes great with the rich + fudgy chocolate cake. Cherry pie filling on the other hand will make your cake a lot sweeter - like sickly, tooth-aching sweet.
Storing Tips for Each Cake Component
Assembled Cake: Cover the cake in plastic cling wrap and store in the fridge for up to a few days.
Filling: You can make the thickened cherry filling ahead of time and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I found that it gets even thicker in the fridge as it chills.
Frosting: You can make the buttercream frosting ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just allow it to soften at room temperature for at least 30 minutes so it's a spreadable consistency.
More Easy One-Layer Cake Recipes!
Black Forest Sheet Cake from Scratch without Kirsch
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (or substitute white vinegar)
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon 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 or sour cherries in syrup (one can)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Vanilla Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk (at room temperature)
Toppings
- extra canned or fresh cherries
- semisweet chocolate bar (shaved with a box grater or vegetable peeler)
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. Set aside.
- Combine the milk and lemon juice in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature to curdle.
- 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 eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil and the milk + lemon juice mixture.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until there is no dry flour 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 on 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 medium-high heat, add the canned cherries and any remaining syrup in the can. Tip: 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 pour in the syrup + cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring the mixture constantly as it boils for one minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and side aside to cool and 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 mixer or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter until it is fluffy and smooth, after a few minutes.Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and milk to the butter and continue to beat it until it is well-combined and fluffy, after a few 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 silicone 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 and enjoy!!
Notes
- Chocolate Topping: When grating chocolate, you can use a box grater to create a chocolate dusting, or a vegetable peeler to create chocolate curls.
- Serving Tip: 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! 😀