Easy Mini Black Forest Cakes Recipe made with cake mix and cherries. They’re simple to bake but taste amazing! These are perfect for parties, tea, date nights at home, or when you just need a chocolate cake in your life today. 🙂
Black Forest Cake Recipe
A few weeks ago, we shared Black Forest Cupcakes, which are delicious! Today, we are expanding into these Mini Black Forest Cake Recipe for those days when a mini cake makes life a little bit better.
These mini Black Forest Cakes remind me of our last trip to Germany! We spent a few days exploring the Black Forest region of Germany and savoring as many pieces of authentic Black Forest Cake as possible.
John also found his dream cuckoo clock, which he had to have. I am still trying to find the right place for it in the new house. I need to find a place that the kittens can't get to. Otherwise, that could be a rough day in the house.
All this talk of Germany has me thinking about planning a return trip to Germany or at least Leavenworth here in Washington to enjoy a day of great German food.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients for making epic Mini Black Forest Cakes! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.
- Chocolate Cake Mix
- Eggs
- Cherry Pie Filling
- Chocolate Icing (prepared frosting)
- Maraschino Cherries
Optional garnishes - chocolate shavings, chocolate curls, fresh cherries, whipped cream
Equipment Needed
- Whisk or Kitchen Spoon
- 2 Mini Loaf Baking Pans
- Butter or Non-Stick Cooking Spray
How to Make Mini Black Forest Cakes
I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.
- Preheat oven to the instructions on the cake mix box.
- Add the cake mix, eggs, and cherry pie filling to a bowl and mix until combined.
- Spoon the batter into two greased loaf pans.
- Bake according to the directions on the box.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- To prepare for icing the loaves, remove the lid and foil from the chocolate icing tub. Place it in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds to loosen the icing to a pourable state.
- Pour the icing over the loaves like a glaze.
- Garnish with maraschino cherries and a sprinkling of icing sugar if you prefer.
Preparation and Storage
Make Ahead: For the best results, it’s best to bake a cake made with premade cake mix as soon as you prepare the batter. If you prepare the batter beforehand, refrigerate it in an airtight container and bake within 24 hours.
Storage: Refrigerate your Mini Black Forest Cake leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy them within three days. It will not last long at room temperature because of the perishable ingredients.
Freezing/How to Freeze: Freeze leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container and enjoy them within three months.
How to Reheat: Enjoy this cake at room temperature or from the fridge. Let frozen portions thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature, depending on how much time you have before serving.
Recipe Variations
Substitutions: Any chocolate cake mix, including Devil’s Food Cake, would be fantastic for these Mini Black Forest Cakes! Devil’s Food Cake is a more decadent version of chocolate cake, thanks to the extra cocoa powder and baking soda.
This recipe can be adapted to be made in cake rounds or small round cake pans depending on how large of a Black Forest cake you want to serve.
Vegetarian Option: This dessert recipe is naturally vegetarian!
Vegan Option: Make this cake vegan using plant-based alternatives to chocolate cake mix, eggs, and chocolate icing.
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free chocolate cake mix, cherry pie filling, and chocolate icing to make this recipe gluten-free and avoid cross-contamination.
Alcohol-Free Option: This recipe is alcohol-free, but you can add some rum extract, rum, brandy, or cherry liqueur to infuse more flavor.
Smaller Serving Size: The written recipe makes two Mini Black Forest Loaf Cakes. You can halve it if you only need one cake.
Larger Group/More Servings: You can scale the recipe to whatever quantity you need if you need more than two loaf cakes, as well as add the batter to one bread loaf pan for a large Black Forest Cake.
Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 9 grams of sugar per serving, with the final nutritional content depending on your exact ingredients. Use cake mix, cherry pie filling, chocolate icing, and maraschino cherries with no sugar added to make it sugar-free.
Tips for the Best Mini Black Forest Cakes
- You can grease your mini loaf pans with softened butter or non-stick cooking spray to make them easier to transfer after baking.
What to Serve with Mini Black Forest Cakes
This decadent chocolate and cherry cake would be delicious for a Valentine’s Day dinner or date night at home with your sweetie! Here are some menu planning suggestions to help you celebrate life and love.
Sides: Sugared Cranberries, Hasselback Potatoes, Caprese Pasta Salad, Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash, Carrot Soufflé, Crock Pot Stuffed Tomatoes, CrockPot Shrimp & Grits, Strawberry Bruschetta, Shrimp Remoulade, CrockPot Bacon Wrapped Potatoes
Main Dishes: CrockPot Port Braised Beef Short Ribs, CrockPot Rosemary Pork, Caprese Eggs Benedict, Balsamic Chicken Skewers, CrockPot Salisbury Steak, CrockPot Beef Tips & Gravy, Shrimp Linguini, CrockPot Roast with Red Potatoes, Grilled Shrimp with Avocado Butter
Desserts: Hershey Pie, Sweet & Salty Chocolate Dessert Bar, Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars, Carrot Cake with Pineapple, Coconut & Port Wine, CopyCat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, CrockPot Cherries Jubilee, Apple Blackberry Fruit Tart
Drinks: Alchemy Bar Revved Up Mojito Martini, Chocolate Cake Shot, Chocolate Covered Cherry Shot, Classic Grasshopper Drink, Cranberry Mimosa, Raspberry Pomegranate Lemonade Cocktail, 40 Is the New 20 Martini Cocktail, Martini Seduction, Alchemist Sidecar
When to Serve
- Dessert
- Valentine’s Day
- Dinner Date Night
Great Recipe Collections
Cake Mix Recipes - Boxed cake mix used intentionally can be a canvas for scrumptious yet creative cookies, brownies, cakes, and desserts.
Cherry Pie Filling Recipes - These cherry pie filling recipes, which range from Crock Pot favorites to boxed cake mix treats, are made instantly with ruby red cherry pie filling in a can, but they can also be made with any quality pie filling you have.
Dump Cake Recipes - Easy dump cakes that take as little as 3 ingredients to bake!
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Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.
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Mini Black Forest Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Chocolate cake mix
- 3 Eggs
- 1 can Cherry Pie Filling
- 1 tub Chocolate Icing prepared
- Maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to the instructions on the cake mix box
- In a bowl, add the cake mix, eggs, and cherry pie filling
- Spoon the batter into 2 greased loaf pans.
- Bake according to the directions on the box. Usually around 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- To ice the loaves, remove the lid and foil from the chocolate icing tub. Place it in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds to simply loosen up the icing to a pourable state.
- Pour the icing over the loaves like a glaze.
- Garnish with maraschino cherries and a sprinkling of icing sugar if you prefer.
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared on June 19, 2018. Updated January 2021
Becky
OMG!!!
I'M GOING INTO a total drooling state like Homer Simpson does !!!