As a child, I thought Black Forest cake was the height of elegance. I was entranced by the garish decoration of whipped cream rosettes, chocolate shavings, and bright red cherries on the versions at Tim Hortons in Canada and Baskin Robbins in the US. At bakeries, I gazed at the dessert locked behind the glass case and envisioned myself digging into the tender chocolate sponge cake. I kept my fingers crossed that my parents would bring one home, but they never did. When I finally got to try it as a 12-year-old at a glamorous aunt’s birthday party, I relished each bite of luscious chocolate cake sandwiched with whipped cream, taking care to scoop up any fallen chocolate curls so none were left behind. That evening at Aunt Eileen's birthday party, Black Forest cake became one of my favorite desserts.
I am not the only one who’s been charmed by this cake. Earlier this year, New York Times reporter Priya Krishna called Black Forest cake the “world’s favorite dessert,” noting that it has become increasingly popular around the globe in the past decade. “Thanks in part to a recent wave of ‘90s-era nostalgia among younger generations, it’s found new life on social media and in restaurants across the world,” she writes. Home cooks and influencers are recreating the classic cake, often putting their own spin on it. There are Black Forest cupcakes, cheesecakes, brownies, cookies, and even ice cream all over social media feeds.
Like those home cooks, I was inspired to riff on Black Forest cake. Using my experience as a former pastry cook, I created an icebox cake that's not only delicious and stunning to behold, but also relatively easy to make—with no oven required. Here, I’ve created a no-bake version of the original by layering kirsch-soaked chocolate Maria cookies with whipped cream, chocolate mousse, and a sweet cherry compote. Though you certainly don’t have to top the confection with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and fresh cherries, it’s a special touch that evokes the flavors and textures of the iconic cake. Here’s how to make it.
6 Tips for Making a Delicious Black Forest Icebox Cake
Make your compote with frozen sweet cherries. Fresh cherries are nice—if you feel like destemming and pitting a pound of cherries by hand. Frozen cherries are usually picked, pitted, and frozen at peak ripeness, making them a delicious and convenient option.
Line your loaf pan with plastic wrap. The easiest way to unmold your icebox cake is to line your loaf pan with plastic wrap before you assemble the cake. Make sure the plastic hangs over the edge, which will allow you to hold onto it as you unmold the cake. To unmold your cake, remove the plastic wrap from the top of the cake, then invert it onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove the loaf pan by gently lifting it up, then discard the remaining plastic.
Brush the cookies with kirsch. In my s’mores icebox cake recipe, I brush the graham crackers with coffee to keep them moist. Here, I take a similar approach, but brush the chocolate cookies with the clear cherry liqueur kirsch, which imbues them with the flavor of classic Black Forest cake. If you don’t have kirsch, you can brush the cake with cognac, armagnac, calvados, rum, or bourbon. For a non-alcoholic option, you can use simple syrup instead; see notes below for instructions.
Make your own chocolate mousse. Though there is no chocolate mousse in the original Black Forest cake, I wanted to add another layer of chocolatey flavor to my icebox cake. I toyed with the idea of using chocolate ganache or chocolate ice cream in this cake, but chocolate mousse proved to be the winner in my tests. Ganache sets up too firmly when refrigerated, resulting in an unpleasantly dense icebox cake. Ice cream, on the other hand, proved to be too difficult to work with: It was either too solid or too soft to spread, and became icy when refrozen.
I ultimately settled on light, airy chocolate mousse. I recommend making your own mousse, which allows you to adjust the sweetness and seasoning as needed, as well as to choose the kind of chocolate you want to use. I prefer dark chocolate between 64 and 70% cacao for a bittersweet mousse, but if you want a sweeter filling, you can go opt for milk chocolate with 35 to 40% cacao, 40 to 55% cacao, or a milkier dark chocolate in the 55 to 64% range. If you don’t feel like whipping up your own mousse, you can substitute store-bought chocolate mousse or pudding, but your cake may be on the sweeter side.
Let it sit. Chilling the icebox cake for at least six hours helps soften the chocolate cookies, which creates a cake-like texture and makes the cake easier to unmold. For easy portioning, invert the cake onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, then freeze the cake for at least one hour.
