Black Forest Gateau

This decadent Black Forest Gateau is the perfect cake to make for a special occasion, a real crowd pleaser.

Some cakes are so good, they become part of your family history. This recipe for Black Forest Gateau has become a firm favourite in our house with both my mum and husband requesting it for their birthdays recently. It would also be an amazing addition to your Christmas Day spread.

There are a few steps in the process, but you can easily break these up over a few days. I recommend making the cakes the day before and storing them in an airtight container. Then, on the day you assemble the gateau, you can make the remaining berry sauce, ganache and whipped cream and layer them up on the cooled cakes.

How to make Black Forest Gateau:

Preheat the oven to 170°C fanbake. Grease and line two 23cm round baking tins. Warm milk and butter together in a glass bowl until butter has melted. Add to a larger bowl and pour in the oil, vanilla and eggs. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into the bowl then add the sugar and salt and mix everything together.

Dissolve the instant coffee in boiling water then add to the bowl and combine. Whisk out any lumps before pouring evenly into the two prepared tins. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Leave to cool.

To make the berry sauce, add the halved frozen cherries and frozen berries to a small saucepan with sugar and water. Bring to the boil while stirring then simmer until it thickens. Let it cool to room temperature before using. In a glass bowl, melt the dark chocolate and cream together in the microwave and whisk until smooth. Leave to cool slightly before using.

Once you have made all the components and whipped the cream, cut the cooled cakes in half horizontally.

Place one of the four cake layers on a serving plate then drizzle over ⅓ of the berry sauce and ⅓ of the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining layers until all of the sauce and cream has been used. 

Spread the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and grate over the extra dark chocolate. Chill for 3 hours or longer before serving. This will help the flavours to sink into the cake.

If you love a decadent cake for a special occasion (or you just want to impress your friends and family!), be sure to check out my recipes for Banana Caramel Cake and Lumberjack Cake. These are both epic cakes to feed a crowd

Common questions about Black Forest Gateau:

How long does this cake keep for? This cake will keep well for up to three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Can I make parts of this in advance? Yes! I recommend making the cakes the day before you assemble the gateau and storing them in an airtight container overnight. You could even make the berry sauce in advance too. Then, on the day you assemble it, you only have to make the cream and ganache. I think this cake is actually tastier to eat the day after you have assembled it, it gives the sauce time to sink in to the cake layers. 

What can I swap if I don't like coffee? I promise you can not taste the coffee it just gives it a great rich flavour. But you can leave it out if you really don't want to or you can use decaf. 

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Black Forest Gateau

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

This chocolate and cherry layer cake combines rich cake layers with berry sauce, whipped cream and dark chocolate. 

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Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 200ml milk
• 50g butter, diced
• ½ cup vegetable oil (110ml)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 cups plain flour (300g)
• ¾ cup cocoa powder (75g)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups sugar (440g)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 1 cup boiling water

Berry sauce

• 1 cup frozen cherries (130g)
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries (130g)
• ¼ cup sugar (60g)
• ½ cup water

Ganache

• 120ml cream
• 120g dark chocolate

To Serve

• 380ml cream, whipped
• 30g dark chocolate, grated

Instructions

1. Chocolate cakes: Preheat oven to 170°C fanbake. Grease and line two 23cm round baking tins.
2. Warm milk and butter together in a glass bowl in the microwave until butter is melted. (30-40 seconds)
3. Add to a large bowl and pour in the oil, vanilla and eggs. 
4. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder into the bowl. Add sugar and salt then mix together. 
5. Dissolve instant coffee in boiling water. Pour into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix everything together. Whisk out any lumps.
6. Pour evenly into prepared tins. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cakes cool to room temperature before assembling. 
7. Berry sauce: Cut frozen cherries in half and add to a small saucepan with the berries.
8. Add sugar and water then bring to a boil while stirring.
9. Simmer until sauce reduces and thickens (approx 10 minutes). Let it cool until to room temperature then chill until ready to use.
10. Ganache: Melt together cream and dark chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave (approx 1 minute). Whisk until smooth, let it cool to room temperature and it will thicken.
11. To serve: Cut each cake in half horizontally then whip the cream.
12. Place one layer of cake on a serving plate. Drizzle over ⅓ of the berry syrup. Top with ⅓ of whipped cream and spread evenly. 
13. Repeat with remaining layers until all of the sauce and whipped cream is used up.
14. Spread chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and grate over extra dark chocolate.
15. Chill for 3+ hours before serving. 

Notes

• Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• This gateau is best made a day in advance. 
• To make things faster you can bake the cakes the day before and store in an airtight container until ready to use. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 381mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 2gSugar: 35gProtein: 5g

Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.

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