Ann Reardon

Black Forrest Cake Recipe

black forrest cake recipe video

The advent calendar going up kicks off the official countdown to Christmas in our home. It’s a lovely hand-made calendar, stuffed with lollies and nativity figurines in the pockets, providing a great source of post-dinner joy for the kids. With each passing day it grows lighter as the little wooden stable nearby fills up with characters (all standing by for the arrival of baby Jesus) and my 4-year-old knows that Christmas is one step closer! December is such a busy time of year for everybody. We’ve just flown in to Melbourne today, all ready for a meet-and-greet at Myer department store in the city tomorrow where (spoiler alert) they will be unveiling a GIANT replica of one of my gingerbread houses! Amazing, how did this happen?! But the best bit of these sort of events is of course meeting and chatting with all the people. It’s actually a bit surreal meeting people face-to-face who I’ve been talking with in the comments on YouTube and here on my website. You’re all so beautiful and encouraging and I really can’t say a big enough thank you for all of your support.

 

For the black forrest cake recipe you will need

Rich Chocolate Cake Recipe (makes 3 x 8ā€ round)
300g (10.58 ounces) of 70% cocoa dark chocolate
475g (16.76 ounces) or 2Ā cups plus 2Ā Tbsp and 2 tsp margarine
12 eggs
3 1/4 cups plus 2 tsp or 729g (25.71 ounces) caster (super fine) sugar
300g (10.58 ounces) or 1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
45g (1.59 ounces) or 1/3 cup plus 2 tsp cocoa powder
2 1/4 tsp baking powder

black forrest cake recipe ann reardon

Place chocolate and margarine into a bowl.
Melt in the microwave (30seconds, stir, 30sec, stirā€¦).
Whisk the eggs and sugar together
Combine egg and chocolate mixtures
Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together and mix into cake mixture until well blended.
Pour into three 20cm (7.87 inches) round cake tins
Bake at 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit)

If the cake is looking done on top but is not yet cooked through put an empty baking tray on the shelf above it in the oven. Insert a knife into the centre to check if it is done, if it is ready it will come out clean.

Syrup
Ā½ cup or 125millilitres (4.23 fluid ounces) water
1/3 cup or 73g (2.57 ounces) sugar
3 Tbsp kirsch or cherry brandy (optional)

Cherry compote
1 can cherries, drain and reserve juice
2/3 cup or 167g (5.89 ounces) cherry juice from above
2 Tbsp kirsch (optional)
1 Tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
Heat juice and cornstarch until thickens. Mix in kirsch and cherries. Cool

Chocolate tree decorations
200g (7.05 ounces) Compound dark chocolate or tempered real chocolate
Pipe trees onto non-stick baking paper

black forrest cake recipe ann reardon

Cream
600millilitres (20.29 fluid ounces) cream
2 Tbsp (powdered) icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Whip cream with vanilla and a little icing sugar

Assemble cake using directions in the video.
rich black forrest cake recipe
by Ann Reardon Copyright 2015 How To Cook That

My Cookbook

ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

83 Comments View Comments

  1. Rating: 5

    My partner is German, and we use Weiss Kirschwasser (in the cream as well) and chocolate sponge cakes šŸ˜€ I can never get the chocolate shavings on the sides of the cake as well as his mum does, so I’m going to do these trees next time, I love them!

  2. Rating: 5

    Hey Ann…please tell…Is there a way to add brewed coffee to this cake recipe???

    • Hi Zeba, You could dissolve some instant coffee in a tablespoon of hot water and add it to the batter for flavour. Or add sugar to the brewed coffee (1/2 cup coffee to 1/2 cup sugar) and use it as a syrup on the cake after it is baked.

    • Yes, i add it in my syrup!

  3. Rating: 5

    I made this cake for a Christmas party this past weekend and impressed my friends with how the cake looked. Thank you, Anne for the idea of piping chocolate trees for the cake. The cake was also delicious.

  4. How about a ball park guide? “Bake it for half an hour, then check and every 10 mins thereafter.”? Something. ANYTHING but “well I’d rather not say.”

    • Thanks for your question. When I am making this recipe I check from about 20-25 minutes onwards but it will depend a lot on the type of baking dish/cake tin you use and how deeply you fill it. I also keep an eye on that delicious smell coming out of the oven. It is a good guide for me as to when you are getting close.

  5. Hey Ann, what is the weight of your 1 can of cherries?

    • Hi Hannah, exact can weights vary from country to country, but here in Australia a standar can of cherries varies from 415g-475g.