Gussy it up with garnishes. For a dessert that looks and tastes like Black Forest cake, top your icebox cake with additional whipped cream, cherries, and shaved chocolate. Though it isn’t absolutely necessary, it’s a fun touch that completes the cake.
In a medium saucepan, combine cherries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries are soft and jammy, about 18 minutes.
In a large bowl, set up an ice bath by filling it about halfway with a combination of cold water and ice. Transfer cherry compote to a medium bowl; place bowl on ice bath to chill until cool to the touch, about 30 minutes.
For the Chocolate Mousse: In a large heatproof mixing bowl, combine chocolate and heavy cream. Set it over a saucepan filled with 1 inch barely simmering water and heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is fully melted, about 10 minutes. Whisk until homogeneous, then remove from heat and set on a heatproof work surface.
Once chocolate mixture is warm to the touch, whisk in 3 egg yolks until well combined. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine egg whites, salt, and espresso powder. Whisk on medium speed until egg whites begin to foam. Slowly and steadily stream in sugar. Continue to whisk until meringue is glossy and reaches medium-stiff peaks, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
Add 1/4 of the meringue to the chocolate mixture and gently fold until thoroughly combined. Add remaining meringue and continue to gently fold until meringue is almost entirely incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Transfer to large bowl; set aside in refrigerator. Wash and dry mixing bowl.
For the Whipped Cream: In the now-clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine cream, sugar, and salt. Whip on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. (Alternatively, combine cream, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until medium stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.) Set aside.
To Assemble: Line a 9- by 4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Using a flexible spatula or offset spatula, spread about 1/2 cup (75g) of chocolate mousse on the bottom. Cover surface with 1 layer of chocolate cookies; you may have to break the cookies up to get them to fit snugly. Gently press them into mousse. Using a pastry brush, brush cookies generously with 1 tablespoon (15ml) kirsch, if using. Using a flexible or offset spatula, evenly spread 1/2 cup (50g) whipped cream across crackers.
Top whipped cream with 2 tablespoons cherry compote, using a spoon or offset spatula to distribute them evenly across the entire layer. Repeat layering, alternating mousse, cookies, whipped cream, and cherries as needed, ending with a thin layer of chocolate mousse. Set aside remaining whipped cream for topping; transfer to an airtight container refrigerate until ready to use. (You should have about 4 chocolate cookie layers.)
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cake is cohesive and chilled, at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
Line a 9- by 13- inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Remove plastic from top of cake and invert cake onto rimmed baking sheet. Gently peel away remaining plastic, and transfer to freezer until firm enough to slice, about 1 hour or up to 1 week.
Remove cake from freezer. Hold both ends of the parchment paper and lift to transfer cake to cutting board. Wiggle a large offset spatula under the cake to separate it from the parchment paper, then gently pull to remove it. Allow cake to soften slightly at room temperature for 5 minutes. Top cake with whipped cream, chocolate curls, and fresh cherries, if desired.
Using a hot knife, slice cake into 8 pieces and serve. (For cleaner cuts, run knife under warm water and carefully dry knife with a clean kitchen towel before portioning each slice.) If not serving immediately, place slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment and keep frozen until ready to serve. When ready to serve, remove cake from freezer and transfer onto serving plates; allow cake to soften slightly for 10 minutes before serving.
Special Equipment
Stand mixer or hand mixer, 9- by 4-inch loaf pan, plastic wrap, 9- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, large offset spatula, knife, Y peeler (if making chocolate curls)
Notes
If you don’t have kirsch, you can brush the cookies with cognac, armagnac, calvados, rum, or bourbon. For a non-alcoholic option, you can use simple syrup instead. To make the simple syrup: In a small saucepan, whisk 1/4 cup (60ml) water and 2 tablespoons (30g) granulated sugar to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
To make chocolate curls, place one 4-ounce bar of dark chocolate on a plate and microwave on medium power until chocolate is warm to the touch (about 70ºF or 21ºC) but not melted,15 to 20 seconds. Hold chocolate over a bowl and, using a Y peeler, move quickly up and down the edge of the chocolate bar to create chocolate shavings, allowing chocolate to fall into the bowl beneath.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The whole icebox cake can be frozen for up to 1 week before slicing and serving.
Sliced icebox cake can be frozen on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment and tightly wrapped with plastic for up to 5 days.
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