A beautiful and decadent cake, this Paleo Black Forest Cake is sure to please anyone, and they won’t even guess that it’s Paleo and Completely Sugar Free!  It does take some time to make the different components, so plan ahead and don’t rush.  The final result is truly indulgent.

Black Forest Cakes (or Black Forest Gateaux) were majorly in vogue during the 1970s and apparently graced the table of many fancy dinner parties.  It’s hard to understand why a cake that combines chocolate and cherries with whipped cream would ever go out of style, but I think we can all be grateful that the Black Forest Cake is back and hopefully here to stay.

It is definitely a fancy cake, and it has several different components.  It’s not the kind of cake that you can whip up on a whim.  You need to plan ahead.  You need to chill your ingredients and equipment for making the whipped cream.  You need time for the cake layers to cool.  You need time for the cherry filling to cool so that it firms up and doesn’t slip and slide right off of your cake. 

There are so many variations on this gorgeous cake, and really, once you have the components, it’s pretty forgiving.  If the layers get too messy and are all off-kilter, just make an extra batch of whipped cream or even some chocolate frosting and cover it all up.  The bottom line is: don’t fret.  Keep your eye on the prize (Black Forest Cake!!) and take your time.  This cake is special, and you need to give it your attention and time to make it turn out beautifully.

This Paleo Black Forest Cake is Completely Sugar Free.  Each component is sweetened with just a little bit of liquid stevia.  I’ve spiced up the cherry filling to give it more flavor and warmth since I have opted to leave out the kirsch that is traditionally included.  The cake is Dairy Free, and the whipped cream is made using coconut cream making it Dairy Free as well.

I hope that you will find a morning when you have the luxury to bake uninterrupted and that you can enjoy the process of making this cake and then enjoy the indulgence experience of eating it.  

There will likely be lots of twists that bakers will make, so if you change anything up, please share what you did in the comments below and how it turned out.  Happy baking! 

Why You’ll LOVE this Recipe:

• Showstopper Paleo cake
• Completely Sugar Free
• Gluten Free
• Dairy Free
• Alcohol Free

Ingredients for Paleo Black Forest Cake:

• almond flour
• cocoa powder
• baking powder           
• kosher salt
• eggs
• Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
• vanilla extract
• stevia
• black cherry juice
• agar-agar flakes
• ground cinnamon
• allspice
• ground cloves
• frozen dark sweet cherries
• powdered gelatin
• coconut cream
• fresh black cherries with stems on
• cocoa powder

Notes on Ingredients:

Almond flour – This low carb Paleo flour is high in fiber and protein, so it gives the cake a wonderfully tender texture, and it will fill you up faster. 

Cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) – Use unsweetened cocoa powder that is NOT Dutch-processed and NOT alkalized. 

Baking powder – This is the leavener for the cake.  

Kosher salt – For flavor in the cake and also to help the egg whites in the Italian Meringue frosting whip up better and fluffier.

Eggs – Whole eggs in the cake, for structure and binding.

Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks – This neutral tasting shortening behaves very similarly to butter, providing good structure and flavor to tastes without heaviness or greasiness.

Vanilla extract – For flavor.

Liquid stevia – This is the only sweetener in the cake.  I always use liquid stevia, never powdered.

Black cherry juice – This is for making the cherry filling and also for brushing onto each cake layer during assembly.  Use a sweet cherry juice, not a tart cherry juice.

Agar-agar flakes – I used agar-agar in place of cornstarch for the cherry filling, because I want to keep the cake as low-starch and low-carb as possible so my husband can eat a little.  Agar-agar is super easy to use, has zero flavor, and doesn’t clump up as easily as cornstarch does.  

Ground cinnamon, allspice, and ground cloves – The spices add a nice warming flavor to the cherry filling and help to bring out the spicy notes of the cherries themselves.

Frozen dark sweet cherries – You can use fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries (Bing, Aveline, any sweet dark variety).  The frozen are just so easy, though.  Whichever you’re using, make sure the cherries are pitted first before adding to the cherry filling.

Powdered gelatin – Adding gelatin to the whipped cream helps to stabilize it, making it easier to spread and better able to hold its weight as a component of the cake layers.

Coconut cream – Be sure to chill your coconut cream cans at least the night before making the whipped cream.  If you’re using coconut cream, then two cans will give you the right amount.  If you’re scooping the coconut cream out of coconut milk cans, then you might need another can or two to get 2 ½ cups of coconut cream.  Using coconut cream makes this whipped cream Dairy Free.

Fresh black cherries with stems on – These are for decorating.  You can pit the cherries from the bottom if you want to, but seriously, why bother?  There’s an enjoyment in eating a cherry straight off the stem, and if you’re worried about kids ingesting cherry pits, just remove the whole cherries from the slices that you’re serving to the kids.

Cocoa powder – This is for dusting the top of the cake with.  It just makes it look really pretty, and it gives a nice touch of cocoa flavor and pleasant bitterness to complement all of the super sweet cherry flavors in the cake.

How to Make Paleo Black Forest Cake From Scratch

First of all, make sure you chill your ingredients and equipment for the whipped cream.  Put your cans of coconut cream in the refrigerator for at least one night.  Put your stand mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer.

Make the Cake Layers

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by greasing the bottoms and sides with Spectrum Organic All-Vegetable Shortening.  Line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

Melt the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.  Add the melted Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, eggs, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia to the dry ingredients.  Stir until there are no more lumps.

Spoon the cake batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool in the pans for 20 minutes.  Run a butter knife around the edges of the cakes pans to make releasing the cake easier.  Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack. 

Wrap each cake in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 hour.  If you make the cake layers the day before you assemble the cake, just move the cake layers from the freezer into the fridge after 1 hour.  You don’t want the cake layers to actually freeze, because then they’re a pain to level and cut.

Remove the cakes from the freezer.  Use a cake leveler to level the tops of each cake and then slice each cake into two layers.  You should now have 4 layers of cake.

Make the Cherry Filling

In a small pot over medium-high heat, whisk together the cherry juice, stevia, agar-agar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. 

Bring to a boil.  Then add the frozen cherries.  Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pot from the heat and let cool. 

Make the Whipped Cream 

In a glass measuring cup, combine the cold water and gelatin.  Let stand for 2 minutes.  Then, heat in the microwave for 15 seconds until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Take your stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment out of the freezer.

In the stand mixer, whip the coconut cream on medium until smooth and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and stevia.  With the mixer on medium speed, slowly drizzle the gelatin mixture into the coconut cream.  Continue beating for another minute.

Assemble the Cake 

Place one cake layer on a cake stand.  Use a pastry brush to brush black cherry juice onto the top of the cake layer.

Next, use a rubber spatula to spoon ¼ of the whipped cream onto the cake layer and smooth to the edges of the cake.

Spoon ⅓ of the cherry filling on top of the whipped cream.  Leave a 1-inch border around the cherry filling.  You might think you don’t need to do this.  You really do, because once all those layers are stacked on top of each other, the weight starts to push the cherries out and over the sides of the cake, which we don’t really want.

Place the next cake layer on top and repeat until all 4 cake layers have been used.  Do not brush cherry juice onto the top layer (because it will discolor the whipped cream on top).

Spread the remaining whipped cream on top.  Decorate with the fresh whole black cherries with stems.  Using a small mesh strainer, sprinkle a dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the cake. 

Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Eat and enjoy!

More Sugar Free Cake Recipes:

• Paleo Double Chocolate Cake
• Paleo Orange Chocolate Cake
• Paleo Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake
• Paleo Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake
• Paleo Sheet Cake with Chocolate Frosting
• Paleo Chocolate Cake with Marshmallow Frosting