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
- Total Time: 6 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 8-inch cake 1x
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!
Ingredients
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
Dark chocolate shavings/curls**
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- 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.
- 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.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and place onto middle rack of oven.
- 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.)
- Let cool completely before putting the cake together.
Putting Cake Together:
- 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.
- 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.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutess
I think because there aren’t eggs, it doesn’t leaven very well. I used the cake pans I always use, which are smaller around. Maybe 7-8 inches? I think it needs a larger round pan so it’s not as thick. I had to cook for almost 40 minutes and even then the cake sunk some. I also wonder if it’s where we are? I’m in NH. Humidity and altitude may make a difference??
I saw the reviews, made it anyways and now I’m making a cake mix… ugh.
Cake recipe is superb
★★★★★
Very informative
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Making this at my daughters request. I bought all new flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder…tested and pre-heated oven to 350…cake mix was VERY thin for cake batter…after 25 mins…soup with a skin on it! This is an expensive lesson and will have a disappointed 18th birthday tomorrow
Hi Shelley, I’m sorry your cakes didn’t turn out. The cake batter isn’t usually super thin though, so is it possible that either a full two cups of flour wasn’t used or slightly more than 2 cups of liquid was used? Also, the cake may need more than 25 mins, depending on your pans and over temperature. Did you happen to give it more time? This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe that I make often and I’ve never had the problem of them not baking fully. The flour to liquid ratio is also very similar to other popular vegan chocolate cake recipes out there on the internet, so I’m not quite sure what could have gone wrong. Again, I’m really sorry your daughter’s birthday cake didn’t turn out as expected.
Perfect texture and flavor! Made it for a dinner party and everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi Winni, I’m so happy you and your friends enjoyed this cake! It’s one of my family’s faves as well. I so appreciate you taking the time to stop back by and leave a review too! Have a wonderful week! 🙂
I followed the recipe as it is without missing any ingredient or step but my cakes didn’t bake well even after 40 minutes! When I finally did manage to get the cakes baked, it tastes super oily and sunk
Hi Deane, I’m sorry your cakes didn’t turn out right. Can I ask what flour you used? This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe so I’ve made it many times without any issues. It definitely should have been done at 40 minutes. I’d love to help you troubleshoot the problem if you can provide me with more details.
I used plain ap flour☹️
I’m sorry Deane. I’m not sure what went wrong. It could be the calibration of your oven, unless you bake regularly and other baked treats turn out. It could also be that you accidentally mis-measured an ingredient. I do it often and I bake A LOT! If you look at other popular vegan chocolate cake recipes on the internet, the ratios of liquid and oil to flour are very similar, so it can’t be the measurements.
If you don’t have an oven thermometer already, it’s really a great investment because oven temperatures can begin to vary over time, so when you set it to 350F, it could actually be much cooler or hotter causing your baked good not to cook properly.
Whatever the reason was, I’m really sorry your cake didn’t turn out for you. I know it’s frustrating when ingredients get wasted.
How long will this keep, once put together? I will definitely be making this beautiful cake! Thankyou
★★★★★
Hi Pam! This cake should keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator (if it lasts that long! ) Hope you enjoy it! Let me know if you have any other questions that I can help with! 🙂