Beautiful, rich, and moist layers of chocolate-coffee sponge cake basted with cherry liqueur or cherry syrup, and frosted and layered with buttercream or vanilla/cherry whipped cream with more cherries between the layers. Chocolate confetti for garnish is optional.
Links You May Need:
Gluten Free Chocolate Sponge Cake Recipe
Homemade Cherry Liqueur Recipe
Buttercream Frosting Recipes (your recipe of choice) OR Vanilla Chantilly/Homemade Whipped Cream
Want to use high-quality cocoa powder that’s really dark and chocolatey?
See the below brands. Otherwise, look at the nutritional content of other brands and choose one that contains at least 1 gram of fat per 5 grams of cocoa powder. Your cake will turn out more moist and flavorful.
Droste – package labeled gluten free
Valrhona (expensive) (I checked with someone with celiac disease. She does not react to this product.)
Van Houten (Begium) -(****may contain traces of gluten****) – the originator of Dutch processed cocoa powder.
Gluten Free Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Homemade Cherry Liqueur using rum, (rum optional) (or gluten free commercial brand)
- 1 recipe Gluten Free Chocolate Sponge Cake 8-inch (REPLACE WATER WITH STRONG COFFEE)
- 2 recipes buttercream or Chantilly
- 30 cherries or as needed
Instructions
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If possible, days in advance, make the cherry liqueur; set aside in a closed glass container. Omit the addition of rum if making a plain cherry syrup. Plain cherry syrup may be made the same day as the cake, if desired.
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Make the chocolate sponge cake in an 8-inch springform pan; set aside to cool.
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While the cake cools, make the buttercream or Chantilly. If you wish to make a cherry-flavored Chantilly, pour in a little cherry liqueur or cherry syrup in. Pour it in a little at a time. You don’t want to add too much or will make the whipped cream too runny. You may consider reducing the confectioners’ sugar if using cherry liqueur/syrup. If using, refrigerate the Chantilly until ready to assemble the cake.
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Once the cake cools, slice it into three layers. Baste each layer with cherry liqueur/syrup. Layer some buttercream or whipped cream/Chantilly on top of the bottom layer. Then, place a few cherry halves in the buttercream/Chantilly. Place the second layer on top and repeat with buttercream/Chantilly and cherries. Place the final cake layer on top and frost the entire cake. Pipe additional mounds of buttercream or Chantilly where you would like to place additional cherries.
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Refrigerate the cake overnight, if possible, or up to two days. The longer it rests the more moist sponge cake becomes.
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Closer to the serving time, decorate the cake with additional cherries and either chocolate curls using a vegetable peeler and a chocolate bar, chocolate cake crumbs (should you have an extra layer), or chocolate confetti. To make chocolate confetti, melt some chocolate and pour it onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet in a very thin layer. Freeze the chocolate until completely set. Break the chocolate into small pieces and top the cake.
Tips
To make this recipe dairy-free, use refined coconut oil to replace butter.
To make this cake egg-free, replace each egg with 2 tablespoons liquid from a can of cannellini beans and 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil or palm oil (not non-hyrogentated).