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Black Forest Sheet Cake

By Samantha Seneviratne

Updated July 23, 2024

Black Forest Sheet Cake
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Total Time
1 hour 25 minutes, plus cooling
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
65 minutes
Rating
5(173)
Comments
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This beauty has all the beloved flavors of the classic Black Forest cake — cherries, chocolate and cream — re-assembled into a casual sheet cake perfect for summer picnics and birthday parties. To make the process even simpler, you can make and refrigerate the cherry jam up to 3 days in advance. Feel free to use fresh or frozen fruit (and there’s no need to thaw first, if using frozen). You can make this cake in the summertime, when fresh cherries are at their peak, or in the dead of winter, when you need something fresh and fruity to brighten your day.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 servings

    For the Cake

    • ¾cup/177 milliliters vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
    • 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
    • 1cup/201 grams granulated sugar
    • ¾cup/165 grams packed dark brown sugar
    • 1cup/95 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
    • 2teaspoons baking powder
    • ½teaspoon baking soda
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2large eggs
    • 1½cups buttermilk
    • 2teaspoons pure vanilla extract

    For the Cherry Jam

    • 6cups/900 grams fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted (see Tip)
    • ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
    • 1 to 2tablespoons Kirsch, to taste
    • ¼teaspoon almond extract
    • 2teaspoons cornstarch

    To Finish

    • 2cups/473 milliliters cold heavy cream
    • 2tablespoons powdered sugar
    • Chocolate shavings (optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

613 calories; 31 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 59 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 346 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9- by-13-inch baking pan, then line it with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two long sides.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together ¾ cup oil, the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

  3. Step 3

    Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 26 to 32 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

  4. Step 4

    While the cake cools, prepare the cherry jam: In a small saucepan, combine 5 cups/750 grams of the cherries with the granulated sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, breaking the cherries down with a wooden spoon or potato masher, until the fruit has released its juice, about 6 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Pass the cherry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the syrup in a medium bowl and setting aside the cooked cherries. (Reserve the saucepan.) Measure out ½ cup/120 milliliters of the syrup. (If you have more, store the rest in the refrigerator for another use.) Transfer 1 tablespoon syrup from the ½ cup to a small bowl, then stir the Kirsch and almond extract into remaining syrup; set aside to cool completely.

  6. Step 6

    Add cornstarch to the reserved 1 tablespoon cherry syrup in the small bowl; whisk to combine. Transfer it to the saucepan, add the cooked cherries and cook over medium, stirring, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool completely.

  7. Step 7

    To finish: Using an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream and powdered sugar until you have medium-stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Poke the cake evenly all over with a toothpick then brush it with about ½ cup of the cherry-Kirsch syrup. Spread the cherry jam evenly on top and then top with the whipped cream. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cherries and some of the remaining cherry syrup; top with chocolate shavings, if desired. Serve right away.

Tip
  • If you don’t have a cherry pitter, you can use a chopstick or a pastry tip to force the pit out.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
173 user ratings
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Comments

Casper Pike

Cherries on sale!! The jam is so scrummy. Brushed cake,divided and froze cake/jam. I made some stabilized whipped cream with gelatin. I have eaten slices for breakfast. ;)

Midwest cook

Easiest way to pit cherries without a special pitter is with a paperclip. Unbend the two parts and scoop the pit out with the larger loop.

Phyllis C-E

Oh, my gosh! I used frozen big sweet cherries to make this cake. Baked and served the cake in a 9x13 pyrex baking pan. Directions easy to follow. This cake was devoured. Thank you very much for the recipe!

Patricia

Made this for my husband's birthday, exactly as written but cut everything in half and baked in an 8 inch square pan. Delish and easy! Looks exactly like the picture (but square!)

Ndancer

Decent recipe for a simpler Black Forest cake. Was making for friends where I needed to avoid the booze, so I just added it to the cherries while they were on the stove (pre-straining the juice) and cooked off the alcohol. It would work fine to omit completely as well. I also stabilized my whipped cream, since I prefer it that way on a cake. Super easy: take 1/4 c of the cream and add to a sauce pan with all the powdered sugar and 1 tsp corn starch. Whisk over medium-low heat so it bubbles and thickens to a thin pudding texture. Let cool to room temp. Start whipping the rest of the cream, then add your cooled “pudding” and whip until you get stiff peaks.

Sharon Irven

Possible to sub One For One GF Flour in this recipe?

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