Black Forest Texas Sheet Cake Recipe is a super simple cake recipe that’s fit for a crowd.
Black Forest Texas Sheet Cake Recipe combines chocolate cake with cherries and is topped with a smooth chocolate icing that’s to die for!
The other day I was cruising the aisles of the grocery store when I somehow got to the bakery.
Ok, I went to the bakery first, with intentions of drooling over their cakes and pastries.
In our grocery store they sell single slices of cake, which is genius and I also kinda hate them for that. So tempting!
I saw a single slice of Black Forest Cake and something clicked in my brain. I always see Black Forest Cake in it’s layered cake form, but never really in a sheet cake. That’s when I decided I should make one.
Best. Decision. Ever.
I started with a box of devil’s food cake mix and added some eggs, a little almond extract and a whole can of cherry pie filling.
That’s it! That is the base of your sheet cake! Spread the mixture out in a baking sheet and let it bake.
Since it’s so thin it bakes up in just 20 to 30 minutes. Mine was done at 25 minutes.
It’s a little lumpy when baked due to the big cherries throughout the cake, but that’s ok.
You’ll pour this warm chocolate frosting all over the cake and it’ll settle into all the nooks and crannies.
The trick is to have the frosting ready right when the cake comes out of the oven, that way it glides on nice and smooth.
I let the cake and frosting cool completely and then topped it with fresh whipped cream, a few extra cherries and some chocolate shavings… cause Black Forest Cake.
If you wanted to enjoy the cake warm you could do that too!
Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a couple cherries on top… oh mama!
I made this cake for a little family gathering at my house and there were so many people that went back for seconds. It was such a good cake!
The cake itself is light and fluffy with jewels of sweet cherry throughout. The frosting is thick and rich and almost fudge like, it’s the perfect paring.
I love how easy it was to make too! Definitely making this one again!
Sheet cakes are seriously the best!
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Black Forest Texas Sheet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 Devil's Food cake mix
- 21 oz cherry pie filling
For the Frosting:
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the Topping:
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream, cold
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 chocolate bar , for shaving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a half sheet baking sheet (15"x10"x1") with baking spray (the kind with flour in it) and set aside.
For the Cake:
- Whisk together the eggs and almond extract in a large bowl. Add the cake mix and 1 (21oz) can cherry pie filling. Whisk until combined and then spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 23 to 27 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
For the Frosting:
- Meanwhile, while the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. Combine the milk, sugar and butter in a small saucepan on medium high heat, stirring often, until melted. Bring mixture to a boil for just 1 minute then remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir until mixture is smooth.
- Pour the hot frosting over the warm cake and spread out to edges. Let cake and frosting cool completely (or serve warm with vanilla ice cream).
For the Topping:
- Use a hand mixer or mixing bowl to beat the whipping cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Decorate the top of the cake with the whipped cream and extra cherry pie filling. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off bits of chocolate from the chocolate bar to garnish the top of the cake. Slice and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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Julia
Hi Shawn, I live in Amsterdam and wondering what to use instead of Devil’s Food cake mix since it’s not being sold here. Could you please give me some tip? Thank you.
Best regards,
Julia
Shawn
You could use a regular chocolate cake mix as well. Hope that helps!
Helena
I am going to try this with vanilla cake mix and cream cheese & chocolate swirl frosting because, well that’s what I have on hand & I want to see how the cake comes out with the cherry pie filling. . I might try it with apple pie filling as well.
I bought both to make pies for the holidays and I never got them done so I should use them before I forget them in the cabinet. lol
Wish me luck.
Mickie Enders
Is there some other topping rather than chocolate?
Rhonda Palacios
I will make for Thanksgiving, looks easy and yummy
Jean M Novotny
I enjoy reading your recipes and cannot wait to try those Black Forest Brownies! Thank You!
Shawn
I hope you enjoy them!
