Black forest chocolate cake is one of my favorite cakes.  It reminds me of the days growing up in South Africa.  On set evenings, my family would go to the Fontana supermarket in Hillbrow and buy a black forest chocolate cake.  I like this particular cake because it's not sweet.  The cherry filling is tart with a hint of cherry liqueur and the chocolate shavings adds just the right amount of sweetness to the cake.

In doing research about the history of the black forest Chocolate cake, this cake was not invented in the Black Forest of Germany.  However, the Schwarzwalder Kirsch(wasser) or cherry brandy that's traditionally used in the cake is from that region.

I make this black forest chocolate cake on special occasions which is now my brother's birthday every year! Over the years, I've been experimenting with the type of chocolate cake to use with this black forest chocolate cake.   This particular cake recipe not only tastes good, but also holds up when trying to make a layered cake. It is also light but has enough structure to absorb the moisture from the cherry filling and cream without becoming a mushy sponge.  Greek yoghurt is used in place of sour cream, making it a healthier and less caloric version of this cake!  This is a tall cake so thinner slices are highly recommended.

Tips for making Black Forest Chocolate Cake

Making it "healthy" with yoghurt.

Although black forest chocolate cake is more indulgent than healthy, I feel less guilty substituting with healthier ingredients if it doesn't compromise the taste and overall outcome.  For this recipe, instead of sourcream which has more calories, 2% Greek yoghurt is used.  Regular yoghurt has more moisture than Greek yoghurt and will affect the outcome as the liquid content will be higher.  Sour cream can be substituted for Greek yoghurt, but it has more calories!

Chocolate chips.

Use UNSWEETENED chocolate chips with absolutely NO SUGAR ADDED otherwise this cake will be too sweet.  Be careful not to buy chocolate chips that use artificial sweetener and claim "NO SUGAR ADDED".  If in doubt, look at the ingredient list.  There should be no artificial sweetener listed.

Coffee.

This recipe calls for hot coffee.  Coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor.  Caffeine free coffee or boiling water can be used.  The coffee or water needs to be boiling when added to the batter to dissolve the sugar better.

Cherries.

This recipe calls for the tart or Montmorency cherries.  Tart cherries can be found canned, bottled and frozen.  Any of these forms will work.  If using frozen cherries, use pure tart cherry juice for the filling.  Tart cherries have wonderful health benefits.  It is worth paying a little extra for the tart cherry juice that is not made from concentrate.

Marinating the cherries in the kirsch (cherry brandy) can be done ahead of time if needed.

Whipped cream.

This black forest chocolate cake uses whipped cream rather than frosting.  Whipped cream has a tendency to deflate with time.  To stabilize the whipping cream, confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch, is used.  

Chocolate shavings.

Chocolate shavings can be made various ways.  Large chocolate "shards" can be made by applying a layer of melted chocolate to parchment paper and rolling up the parchment paper.  When cooled and hardened, unroll the parchment paper to break the chocolate into shards.

The other easier way to obtain chocolate shavings is to use a THICK bar of chocolate that won't break easily.  Using a handtowel to insulate the chocolate from the heat of your hands, user a vegetable peeler to grate the chocolate.

Baking tips

Do not use springform pans, unless they don't leak.  The cake batter is thin and may leak if the springform pan does not have a tight seal.

It is important to line the pans with parchment paper.  This helps release the cakes from the pans easily without them pulling apart and sticking to the pan. Trust me on this! 

When melting the chocolate, ensure that the steam will not get into the chocolate, causing the chocolate to seize and become granular, rather than smooth and runny.

Like many cake batters, ingredients are added at various times.  If using a Kitchenaid stand mixer, I recommend using a pouring shield.  I never use my Kitchenaid without it. It allows you to add ingredients while the machine is running with minimal mess!

After adding the eggs, make sure you beat the batter until light and fluffy.  This will take about five minutes.  This allows the cake to rise and be light and voluminous.

When decorating the cake, use the flat, smooth cake disc that was on the base of the cake pan as the top of the cake.  This will allow the cake to be uniform and perfectly flat.