Black forest cake has always looked and seemed to me like one of the most fantastic cakes you could make. Maybe it’s all in the name: black forest at once sounds mysterious and other-worldly – almost like you’ll happen upon Galadriel taking a perfectly-delicate bite of a slice of this dark chocolate, whipped cream, and cherry creation. The elegance of that combination of flavors lends itself to a sophisticated, gorgeous cake fit for an elfin queen. Perhaps it’s more up Elrond’s alley, but even so, this has been on my list for ages and I’m thrilled that a special request from a friend finally got me to make it! So here it is: a glorious gluten free black forest cake, stacked high with deep dark chocolate cake, fluffy whipped cream, and luxurious cherry jam, wrapped in the richest whipped ganache frosting you’ll ever have, and topped with syrupy, balsamic cherries. What more could you want? I definitely feel that the name itself guided my hand a bit in the decor – instead of my normal piping decoration on top and sides, I went for a straight, almost rustic finish, with a touch of chocolate shavings reminiscent of perhaps the actual trees of a black forest.
So this begs the question, what about a bright, spring-soaked forest cake? What would that flavor combo be? Perhaps this is the start of a whimsical forest cake series, taking notes from various types of either forests or woods or jungles (all remarkably different so would give you the space to be thoroughly creative on flavor and decor). Who knows, you might see a tundra cake show up or an aspen grove cake or a redwood cake, or an Australian rainforest cake! The possibilities are far-reaching, if not endless.
A few tips for a truly good cake: you’ll find links in the recipe instructions for some of our favorite ingredients, but here they are again just in case. I always love using dutched cocoa powder, and my absolute favorite is Droste – highly recommend grabbing a box there. We also use this gluten free 1-1 flour mix – there are a bunch of 1-1 mixes out there but this is the best one we’ve found and recommend using it for our recipes. You can find sweet rice flour in other places too but this one is easy to order. For chocolate, Scharffenberger makes great, high-quality gluten free baking chocolate bars which you can use for both the ganache and the chocolate shavings.
If you’re craving other chocolate-heavy desserts like us, try our chocolate mousse cake, or this dark chocolate pecan caramel tart, or these double chocolate muffins, or these chocolate raspberry cupcakes, or this dark chocolate earl grey cake, or these epic chocolate brownies!
Gluten Free Black Forest Cake
Equipment
- Two 6-inch round cake pans
- Electric mixer
- Small saucepan
- Kitchen scale
Ingredients
For the whipped ganache:
- 14 oz good quality dark chocolate (70%)
- 4 oz god quality milk chocolate (40-50%)
- 1 1/2 Cups heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the cake layers:
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 Cup sour cream
- 1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 3/4 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour with xanthan gum added (if it doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1/4 Cup sweet rice flour
- 1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp dutched cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup piping hot coffee
For the whipped cream:
- 1 Cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the construction:
- 1/2 Cup cherry jam
- 1 Cup frozen pitted cherries
- 1/3 Cup white sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp aged dark balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 Cup dark chocolate shavings from a 70% chocolate bar instructions below
Instructions
To make the whipped ganache:
- First, make the whipped ganache. Heat the cream in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until very hot, remove, and pour over the 18 combined oz of chocolate in a medium mixing bowl and let sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until all chocolate has melted. Add the vanilla and salt and whisk to combine. Refrigerate until cool (about 30 minutes), whisking every 10 minutes. Once cool, start beating the ganache with an electric mixer until smooth (it might be very stiff at first but it will soften). It should be spreadable. Set aside (do not refrigerate) until using. Scoop into a piping bag and cut a 1/2 in tip. If it has stiffened before you use it, pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds and then beat it with the mixer again.
To make the cake:
- Make the cake layers! Preheat the oven to 300° F and grease two 6-inch round cake pans with either butter or cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry cake ingredients (gluten free 1-1 flour, sweet rice flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the the eggs, sour cream, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla extract until fully blended and creamy. Once combined, add in the dry ingredients and use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix. Fun step! Poor in the piping hot coffee and stir until fully combined (it’ll take some working). Pour cake batter evenly into the two greased cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool completely before constructing.
To make the filling and topping:
- While the cake is cooling, make your balsamic cherries and whipped cream. First, in a medium bowl, whisk the cold heavy cream until thick and fluffy but not stiff. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and then continue to whisk until stiff peaks form, then set aside.
- Then make the balsamic cherries. Heat the frozen, pitted cherries in a small saucepan over medium heat until they start to melt. Add in the sugar and stir constantly until sugar has nearly melted and the cherries have thawed and released their juices. Then add the salt and the good balsamic vinegar and continue stirring over medium low heat until the cherries have softened. Remove the cherries and place in a small bowl, then continue to stir constantly, cooking the sauce down for 5 or so minutes until it's more of a syrup, then remove from heat and pour the syrup over the cherries in the bowl.
To construct the cake:
- First, use a long, sharp knife to carefully slice off the bump on the top of the cake so that it's flat. Then slice your two cake layers in half so that you have four thinner cake layers. Place one of the cake layers on a plate or on a cake board. Then scoop some of the whipped chocolate ganache into a piping bag (if it's too stiff, pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir) with a 1/2 inch opening and pipe a ring around the edge of the top of the cake, and then fill in the center with a thin layer of ganache. Then spread a few tablespoons of cherry jam in the center of the cake, staying within the barrier ring of chocolate frosting. Finally, spread about 1/3 of a cup of the whipped cream on top of the jam. Add the second cake layer and repeat filling as you did the first layer until the final layer has been placed on top.
- Then frost the entire outside and top of the cake with the rest of the whipped ganache (if it has stiffened up too much to spread, pop it back in the microwave for 10-15 seconds max). Then, using a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler, scrape a dark chocolate bar firmly towards you while holding the blunt edge of the knife with both hands (you can place a kitchen towel down as a buffer in case the knife slips) so that you create chocolate shavings. Press the shavings into the side of the cake. Finally, top the cake with your balsamic cherries and syrup. Then serve! Keep in the fridge and remove an hour before serving.
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cake!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
One Comment
Natalia
There need to be more stars to rate this cake because it was absolutely phenomenal. It’s one of those cakes where if you’re not careful, you could end up eating it all in one sitting. The cherry jam was awesome and the dark chocolate was the perfect partner for each bite. I LOVED this cake!