Debbie
I just wanted to let you know I tried several times to load the older comments on here and it just keeps reloading the same ones. Like about 25 or so. I’m still going to try this recipe though because it looks so good! I always like to read a good portion of the reviews on any recipe that looks good to me. I just wanted to point it out in case you weren’t aware of the problem.
Shawn
Sorry about that Debbie. I’m working on getting my site updated and this is an issue we will look into to make sure it won’t happen again. Thanks for the heads up.
Sherry
I have made this cake before without the Cherry pie filling and it was awesome.
Gina
Oh! If you want to omit the cherry filling did you add anything else to substitute it?
Shawn
The cherry pie filling is pretty crucial for making the right consistency of the cake. I’m not sure what you would use to replace it.
Fonda
I’ve made this several times but instead of Devis Food I use Red Velvet and everyone in my family loves it and everyone who tries it loves it. Making it again today for my granddaughter’s 30th birthday.
Imelda
How big is the cupcake rising?
judith Banack
I made this on my cookie sheet pan that has sides..It’s 13×18..
Can’t wait to try it..not putting whipped cream on it so only needed the one can..
Shawn
I hope you enjoyed it Judith! 🙂
Betty
First I wanted to ket you know that
A 10 x 15 pan is a jelly roll pan Not a sheet pan pan, there’s a big difference cause a sheet pan is smaller than a jelly roll pan
I wish you would fix the recipe so others would know the difference
Any cake batter can be made into cupcakes just saying
Debra
A half sheet pan is roughly 18″ by 13″. I was confused when she said 15″ by 10″ half sheet pan. I was thinking of just baking it in a 13″by 9″ cake pan & be done with it!
Deidre Kaster
This cake is amazing and the hubby and all the kids love it as well. We also tried this recipe tonight as 24 cupcakes baked for 18 minutes. Which were also a huge hit! Thank you so much for sharing, definitely a keeper!!
Shawn
That’s great to hear that it worked out well in cupcake form! Thanks for the comment Deidre!
Imelda
How big is the cupcake rising?
steffany
Would it ruin the recipe to make it in a 12×17 baking pan ? I do not have one that is 15×10.
Shawn
That might be too big of a pan for the cake. I would try a 9×13 instead and bake a little longer.
Sesa Kirk
I’m getting ready to make the black forest Texas sheet cake mmmmmm looks soooo good
Shawn
Hope you enjoyed it Sesa! 🙂
Jill
I made this with a readily available gluten-free chocolate cake mix – 2 boxes, 1/3 cup oil, 4 eggs, 1 can cherry pie filling – and baked it in a 9X13″ pan for about 50 min. It turned out great and was gobbled up by the crowd at my table with gusto.
Shawn
I’m so glad you were able to make it work and enjoyed it!
Jill
Update Sept 2022: I used a gluten free cake mix and followed the recipe as you have written. Delicious!
KAREN SCHROEPFER
Can I double this recipe??..if so
..what would the time for baking be
Shawn
Hi Karen, if you do double the recipe, you’ll want to bake in two different pans. I would keep bake time the same and not attempt to add double the batter to a single baking sheet.
Pamela
Yes it helps thank you and we have a 154 lbs Great Dane in here to so the camper is a wee bit tight for all of us but will give that a try thank you so much
pamela
hi i would love to make this cake how would i be able to make it its just my hubby and i and were in a 23ft camper and our oven is small do u have a way i could make a smaller version just for 2 thanks
Shawn
Hi Pamela, first of all… I LOVE that you’re living in a 23 ft camper!! I used to live in a 38ft fifth wheel with my family while my husband traveled the country for work, I know the restrictions of a small oven. I’m not 100% sure if this will work for you, but I would try cutting the recipe to 1/4th of it’s size. You’ll have to do some tweaking and measuring to get the right amounts, but I’m thinking it should work. Use an eighth baking sheet. Hope that helps!
Mimi
I’ve made this cake for years in a 13×9 pan. Will have to try the larger pan. But my recipe calls for oil and this one does not. I wonder what the difference would be?
Shawn
I think the oil would make the cake a little more dense. The cake that this recipe makes is more on the light and fluffy side.
