The chocolate bark on the cake's side is much easier to make than you might think. I first learned the method from my friend Janette, who shared it in her Irish Chocolate Cake recipe. It’s a simple process: melt chocolate, spread it on parchment paper, chill it, and then unroll.
To speed things up, I put my chocolate in the freezer for 20 minutes instead of the fridge for 30 minutes, because I’m a bit impatient. And guess what? It worked out perfectly!
In fact, I thought my chocolate pieces might have been too thick and was about to re-melt them, but once I placed them on the cake, they looked just right.
**Assembling the Cake**
This Black Forest Cake is straightforward: a simple chocolate cake, whipped cream frosting, and fresh cherries are all you really need. To keep with tradition, I also made a cherry syrup using kirsch (cherry liqueur) to brush over the cake layers. You can skip the alcohol if you'd like to make it more kid-friendly or use a non-alcoholic cherry syrup instead.
The chocolate bark is a fun addition, but you can skip the fancy extras and keep it simple with just the whipped cream frosting.
**Ingredients**
*Chocolate Cake*:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup sifted Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
- 1 cup hot water or coffee
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
*Cherry Liqueur Syrup*:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup cherry liqueur
*Whipped Cream Frosting*:
- 3 cups cold whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
*Chocolate Bark*:
- 250g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
*Assembly*:
- 2 1/2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
- 1 bar dark chocolate (for shavings, optional)
**Instructions**
1. **Chocolate Cake**:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round pans, dust with cocoa powder, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Mix all dry ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients (add hot water slowly to avoid cooking the eggs).
Combine the wet and dry ingredients in the mixer and mix on medium for 2-3 minutes. The batter will be thin.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, then bake for about 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pans before turning the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
2. **Whipped Cream Frosting**:
Whip the cold cream and powdered sugar in a cold bowl until stiff peaks form.
3. **Chocolate Bark**:
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (20 seconds at a time). Spread the melted chocolate in a thin layer on parchment paper using a large offset spatula.
Roll the parchment from the short side, place it on a baking sheet, and refrigerate or freeze until firm. Once set, unroll the parchment to reveal the chocolate bark.
4. **Assembly**:
Slice each cake layer in half horizontally. Place one layer on a cake stand, brush with cherry syrup, and spread with about 1 cup of whipped cream.
Top with 1 cup of cherries, pressing them gently into the cream. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the entire cake with the whipped cream.
Decorate with chocolate bark, chocolate shavings, rosettes, and additional cherries, if desired.
This Black Forest Cake is a fantastic twist on a classic, with the richness of chocolate, the tartness of fresh cherries, and the lightness of whipped cream—making it a dessert to remember.
