Simple Black Forest Cake

This simple black forest cake has layers of rich chocolate cake topped with a delicious cherry sauce and whipped cream. It’s a yummy combo and a great way to use up the abundance of cherries during cherry season! Gluten-free, refined sugar free, and vegan options included!

Chocolate and cherries are so delicious together, don’t you think? It reminds me of these chocolate covered cherries my late grandmother used to love. She’d ask for them each Christmas.

Although I’ve never been a fan of those sickeningly sweet chocolates, I love pairing fresh cherries with dark chocolate!

This cake is just that, dark chocolate cake layered with fresh cherry sauce and whipped cream. So yummy!

• Chocolate Cake—this chocolate cake has dark cocoa powder to give it that rich flavor. I even use coffee to enhance it further. It can easily be made refined sugar free using coconut sugar and it’s naturally egg free and dairy free.
• Cherry Sauce—I top each layer with this homemade cherry sauce, but if you’re in a pinch, canned cherries/cherry pie filling can be used, as can fresh pitted cherries mixed with a little maple syrup or sugar!
• Whipped Cream—any whipped cream can be used, whether it’s vegan coco whip or homemade whipped cream!

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we did! Let me know if you give it a try!

You may also enjoy these similar recipes:

• These cherry chocolate chip bars are made with wholesome ingredients and are vegan friendly, as well as refined sugar free and gluten free. Perfect and simple dessert to make and share all summer long! 
• These vegan friendly cherry chocolate chip pancakes are full of juicy cherries and pockets of melty chocolate. They’re made even more delicious with a simple maple sweetened cherry sauce! Refined sugar free with gluten-free option.
• This chocolate-raspberry layer cake is delicious and vegan friendly! It has a generous layer of a raspberry chia filling and a fluffy chocolate frosting!

Simple Black Forest Cake

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Joscelyn | Wife Mama Foodie
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutess
• Total Time: 6 hours 55 minutes
• Yield: 8-inch cake 1x

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Description

Rich chocolate cake is topped with a delicious cherry sauce and whipped cream. It’s a yummy combo and a great way to use up the abundance of cherries during cherry season! Gluten-free, refined sugar free, and vegan options included!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Chocolate Cake:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose or gluten-free all purpose flour, I used King Arthur Flour, Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour

2 cups (276g) coconut sugar or granulated sugar

⅔ cup (65g) cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup almond milk or other milk of choice

1 cup brewed coffee/espresso or additional milk

½ cup oil of choice

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups whipped cream* (regular or dairy-free) or 12 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed

Homemade cherry sauce

Dark chocolate shavings/curls**

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Instructions

Chocolate Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease two 8″ or 9″ round cake pans and line with a circle of parchment paper cut to size. Grease parchment.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in milk, coffee, oil, and vanilla, beating just until batter is smooth.
3. Pour batter into prepared pans and place onto middle rack of oven.
4. Bake 20–25 minutes or just until center is set and a toothpick inserted near center comes out mostly clean (time will depend on your pan and oven.)
5. Let cool completely before putting the cake together.

Putting Cake Together:

1. Place a cooled cake layer onto a serving plate. Top with a generous amount of cherry sauce (about half) then about 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups whipped cream. Repeat with second cake layer, topping again with remaining cherry sauce and whipped cream.
2. Garnish with fresh cherries and chocolate shavings. Keep cake refrigerated until ready to serve. Makes 10–12 servings.

Notes

*Regular Whipped Cream: beat 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) along with 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until fluffy. Will take several minutes. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Coconut Whipped Cream: Chill two cans of coconut cream or full fat coconut milk overnight in the fridge. Scoop the firm white cream into a mixing bowl and discard the water. Beat the coconut cream with 2–3 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until fluffy. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

**Chocolate curls: I used a vegetable peeler and shaved some chocolate off the side of a chocolate bar. Warm the side of chocolate with your hand (over the wrapper) to help it curl easier.