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Traditional Black Forest Cake – German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

Bake Oma’s Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) with rich chocolate, cherries, whipped cream, and a splash of Kirsch.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 6 large eggs, separated
• ⅞ cup (175 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla sugar
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) lukewarm water
• ⅔ cup (87 grams) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (64 grams) cornstarch
• ½ cup (42 grams) cocoa powder

For Filling and Decoration:

• 1½ 24-ounces (680 grams) jars pitted Morello sour or tart whole cherries 
• 4 teaspoons (11 grams) cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla sugar 
• 3 cups (720 milliliters) heavy (whipping) cream, divided 
• 3 pouches DR. OETKER Whip It (Sahnesteif)
• 3 tablespoons (39 grams) granulated sugar or to taste, divided
• 3 tablespoons (30 milliliters) kirschwasser (cherry liqueur or cherry brandy), optional
• 4 ounces (113 grams) dark chocolate shavings

Instructions:

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper and set aside. Do NOT grease the sides of the pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites, slowly adding sugar and vanilla sugar, until stiff peaks form. 
3. In a small bowl, mix egg yolks with water. Gently fold into stiffly beaten egg white mixture. 
4. In another bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, and cocoa. Sift over egg mixture. Fold in gently and pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan, leveling the top. 
5. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the outer ring to loosen the cake. Remove outer ring and invert onto wire rack. Remove parchment paper. When the cake is cold, cover with a towel and let stand for about 2 hours before filling. 

For The Filling:

1. Drain the cherries, saving the liquid. Measure the cherry liquid and add water to make 1¼ cups and pour into a small pot. Add in the cornstarch and vanilla sugar.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once thickened, remove from the heat.
3. Put 12 nice cherries into a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining cherries to the pot, stir, and let cool.
4. Whip 1 cup (240 milliliters) of cream with 1 pouch of Whip It according to package instructions, adding 1 tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar once peaks start forming.

To Assemble The Cake:

1. Cut the cake into 3 layers. Drizzle kirschwasser over the cake layers.
2. Place the bottom cake layer onto a serving plate. Put a cake ring (or springform ring) around the cake. Pipe a row of whipped cream along the top edge of the layer. Spread half the cherry mixture within the cream circle.
3. Add the second cake layer and repeat piping with whipped cream and fill with the rest of the cherries. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the cherries.
4. Add the third cake layer. Press down slightly until level.
5. Let the cake sit in the fridge for about 2 hours.
6. Whip the remaining 2 cups (480 milliliters) of cream with 2 pouches Whip It according to the package instructions, adding 2 tablespoons (26 grams) granulated sugar once peaks start forming.
7. Remove the cake ring. Put some whipped cream into a pastry bag with a fluted tip. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Pipe 12 rosettes on top. Decorate with cherries. Pat the chocolate shavings around the sides of the cake.

Notes/Hints:

• You can replace the vanilla sugar with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and add that to the egg yolks.
• Can't find Morello cherries? Use any other jarred sour cherries or canned pitted dark cherries. I've also used thawed frozen cherries. 
• You can add a bit of cherry syrup to the filling to amp up the cherry flavor.
• Use a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate curls from room temperature best quality dark chocolate bar.
• I love using sliced almonds to decorate. It's not traditional but it tastes so good!
• Traditionally, the Schwarzwälder kirschtorte has up to half a cup of kirschwasser (cherry liqueur or cherry brandy) sprinkled over the baked cake layers. You can also add one tablespoon of kirschwasser to the whipped cream.
• If you don't want to use alcohol, use cherry juice in its stead. 
• Want a really EASY version of this cake. Try this easy German Black Forest Cherry Cake -- this one uses a chocolate cake mix, whipped cream, and cherry pie filling.
• Something a bit different? Try Black Forest Cherry Dessert -- uses soda crackers, cherry pie filling, and chocolate pudding. It's REALLY, REALLY good! (I know it sounds strange!)
• You can make your own vanilla sugar.

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Updated on December 3, 2025