One bite of this gorgeous Black Forest poke cake reveals its decadent interior of fudge and cherry pie filling with a sweetened whipped cream topping. There's nothing quite like a super easy cake with show-stopping abilities!
15.25ouncechocolate cake mixplus ingredients on the back of the box
21ounceschocolate fudge sauce
21ouncecan of cherry pie filling
6cupsheavy whipping cream
1/2cuppowdered sugar
bittersweet chocolate barshaved, optional for garnish
12 fresh cherriesoptional as garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cake release or spray oil to grease.
Begin by preparing the chocolate cake according to the instructions on the box. Pour the chocolate cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake according to the instructions on the box (we baked for 24 minutes and checked for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake).
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes.TIP - Once the cake has been baked leave it to cool for at least 20 minutes before you poke holes in it. If it’s too soft the cake will get stuck to the wooden spoon and you risk pulling the cake apart.
Meanwhile, heat the chocolate fudge sauce in the microwave for a minute, stirring in 30 second intervals. The fudge sauce should be loose and pourable.
When the cake has cooled, use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the surface of the cake.
Pour over the chocolate fudge sauce and do your best to spread it over the holes so it sinks into them.
Pour over the Cherry Pie Filling and spread it over the surface of the cake.
Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk until it holds its shape.
Transfer about a third of the cream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
Spread the remaining cream on top of the Cherry Pie Filling taking care not to disturb the layers beneath.
Use a cheese grater or vegetable peeler to grate chocolate shavings over the surface of the cake.
Use a sharp knife to cut the cake into 12 equal slices.
Using the whipped cream you reserved earlier, pipe swirls on top of each slice of cake.
Decorate each slice with a fresh cherry.
Notes
We used a Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake box mix to make the cake layer for this recipe. You can use your favorite chocolate cake box mix just remember you will also need the ingredients to make the cake which are usually eggs, water or milk, and oil - refer to the back of your cake mix box for this.
Any chocolate fudge sauce, such as hot fudge, will work here. Heat it briefly in the microwave before pouring it over the cake so you can spread it easily and it will then seep into the holes in the cake making it all the more delicious.
You can swap the homemade whipped cream with Cool Whip if preferred.
We found 2-3 squares of bitter-sweet chocolate was an ample amount of shavings to top with. You can use either fresh cherries, maraschino cherries, or extra cherry pie filling on top as garnish.