Halloween Black Forest Cake

This Halloween Black Forest Cake is a rich, moist chocolate cake studded with dark cherries, soaked in cherry syrup, covered in silky ganache and surrounded by a wall of dark chocolate shards that looks like a spooky haunted castle. It's a showstopper for any Halloween party, and every slice tastes as good as it looks.

Classic Black Forest cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) comes from Germany and pairs chocolate sponge with cherries, cream and a splash of kirsch. This version keeps the two non-negotiables, dark chocolate and cherries, skips the liquor, and serves the whipped cream on the side. The chocolate shards are what turn it into one of the most dramatic Halloween cakes you can make at home, but with softer decorations it works just as well for a birthday or dinner party.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Canned pitted cherries. Dark sweet cherries in syrup are ideal because you need both the fruit and the syrup. Drain them well and save every drop of syrup for soaking the cake. Jarred morello cherries work too, and you can use thawed frozen cherries with a simple syrup made from ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water.
• Dark chocolate. Use a good 60-70% bar, such as a 70% cacao baking bar, for both the ganache and the shards. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers that keep them from melting as smoothly, so bars give you glossier ganache and snappier shards.
• Cocoa powder. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder gives the cake its deep chocolate flavor. Dutch-process cocoa works fine here and makes the crumb a little darker.
• Caster sugar. This superfine sugar dissolves quickly when creamed with butter. If you can't find it, pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor for 30 seconds, or just use granulated sugar and cream a minute longer.
• Butter and eggs. Both should be at room temperature so the batter creams up light and doesn't curdle when the eggs go in.
• Heavy cream. This is for the ganache, so don't swap in milk or half-and-half, which will leave it too thin to hold the shards in place.

Helpful Tips

Bake one cake, then split it. There's no need for separate layer pans. Bake the batter in a single 8-inch springform pan, let it cool completely, then slice it in half horizontally with a long serrated knife to create a top and bottom layer. A fully cooled cake cuts much more cleanly.

Melt the chocolate gently. A double boiler is the most foolproof way to melt chocolate for the shards without scorching it. No double boiler? Microwave the chocolate in 15-20 second bursts, stirring between each one, and stop while a few small lumps remain; the residual heat will melt them.

Give the syrup time to soak in. Brush or drizzle the reserved cherry syrup over the cut sides of both layers and let the cake sit for 30 minutes before assembling. Start with about half of the syrup; you can always add more if you like a very moist cake.

Let the ganache thicken. Warm ganache is too runny to spread or to hold the shards. Let it cool at room temperature until it's the texture of soft frosting, usually about an hour. If it gets too firm, stir it over a pan of warm water for a few seconds.

Embrace imperfect shards. Rolling up the chilled chocolate sheet makes it crack into random, jagged pieces, and that's exactly the look you want. Uneven heights make the "castle walls" look even spookier, and any broken bits are the baker's snack.

Variations

• Traditional kirsch. Stir 2-3 tablespoons of kirschwasser (cherry brandy) into the reserved syrup for a more classic, grown-up flavor.
• Cream-filled layers. Spread a layer of sweetened whipped cream and a few extra cherries between the cake layers before covering the outside with ganache.
• Gluten-free. Swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, or try our Gluten Free Black Forest Cake.
• Individual cakes. Bake the batter in a muffin pan for about 20-25 minutes and wrap each mini cake with its own chocolate shards, as in the original magazine recipe.
• Party-ready, not spooky. Skip the plastic spiders and top the cake with fresh cherries and chocolate curls for birthdays and holidays.
• Quick version. Short on time? Layer the cake, cherries and cream in glasses instead, like our Black Forest Cake in a Glass.

Serving Ideas

Serve each slice with a spoonful of lightly sweetened whipped cream to balance the rich chocolate. For a dairy-free topping, our Vegan Whipped Cream is a great match, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream is never a bad idea either.

For a Halloween party, set the cake on a tall white stand and surround it with plastic spiders, centipedes, a skull or two and a red napkin for a pop of color. Cut it at the table so guests can see the dark, cherry-studded inside. If you're planning a whole spread of Halloween dessert ideas, pair it with something bite-sized like our Chocolate Halloween Cookies, and browse our full collection of Halloween desserts for more.

Storing & Freezing

Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. A cake dome or a large inverted bowl works better than plastic wrap, which can knock off the shards. Let slices sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving so the ganache softens and the chocolate flavor comes through.

The cake freezes well before decorating. Wrap the cooled, unsoaked cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw it overnight in the fridge before soaking and assembling. Individual slices of the finished cake can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month; the shards may lose a little shine, but they'll still taste great.

More Halloween Treats

If you loved this recipe, here are a few more you might enjoy:

• Halloween Mummy Brownies
• Halloween Cake Pops - Mummy Cakesicles
• Black Forest Pavlova
• Black Forest Cheesecake Trifles

📖 Recipe