Easy Dressed-Up Black Forest Cake

After traveling to Germany and loving their Black Forest Cake, I came home wanting to recreate it with what I had at the time. I was 17 and could only purchase, not yet create, so here is what I did. To this day my son requests it for his birthday every year. Pie filling should ooze out - this is the art of the cake!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Calories: 630 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 devil's food chocolate cake mix (such as Betty Crocker® Super Moist®)
• 1 (4 ounce) bar dark chocolate

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans.

Step 2

Beat cake mix, water, eggs, and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Step 3

Bake cakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans, about 5 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.

Step 4

Beat heavy cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Cut each cake in half horizontally with a bread knife, to make 4 layers. Place one layer on a serving plate. Spread 1/4 of the whipped cream on top. Top with 1/3 of the cherry pie filling; spread evenly. Place second cake layer on top. Repeat layering whipped cream, cherry pie filling, and cake layers, ending with whipped cream on top.

Step 6

Grate chocolate bar or shave into curls with a peeler; scatter on top of whipped cream.

Step 7

Refrigerate cake until flavors combine, about 2 hours.