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A slice of homemade Black Forest Cheesecake with chocolate and vanilla layers on a cookie crust, topped with glossy ganache, fresh cherries, chocolate shavings, and cherry filling dripping down the sides.

Black Forest Cheesecake

5 from 1 vote
A rich, make-ahead Black Forest Cheesecake with layers of smooth chocolate cheesecake, tart cherries, and whipped cream. Tested and refined over 68 bakes to achieve a perfectly balanced flavor — dark chocolate and cherries working together, not competing.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Cooling + Chilling 9 hours
Total Time 10 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: German-American
Calories: 485
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Crust
  • 1 ½ cups Chocolate wafer crumbs - About 25 wafers
  • 5 tablespoon Unsalted butter - Melted
  • 2 tablespoon Granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Espresso powder - Optional, enhances chocolate flavor
Cheesecake Layer
  • 24 oz Cream cheese - Full-fat, room temperature
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup Sour cream - Adds tang and creaminess
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract - Pure vanilla preferred
  • 3 large Eggs - Room temperature
  • ½ cup Heavy whipping cream - Whipped before folding in
  • 3 tablespoon Dark cocoa powder - Sifted
  • 6 oz Semi-sweet chocolate - Melted and slightly cooled
Cherry Layer
  • 2 ½ cups Dark cherries - Fresh or frozen, pitted
  • ½ cup Granulated sugar - Adjust if cherries are sweet
  • 1 ½ tablespoon Cornstarch - Thickener
  • 1 tablespoon Kirsch liqueur - Optional but authentic
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon juice - Balances the sweetness
Topping
  • 1 cup Heavy whipping cream - For topping
  • 2 tablespoon Powdered sugar - To sweeten cream
  • 2 oz Dark chocolate - For shavings or curls

Equipment

  • 1 9-inch springform pan (Tight seal; wrap in foil to prevent leaks)
  • 1 Stand mixer or hand mixer (Room-temperature ingredients mix best)
  • 1 Food processor (For crushing chocolate wafer cookies)
  • 1 Offset spatula (For smoothing cheesecake and layers)

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Wrap springform pan with foil. Pulse chocolate wafers, mix with butter, sugar, and espresso powder. Press into pan bottom and sides, bake 8 minutes, cool completely.
  2. Beat cream cheese until smooth, add sugar gradually. Melt chocolate with cocoa, cool slightly, mix into cream cheese with sour cream and vanilla.
  3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing gently. Fold in whipped cream with spatula, pour half mixture over crust.
  4. Cook cherries, sugar, and cornstarch until thickened. Stir in Kirsch and lemon juice off heat. Cool completely.
  5. Spoon cooled cherry mixture over first cheesecake layer, pour remaining batter on top, smooth surface.
  6. Bake at 325°F for 55 minutes until center jiggles slightly. Turn off oven, crack door, rest 1 hour. Cool 2 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
  7. Whip cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks. Spread over chilled cheesecake, add chocolate shavings before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 485kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 7gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 240mgPotassium: 280mgFiber: 3gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 950IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 3mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes.

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