This easy black forrest cake only takes 5 ingredients but I was really hoping I could make it with 2. I was all set to go and then I realized I needed to add more ingredients to make it killer. The result? Totally divine, not too sweet, and easy enough to throw together at the last minute!

2 ingredients. I was convinced I could make some version of this easy black forrest cake with just 2 ingredients. People make apple spice cakes or pineapple angel cakes with just 2 ingredients so why couldn’t I? I bet you’ve seen those cakes where stir together a can of apple pie filling and a spice cake mix pop it in the oven and you have cake (or something like unto it), right? So my original plan for this cake was to do just that– 1 box of chocolate cake mix + 1 can of cherry pie filling = cake, or something like unto it. But I wasn’t convinced.

You see, I had never actually made one of those “magic” cakes before. And even though I’d seen a handful of videos on Facebook demonstrating how it’s done, I didn’t know how magical it would turn out and I wanted MAGIC to happen!

And it did, in the form of my (almost) 2 year old.

My 2 year old is kind of good at making messes. In the span of the last few months he’s found his way into/onto many a cup boad, “supposedly” closed bathroom doors, fridges, pantries, sinks, and counters. He’s smeared not-so-cheap night cream all over my bathroom counter, painted my bathtub with foundation, made a slip-n-slide of tapioca pearls on our kitchen floor, and has simultaneously bathed in a full gallon of milk and bag of brown sugar while standing on my dining room table. That one was sticky. But this same two year old made magic happen when I was about to experiment with this cake.

He opened the fridge, pulled out an egg and while he was preparing this hopeless egg to meet it’s maker, I was able to snatch it out of his grasp. It was then that I realized it was eggs! I needed eggs!

Okay, so this might sound dramatic and kind of funny coming from somebody that writes recipes for a living, but the truth is that I was so caught up in making a “magic recipe” that I totally disregarded basic baking principles. So, I decided to throw my hopes for a magic cake out the window and just make it goooood.

It turns out that I was still able to make it with minimal ingredients and keep it simple! The result is a SUPER moist cake using chocolate cake mix, a can of cherry pie filling and 3 eggs. Mix it up, pour it in the pan and bake! For the topping I used some sweetened whipping cream, jarred hot fudge and fresh cherries. It’s such an easy cake to make without having it scream out that it’s a cake mix. The cherries add a subtle sweet and sour flair and the whipped cream makes it light and creamy! So good, and so worth brining to the next potluck you attend!

Easy Black Forrest Cake

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Ingredients

1 box (15 oz) chocolate cake mix
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
3 eggs
2 C whipping cream
3 tbsp sugar
hot fudge and cherries for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray.
Combine cake mix with cherries and eggs. Whisk together until no dry spot remain and most of the lumps (cake mix not cherries) are gone.
Pour into prepared pan, level, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or it springs back when you press the middle. Let cake cool completely.
Pour whipping cream into a bowl or electric mixer and whip until thickened and stiff peaks form.
Spread whipped cream over cooled cake and garnish with hot fudge sauce, more whipped cream and fresh cherries if desired.

by Heather Cheney

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