Black forest cake is just as beautiful as it is delicious! Topped with cream, cherries, and beautifully curled chocolate, this cake is a total show stopper! It will definitely get a "WOW!" out of your guests!
Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray three 8 inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Add parchment rounds to the bottom of the pans and spray the parchment with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the vegetable oil, warm coffee, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently whisk together until fully combined.
Fill the three pans evenly and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the center of the cake springs back lightly when pressed on, or a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting the pan on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Once completely cooled you can either wrap the layers in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight before assembling the cake, or you can assemble the cake once they’re cool.
Cherry Syrup
In a medium sauce pan combine the water, sugar and cherry liqueur. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Simmer for 2 minutes until the sugar us completely dissolved. Let cool completely.
Whipped Cream
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Use the whisk attachment to beat until medium stiff peaks form.
Assemble the Cake
Lay the three cakes out on a cooling rack with the bottom side facing up. Brush the cherry syrup over the three layers, letting it really soak in to each one.
Lay the bottom layer top down on your cake plate or cake stand. Spread a nice thick layer of whipped cream over the layer and generously cover with cherry quarters.
Stack the second layer on top of the cherries and do another layer of whipped cream and cherries. Top with the third layer of cake.
Add large dollops of whipped cream to the top of the cake and smooth as much as you would like. Decorate with fresh cherries and serve immediately.