Black Forest Cake Parfaits: Feed Your Body Friday

This week we are making a decadent and delicious treat for us to indulge in: Black Forest Parfaits. Even though we usually focus on healthier options, we’re excited to walk you through this irresistible recipe. Taking the time to have a little treat every once in a while is essential!

Black Forest cakes can be quite complicated to make, so here we have an easier version you can serve simply in individual portions. This version is faster and easier because it doesn’t require the precision of the assembly of a traditional Black Forest cake. All you have to do is to layer the ingredients in a glass and your guests will be delighted when you serve them this beautiful dessert!

To prepare this parfait, you will need to give yourself some time; even if it’s less complicated than the traditional Black Forest cake, it still requires a certain amount of preparation since it’s done in many steps. It also asks for several ingredients, so it’s important to make sure that you have everything on hand before you start.

Black Forest Cake Parfaits

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ¾ cup milk (milk of choice)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whipping Cream Ingredients

• 2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cherry Syrup Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. cherry kirsch (or vodka if that’s what you have on-hand)
• ¼ cup of water
• 2 cup frozen cherries

Toppings (Optional)

• 1 cup fresh cherries
  
• Extra whip cream
• Chocolate sauce drizzle

Love Chocolate? Try these Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

Preparation

Make your chocolate cake first:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
2. In a bowl, mix together your flour, cocoa, baking powder, and 1/4 cup of sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer to mix the eggs for 3 minutes.
4. Melt your butter and let it sit until cool.
5. Next, add your butter to the eggs and mix for another 3 minutes.
6. After the 3 minutes are up, add 3/4 a cup of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the mixture.
7. Next, add your dry ingredients to the mix slowly. Mix until thick and smooth.
8. Spread your cake mixture in a square or rectangular mold and bake for 45 minutes.

While the cake bakes, make your whip cream:

1. Whip 2 cups of heavy cream, 3 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp. of vanilla extract together in a bowl.
2. Reserve for assembly.

Next, let’s create the cherry syrup:

1. Heat 1/4 cup of water in a pan.
2. Add the cherries and vodka/cherry kirsch, simmer ingredients together for 15 minutes until cherries are soft, let it cool.

Assembly

Tip: Before assembling, decide which glasses/containers you’d like to put your parfaits in. Choose shorter/fun glasses to make these picture perfect!

1. Once the cake is cool, cut into small half-inch cubes and place them at the bottom of the glasses.
2. Put about 1/4 cup of whipped cream on top of each cake section.
3. Pour cooked cherries with syrup on top of the whipped cream, as desired.
4. Add fresh cherries and additional whip cream for decorations on top.
5. Serve with spoons and enjoy!

If you don’t have time to make the dessert, you also have the option the using a chocolate mix cake and instead of making your whipping cream, you can buy the one that is already prepared.

If you decide to go with these ingredients instead all you will have to do is to make the cherry syrup and the assembly of the black forest parfaits. The best thing about these is that they are actually better looking the messier they are - so have fun assembling and enjoy your dessert!

Want more dessert? Try This Recipe Next: Vegan Chocolate Mousse Recipe