Gluten-free Black Forest Cake
The best gluten-free chocolate cake made even better by adding cherries turning it into the most indulgent Black Forest Cak
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 Batch Gluten-free Chocolate Cake
Cherry Sauce and Filling
- 3 C Fresh or Frozen Pitted Cherries
- 1 C Sugar
- 1 C Water
- 1 Whole Lemon (Zest + Juice)
- 3 TBS Tapioca or Corn Starch optional if you want your cherry filling thicker.
Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- 2 c Heavy Whipping Cream
- ½ C Powdered Sugar
- 1 Packet Unflavored Gelatin
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ C Cold Water
Optional Ganache
- 8 OZ Semi-sweet Chocolate
- 1 C Heavy Whipping Cream
Instructions
For the Cake
- Make and bake the gluten free chocolate cake into 2-3 layers in size of choice and allow them to fully cool before assembling the cake.
For the Cherry Sauce/ Filling
- Place the pitted cherries, sugar, water and lemon zest and juice into a pot over medi-low m heat.
- Allow the cherries start to soften and begin to release their juice, about 20 minutes or so.
- Drain about ½ to 1 C of the liquid from the cherry mixture and set it aside to cool. This will become the cherry sauce when assembiling the cake later.
- Let the remaining cherry sauce cook a little bit longer to allow it to thicken to desired thickness. If you want at this point you can add 2-3 tbs of tapioca starch or corn starch and whisk till combine to help the sauce thicken even more.
- Put the remaning cherry filling mixture aside to cool until you are ready to assemble the cake.
For the Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- Place the gelatine into a small bowl with the cold water and stir till disolved and let it rest.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer slowly whip the heavy whipping cream until it starts to get frothy.
- With the mixer running slowly add the powdered sugar. Increase the speed and continue to whip until the mixture forms soft peaks.
- Place the bowl of gelatine into the microwave and heat it for about 15 seconds until it becomes liquid.
- With the mixer on low slowly add the heated gelatine to the whipped cream.
- Continue to whip the stabilized whipped cream until medium-stiff peaks are formed.
- Fold in the vanilla and chill until you are ready to assemble the cake.
Assemble the Cake
- Start with a layer of cake.
- Brush a bit of the cherry syrup over the cake to let the cherry flavor infuse the cake.
- Add a layer of the stabilized whipped cream on top of the cherry sauce.
- Top the stabilized whipped cream with a layer of the fresh cherry filling.
- Repeate as needed until all layers of cake have been added.
- Top the cake with chocolate ganache (if desired) more stabilized whipped cream and cerries for a finishing touch.
- Chill the cake until about 20 minutes before you plan to serve and enjoy.
Notes
To Make Ahead:
Bake the cake and make the cherry sauce/ filling a day ahead to allow them to fully cool. This will help reduce assembly time the day of as well as making sure the cake is cool and the stabilized whipped cream frosting does not melt.
Keep the assembled cake in the fridge (not the freezer) until ready to serve.
You can use fresh or frozen cherries but I do not recommend using maraschino cherries.