Cindy Trevey
My son has nut allergies. Can I omit the almond extract and effect the taste?
Shawn
It’ll not have that hint of almond flavor, but shouldn’t effect the overall cake.
Jill
Is artificial almond flavouring by allergen free?
Shawn
I would think so, but you’ll want to check the packaging first.
Libby
The recipe doesn’t say what to do with the other 3 (21 oz) cans of pie filling. Where does it go?
Libby
Just realized the recipe copy I got from Facebook has everything doubled except the number of cans of pie filling to put in the cake. It would be instructive to say in the recipe what to do with the other pie filling. Thanks
Shawn
The second can is for decorating the top of the cake. If you do not want to decorate it, it’s not needed.
Terri
Recipe calls for 2 cans of cherry pie filling. One goes in the cake and the other one is used to decorate the frosted cake to your liking.
Angela
I absolutely can not wait to try this just the pics look outta this world!!!
Shawn
Hope you enjoy the cake!
Sandrasue Knight
Glad to get this recipe. I can’t wait to make it. Read all your reviews, good. Thank you so much for sharing.
Kellen
Ok. I made the cake in a 9×13 pan, baked about 38-40 minutes. When I made the chocolate frosting somehow I confusingly put the 1 and 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream in the pan with the butter and sugar, and there was no way I was throwing it out so I added about 1/3 extra chocolate chips. Everyone loved it! Said it was so creamy and smooth.
I did use cool whip as the topping, with cherries and shaved chocolate. Served with chocolate cherry ice cream. Will make it again. Wish I could share a picture.
Jill DeFelice
Went looking for a Black Forest sheet cake for a church function that called for a celebration type cake. Like you, I had never seen the Pillsbury recipe or a sheet cake version! Absolutely wonderful to find it and I love that I can do the whipped cream ahead and keep the cake cold until serving. A winning recipe for sure!
Chriss
Hi Shawn,
I baked this cake several months ago using your recipe, and it was DELICIOUS! and I’m planning to make it again soon. Now the problem is I couldn’t remember which cake mix that I used haha…
Could you tell me which brand did you use? Thanks! 🙂
Shawn
I like to use Betty Crocker brand cake mixes. 🙂
Jane
Been making this for 30 years, so good! Friend that gave me the recipe called it funeral cake, since you could make, bake and frost it in an hour or less to take to a family quickly.
Marie Rosette
Can you use another fruit instead of cherry. Like apples or blackberry?
Shawn
I’m sure that would work! If using apple pie filling I would just cut up the apples a little more before mixing with the cake mix.
RebeccaG
How do you recommend storing? Covered on the counter or covered in the fridge?
This was delicious by the way!
Shawn
Oh man, sorry to get back to you so late! I prefer this kept in the fridge, but if you don’t put the whipped topping on top of the cake you can leave it on the counter covered too.
Pauline Mumford
This cake has been around for over 40 years as I have made it every year for my sons’ birthdays who are now 42 and 47. It was on the box of Pillsbury and Duncan Hines cakes and on page 117 of the Pillsbury Family Cookbook. I don’t think people should take credit for recipes as so many bloggers do today. Give credit where credit is due, then present it.
Shawn
I would honestly be so surprised if the Pillsbury recipe was the exact same as mine since I’ve never in my life seen the Pillsbury recipe. I don’t doubt that they have a recipe out there, I’m just saying I’ve never seen it. I also don’t doubt that I would be able to come up with a recipe that is similar to a Pillsbury recipe since I wrote recipes for Pillsbury for 3 years, I guess we just have similar styles of recipes. What I’m saying is that just because I came up with a recipe that happens to be similar to one that Pillsbury came out with 40 years ago doesn’t take anything away from Pillsbury or from my site. I didn’t “steal” their recipe. Great minds just think alike, as they say. 🙂 I’m glad you’ve enjoyed a recipe for so long and feel so passionate about it. I also love this recipe and have made it several times.