  6. Rating: 5

    Hi Ann love your YouTube channel. Until now I was just watching it but this weekend I decided to try your cake. It turned out amazing. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the inspiration!

    • Your cake looks fabulous Enci.

  7. Ann,
    Love your channel. I would like to make your Black Forrest cake but I don’t see any times on how long to cook the cake. could you give me a time on how long to cook the cake or at least a rough time frame.
    Thank you

    • Never mind I found it to be about 35 to 40 min.

  8. hi ann im nine and l live in Pakistan and am very inspired by your cooking when i grow up i want to be a famous chef and u have inspired me the most…

    • Hi Cherona, Thank you for your kind words. Ann definitely wishes you all the best as you follow your dreams!

  9. Rating: 5

    Hi Ann! I’m the one who commented on your latest YouTube video about an Instagram DM. šŸ™‚ I made this cake for my housemates over Christmas and it was VERY well received, including by someone who doesn’t usually even like chocolate! As you can see in the picture, my piping and icing skills definitely leave a lot to be desired (piping the trees was REALLY difficult and the chocolate hardened wayyy too quickly, hence the improvised crumbled chocolate on the top, haha), but my housemates were still super-impressed. The cake kept for a full week and still tasted as good on Day 7 as it did on Day 1, which I find rarely happens when I bake things, so that was great to see. šŸ™‚

    Thank you so, so much for this wonderful recipe and for your channel as a whole – it’s really inspired me and given me the confidence to try out more ambitious bakes. Lots of love and best wishes!

    • Great work Naz. So glad that you were pleased with your bake. Enjoy experimenting!

  10. Rating: 5

    Hi, Anne-
    I really love your posts. I am 9 years old and live in California. You and your recipes really inspire me! You even gave me the idea of making my Mom a surprise birthday cake. Thank you.

    Your friend,
    Vara

    • That is awesome to hear Vara!

  11. Rating: 4.5

    Hi! I just have one question. I only have chocolate compound. So if I melt that and pour it into a piping bag, and pipe out shapes on to a parchment paper and let it cool at room temperature. Will the shapes hold? I’m not a professional chef or anything and have never tempered chocolate before. I just wanted to bake this cake for a friends birthday.

    • Hi Poulomi, the shapes should hold depending on the quality of the compound chocolate but they wont be shiny or give that nice crack when you bite into them.

  12. what kind of cream do you use???

    • Hi Adina, types of cream vary from place to place. Ann uses pure cream which has a 35% fat content. Choose a type of cream available in your area that has a similar or higher fat content. Check out this page for more info:https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/cream-use/

  13. Does this cake cook for about an hour?

    • I would hate to open the oven, test it with a toothpick, not done, close the oven and have it fall. How long do you cook this in your oven? I am sure yours is not much different than mine, Thank you.

      • Hi Bobbi, Opening the oven to test it will not usually cause the cake to fail. Significant drops of temperature will do that, so it is better not to take it right out of the oven and let it sit on a bench for a length of time. to check it. You would be surprised at the difference in ovens. Even amongst our team there is a big difference in the actually oven temp versus what it is supposed to be, My oven runs hot for example and is hotter on the right than on the left.

  14. How long does this cake get baked for?

    • Hi Jean, this will depend on your oven. Ann prefers not to give a specific time as ovens vary greatly. Check to see if it is baked through using a skewer or knife.

      • Seriously? Who gives a recipe and includes exact measurements (down to the gram), temperature, pan size, etc. AND includes a video but does not at least give a baking range? Also, please note the video is different than the recipe. The mixing of ingredients is different: the video adds sugar in with the melted chocolate/butter and combines well, then adds in eggs once cooled. The written recipe says to combine sugar and eggs and then add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Also, the video says “butter” and the written directions say margarine. I did make the recipe and it is quite sweet. Not sure I like the “crusty” top, but I have to complete the entire recipe before giving it my final review.

  15. Rating: 5

    i dont have oven. what i can use to bake? ann help me plss. i want to bake for my cousin.

    • Isay, Sorry you need an oven to make this. Ask a friend if you can use theirs.

  16. Hi can i use butter in place of margarine

    • Hi Farheen, yes you can.

  17. Hello,i want half the recipe

  18. Rating: 5

    I like your baking you should enter a competition
    Later

  19. How long does this cake need to be in the oven?

  20. Rating: 5

    hey anne love this recipe i really cant wait to make it your awesome!!!!!!!!

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