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Devil's Food Black Forest Cake

A rich and decadent layered cake with chocolate, cherry compote, and chantilly cream, perfect for celebrations and family gatherings.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1.67 cups 1 2/3 cups plain flour
  • 1 cup 1 cup Dutch cocoa powder
  • 1.5 tsp 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp bicarb soda
  • 2 tsp 2 tsp instant coffee powder
  • 200 ml 200ml boiling water
  • 200 g 200g sour cream
  • 100 ml 100ml vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs 4 large eggs, at room temperature
Cherry Compote
  • 670 g 670g jar pitted morello cherries
  • 150 g 2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
  • 1 1 vanilla bean
Dark Chocolate Ganache
  • 100 g 100g dark (40%) chocolate
  • 100 ml 100ml thickened cream
  • 10 g 10g unsalted butter
Vanilla Chantilly Cream
  • 250 ml 1 cup (250ml) thickened cream
  • 200 ml 200ml tub double cream
  • 100 g 100g pure icing sugar
  • 2 tsp 2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/160 degrees C fan-forced.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb, and 1 tsp fine salt to ensure there are no lumps.
  3. In a large jug, dissolve the coffee in boiling water, then add the sour cream, oil, and eggs, whisking until thoroughly combined.
  4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Whisk until just combined (do not overmix).
  5. Divide the batter between 3 x 18cm round baking pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
Cherry Compote
  1. Combine cherries, syrup, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan; bring to boil and simmer for 40 minutes until syrup is reduced. Set aside to cool.
Ganache
  1. Microwave all ingredients on high in 30-second intervals until melted; whisk until glossy.
Chantilly Cream
  1. Whisk all ingredients until thick peaks form; chill until ready to use.
Assembly
  1. Place the first cake on a serving plate, top with half the chantilly cream, cherries, and a little syrup, layering as directed.
  2. Spread ganache over the top cake and decorate with remaining cherries. Chill for 2-3 hours and drizzle with remaining syrup before serving.

Notes

Keep the cake chilled in the fridge, covered loosely with cake-wrap or stored in a cake container. It will stay lovely for up to 3 days. Use room-temperature eggs for a silkier batter. Don’t overmix to keep the crumb tender.