Easy Black Forest Bundt Cake (doctored cake mix)

If you love the flavors of chocolate and cherries you’re going to adore this easy Black Forest Bundt Cake. It’s one of the simplest cakes you’ll ever make and best of all it starts with a box of cake mix.

Black Forest Cake in a Bundt Pan? Yes, Please!

I don’t know about you but I’ve always been a huge cherry fan. I have a specific memory of asking for a cherry cake for the 11th birthday.

I’m also a fan of chocolate. (Duh! Aren’t we all?)

As I pondered easy cakes I could bake for Valentine’s Day, I thought of making a Black Forest Cake. But I wanted something a little less complicated.

Need a Simple Valentine’s Cake? This is it!

I remembered a bundt cake I made using a can of pie filling (my Strawberry Pie Filling Cake). It was easy and delicious.

I happened to have a can of cherry pie filling on hand, as well as a box of Devil’s food cake. Could I merge those two things together into something that resembled a Black Forest bundt cake?

Turns out, I could. . .and I did!

I searched the Internet and learned that many people have turned those Black Forest flavors into a bundt cake. So, I decided to follow their lead and do the same.

Black Forest Bundt Cake Ingredients

You will find a fully printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are all simple ingredients.

• Devil’s Food cake mix
• cherry pie filling
• almond extract
• large eggs
• mini chocolate chips
• milk or heavy whipping cream

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

• semisweet chocolate chips
• heavy whipping cream
• powdered sugar (not pictured)
• maraschino cherries

How to Make Easy Black Forest Bundt Cake

This chocolate bundt cake came together so easily, I felt like a real cheater! It’s so much easier than a layer cake. A typical Black Forest cake can take a long time to make and has several components.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a bundt pan with Baker’s Joy nonstick spray. (You can use butter or Crisco but you will need to dust it with flour.)

Place your dry cake mix in a large bowl. Add the chocolate chips.

Stir to thoroughly coat them with the mix.

Add eggs and lightly mix.

Add the full can of cherry filling, along with the almond extract and heavy cream.

Mix well. You could use an electric mixer but I opted to use a large blending fork.

Spoon your batter into the bundt pan and level the top.

Place on middle rack in preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch.

Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

Once pan has cooled enough to handle, flip over onto the wire cooling rack.

Let the cake loosen on its own. Allow cake to finish cooling.

While the cake is cooling, make your glaze. Melt the chocolate chips with a tablespoon of heavy cream. Do so in your microwave in 30-second increments.

Once completely melted, spoon chocolate over the top of the cake. If you haven’t already done so, transfer cake to your serving board. I use cake drums from Amazon. I highly recommend them.

Allow to completely cool.

In a separate bowl, whip remaining cream until light and fluffy (you’re looking for stiff peaks). Add powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated.

Once cake and glaze are cooled, add swirls of whipping cream.

Top each dollop of cream with an individual maraschino cherry.

Slice and serve!

Store in airtight container. I would suggest keeping it in the refrigerator due to the fruit component. It should stay fresh up to a week.

What to Expect from this Cake

I was delighted with how this Black Forest Cherry Cake turned out! It baked up so tall and lovely! I love the ease of this recipe. (Call me lazy. I don’t care.)

The texture is wonderful and this is a moist chocolate cake. You’ll notice there’s no vegetable oil in this cake. With the addition of the pie filling you don’t need it.

That chocolate ganache on top is luscious and so are the dollops of cream with the maraschino cherries. (Am I the only one who actually loves maraschino cherries?)

Maybe one day I’ll make a “real” Black Forest Cake but for now I’m mighty glad I moved forward with this one. It was perfect for a Valentine’s Day treat.

Variations on this Recipe

This is such an easy but reliable way to doctor a boxed cake mix. But you can use your imagination and come up with any number of flavor combinations. Here are some ideas:

DIFFERENT FLAVORS

This cake is delicious just like it is but there are always ways to mix things up. Here are a few suggestions:

• White cake with cherry pie filling and chocolate chips
• Cherry cake mix with chocolate chips and cherry pie filling
• Chocolate cake mix with strawberry pie filling and chocolate chips
• Sour cream: to add a tart flavor, add a half cup of sour cream to the batter.
• Cherry syrup: If you like you can add a half cup of the cherry syrup from the maraschino cherry jar.

DIFFERENT DECOR

The decor on this cake is lovely but you might be able to take it up a notch by doing any of the following:

• Instead of using maraschino cherries on the dollops of whipped cream, use red heart-shaped jelly candies.
• Making this Black Forest Cake at Christmas time? Add some chocolate snowflakes.
• Pour a can of cherry pie filling into the “hole” of the bundt and let it fill the top center of the cake (as if you had a regular round cake without a hole in the middle). Surround all of those cherries with dollops of cream and more berries.
• Add chocolate shavings or chocolate curls while the chocolate drip is still warm.

Questions People are Asking About Black Forest Cake

What is the History of Black Forest Cake?

Black Forest Cake, (also known as Black Forest Gâteau) originated in Germany. It is assumed by many that the name is derived from the Black Forest mountain range, but some have speculated that the name is actually derived from a specialty liquor made in that region from tart cherries.

What does a traditional Black Forest Cake look like?

Most Black Forest cakes are comprised of layers of chocolate cake sandwiched with tart cherry filling and whipped cream. Many are decorated with more cherries on top, along with chocolate shavings on the sides.

Is there a link to the Grimm Brothers fairy tales and this cake?

Not technically, though they both hail from the same Black Forest region.

Other Cherry Recipes from Out of the Box Baking

Cherry Pie Bars: If you’re looking for a bar with a soft sugar cookie crust, cake-like in texture, with a rich almond and cherry flavor, have I got a treat for you! These Simple Cherry Pie Bars (Cherry Cobbler Bars) are gooey, soft, and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious! 

Cherry Cream Cheese Cobbler: If you’re in the mood for a luscious cherry cobbler, laced with a crunchy crust, have I got a recipe for you! This rich cobbler is packed full of flavor and topped with a crisp layer of almonds.

Easy Cake Mix Cherry Pies: If you want the flavor of a cherry pie but the ease of a quick doctored cake mix, then this is the recipe for you!

No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Pie: This luscious No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Pie is one of the tastiest–and easiest–things I’ve ever made! You’re going to love the combination of sweet and tart, creamy and crunch. Best of all, you won’t have to bake a thing!

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Learn more about doctored cake mixes, the theme of this blog. 

For the master list of all doctored cake mix recipes on this site, visit Doctored Cake Mix Recipes, Master List. 

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.

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I hope you enjoyed the recipe for this rich chocolate cake.

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