Looking for a show-stopping homemade cake? This exceptionally moist gluten-free black forest cake recipe is guarantee to impress. And better yet, it’s quite easy to make, even for a novice GF baker. The black chocolate cake uses simple ingredients, yet is exceptionally moist thanks to boiling water. Layer with cherry syrup, morello cherries, and towers of whipped cream for a gluten-free chocolate cherry cake worthy of celebrations!
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Easy Black Forest Cake Made Gluten-Free
I’m a strong believer of never having to miss out on your favorite sweet treats due to a GF diet. I’ve worked to hard to create a gluten-free dessert collection, full of timeless classics to unique, new creations becoming community and family favorites.
This past summer my husband and I spent a stint exploring Switzerland, where we took in a lot of breathtaking views, along with some incredible GF Swiss foods, like dark, fudgy Basler Brunsli cookies. (Seriously, a must try!) We also came across a lot of treats I longed to dig into, like this show-stopping Black Forest layer cake.
It taunted me so much, I came home and set upon making my own gluten-free recipe for Black Forest cake. Mission accomplished. After digging into thick layers of moist chocolate cake, swirls of whipped cream frosting, and dark, sweet cherries I was solidly in cake euphoria.
To make a gluten-free chocolate cherry cake I started with the easy part. I already have a moist gluten-free chocolate cake recipe I could springboard form. I like to use this recipe for all chocolate-cake-things because of its “secret” ingredient – boiling water. It makes the crumb soft and moist by saturating the GF starches. It also activates the cocoa powder for a richer taste.
Why is that important? Well, a traditional Black Forest gateau has a deep, dark, black-out chocolate taste, thanks to the addition of dutch-processed cocoa powder. Sometimes it’s packaged and sold as black cocoa powder, which is what I recommend using. You can use natural cocoa powder, but the cake will be lighter and it won’t have as deep of a chocolate flavor.
Other than getting the correct ingredients, it’s actually quite easy to make this from-scratch layer cake. It’s the perfect was to show off your GF baking skills because this chocolate cherry dessert is quite impressive. We can just keep it between the two of us how simple it was…🤐
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Easy peasy chocolate cake layers
Add the dry ingredients to a bowl, and mix on low speed. Then it’s time to add the liquid ingredients – buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla, and blend again to combine.
Once that’s all mixed, it’s time for the “secret” ingredient to make the cake crumb really moist – boiling water. Slowly drizzle it in while it mixes on low speed. Once it’s blended in, bump up the speed and beat for 2 minutes.
The longer mixing time also helps GF cakes because the starches need a little longer to saturate. Once you’re done the batter will be thin, but you’re all good! That’s how it should look.
Pour into prepped 9-inch cake pans and bake for 40 minutes. This is a little longer than other cakes, but there’s also a lot more moisture in a Black Forest cake. Error on the side of slightly overbaking, just a minute or two, to make sure the middle is throughly set so it doesn’t fall.
Yummy cherry sauce
As the cake is cooling, it’s time to start the cherry sauce. Drain away the syrup from the cherries, but don’t toss that preciousness! We are going to morph it into a rich, thick sauce to soak into the cake.
Simmer the reserved syrup with Kirsch cherry liquor in a small saucepan over low heat until it reduces down to 1/4 cup. This will take about 7-8 minutes, but it also thickens more upon cooling.
I like to continue draining the cherries until I’m ready to use them to extract as much liquid as possible. If you are using any for decorating you’ll want to do this too.
You’re also in a holding pattern now, waiting for the cakes to finish cooling and the cherry syrup, so go ahead and beat together the whipped cream frosting until stiff peaks form. Once you are done, refrigerate until ready to assemble all the layers.
Play up the chocolate cherry combo
Generously brush one of the cake layers with the cooked down syrup. Use almost all the syrup on the one cake layer, but reserve about 1-2 tablespoons for assembling.
Let’s make this fancy and delish!
Place the cherry soaked cake layer on a cake platter. I like to tuck strips of wax paper underneath to keep the platter clean. Spread on half the whipped cream frosting into a thick cloud on top.
Set aside about 10 cherries for decorating, and halve the rest. Place those on top of the whipped cream and then drizzle the remaining cherry syrup over that.
Top with the remaining cake layer and finish off with the rest of the frosting. Use the reserved cherries to decorate the top, along with some optional chocolate shavings if you really want to show off your skills!
If you can’t find Kirsch to flavor the cherry syrup, you have a few options. Some liquor stores also sell brandied morello cherries, soaked in Kirsch liqueur so you wouldn’t need anything else to flavor the syrup. If you can’t find traditional Kirsch, look for a cherry liqueur or cherry brandy. Alternatively, omit the liqueur and flavor the syrup with 1 tsp almond extract and simmering.
Assembly Tips and Modifications
- Make sure the cake and syrup have completely cooled before layering with whipped cream or the layers will slide.
- Drain the cherries for at least 30 minutes to extract as much syrup as possible.
- I bought a separate jar of stemmed dark sweet cherries for the top, but you can also use the reserved morello cherries.
- Turn this cake into a sheet cake by baking in a 9X13-inch pan, increasing the baking time about 15 minutes. The frosting amount will stay the same, spreading in one layer on top.
- For a 4 layer cake, slice each cake into half horizontally. I would recommend using 2 cans of dark sweet cherries for more cherries and syrup to distribute between the layers. Also use 2 ½ cups heavy cream, ¾ cup powdered sugar, and 1 ½ vanilla for the whipped cream.
What Type of Cherries Do I Use (and Don’t Use)?
Canned dark sweet cherries can be found where the canned fruit is stocked. I found the brand pictured above and also stemmed morello cherries, which were double the price. Using either is fine. Avoid using maraschino cherries or sour cherries.
I also don’t recommend using fresh or frozen cherries. While fresh cherries would be fine for decorating, they need to be soaked in the syrup for flavor, plus you need the syrup for brushing. Frozen, thawed cherries would have too much liquid, resulting in sliding cake layers. That’s no fun.
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Extra Moist, Easy Gluten-Free Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups (292 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour, I use and recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup dutch-processed cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (245 g) buttermilk* , room temp
- ½ cup (109 g) oil, any preferred
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 g) boiling water
Cherries
- 1 (15 ounce) can dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup
- 1 tablespoon Kirsch cherry liqueur, see recipe notes for substitutes
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 2 cup (480 g) heavy cream , cold
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two 9" cake pan bottoms with cut to size parchment. Grease the pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl, or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine.2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Slowly drizzle in the hot water while continuing to blend on low speed. Once it's all blended, increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. The batter will be thin.1 cup buttermilk* , ½ cup oil, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup boiling water
- Evenly divide and spread between the cake pans. Bake for 40 mins, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. You'll want to make sure the middle is fully set so the cake doesn't fall upon cooling. Cool 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, prepared the cherries and whipped cream frosting. Drain the cherries in a sieve, reserving all the heavy syrup drained away. Set the cherries aside, still in the sieve so they continue to drain off any excess liquid.1 (15 ounce) can dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup
- Simmer the reserved syrup with cherry liquor in a small saucepan over low heat until it reduces down to 1/4 cup, about 7-8 minutes. It will thicken more upon cooling.1 tablespoon Kirsch cherry liqueur
- While the syrup is cooling, prepare the whipped cream frosting. Beat together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.2 cup heavy cream , ½ cup powdered sugar , 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Assemble the cake after the layers have cooled completely. If desired, reserve about 8-10 cherries for decorating the top. Slice the remaining in half.
- Place one cake layer on a platter. Brush generously with the syrup, reserving 1-2 tablespoons.
- Spread half the whipped cream evenly on top. Top with the halved cherries and drizzle with the remaining cooled syrup. Top with 2nd layer. Spread the top with the remaining whipped cream and garnish with cherries. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
Subs for Kirsch
If you can’t find Kirsch, you have a few options. Some liquor stores also sell brandied morello cherries, soaked in Kirsch liqueur so you wouldn’t need anything else to flavor the syrup. If you can’t find traditional Kirsch, look for a cherry liqueur or cherry brandy. Alternatively, omit the liqueur and flavor the syrup with 1 tsp almond extract and simmering.This post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
I made this with three cake layers, and 2.5 cups whipping cream stabilized with a packet of bloomed and melted gelatin. It was enough to cover the sides which I coated with chocolate shavings. Wow was that a pain. The chocolate shavings that is, the cake is dead simple to make. I used a 400 mL can of cherries in syrup plus half a bag of frozen dark cherries, thawed and drained. It looked like a showstopper and tastes amazing. You absolutely cannot tell it’s gluten free. This recipe is a keeper.
Love hearing this, HC! And I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
Best,
Melissa
I used roughly equal parts millet, tapioca, and sorghum flour with 3 tsp of xanthan gum and this cake rose beautifully! I would try using just 2 tsp xanthan next time.
Wow, this is so helpful! Thanks for taking the time to share!
Best,
Melissa
Best black Forrest cake ever, everyone loved it and didn’t know it was gluten free, so moist a rich chocolate, cherries and whipped cream perfect! Made it for my son who’s gluten free, now my granddaughter wants it for her birthday ! I hope you don’t mind, shared the recipe💕
Oh, I LOVE this! Thank you so much, Sharon for taking a moment to let me know. It really brightens my day!
Best,
Melissa
I made Valentine’s Day for my family. It is so good!! I didn’t use the Kirsch because I didn’t have any, but will have to try next time. The whipped cream frosting is amazing and tastes like store bought, but so much better. It’s a fancy cake that’s easy to make. This recipe is now in my beloved recipes book.
Love hearing this, Melanie! We are enjoying this cake today for my husband’s bday!
Best,
Melissa
Hi -looks so good and I’d like to try it BUT do you think the company will know it’s GF?? I might have to make a cake for them and another for me if they might discern it’s GF.
Thanks! and how do you stay so thin with all this baking!!
Hi Cecillia,
Good question and absolutely not a chance. I would guarantee it. 🙂 You can tell them after they enjoy it and they will be shocked.
Best,
Melissa
you asked in your email what else was needed….I suggest a fork! Looks wonderfulf!
Yes! We are enjoying this cake a lot this holiday season!
Best,
Melissa
How much cocoa? That’s not listed in the recipe ingredients.
My apologies! Thanks for pointing that out! 3/4 cup, all fixed now!
Best,
Melissa