Rich, decadent, and easy-to-make Black Forest Hot Chocolate marries the flavors of deep chocolate and fruity cherries. And it whips up in just 10 minutes for the perfect anytime indulgence!
I’ve been in the mood for a beautiful slice of Black Forest Cake for a while now.
If you aren't familiar with Black Forest Cake, it’s a completely gorgeous over-the-top confection.
It has layers of chocolate sponge cake sandwiched with whipped cream and cherry filling. The top is adorned with more cream, cherries, and chocolate curls.
It’s a decadent, delicious work of art.
As you can imagine, this cake is quite an undertaking to make. And as you might have guessed, it’s quite a calorie-fest too!
So instead, for now, I made Black Forest Hot Chocolate to satisfy my craving. Of course it doesn’t have quite the same wow factor as a massive cake. But then again, it only takes 10 minutes to whip up, and it features all the same flavors.
This delicious beverage is warming, rich and chocolatey, and creamy with a beautifully balanced flavor profile. Cherry adds a touch of sweet/tart fruity flavor that really makes this hot chocolate stand out as something special.
If you've never made it before, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to make hot chocolate from scratch! It's so better than a powdered mix. And it's absolutely perfect for cozying up with on a chilly day.
Here’s What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- Rich and creamy. Here we use whole milk for a creamy texture, and if you want to make it even more rich and creamy, swap out half of the milk for half and half.
- The perfect blend of cocoa powder and dark chocolate. Cocoa powder adds depth and complexity and enhances the flavor of good-quality dark chocolate.
- Chocolate + cherry is a delicious pairing. The fruity sweet/tart flavor of cherry marries perfectly with chocolate.
- Quick and easy to make. Say goodbye to powdered hot cocoa mix! It’s so quick and easy to make from scratch, and so much more delicious.
The Best Black Forest Hot Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients in Black Forest Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate:
- Whole milk
- Granulated sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Amarena cherry juice
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- 72% dark chocolate
Toppings:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Amarena cherries
- Dark chocolate curls
Step by Step Tutorial for How to Make Hot Chocolate
- Chop the chocolate.
- Add the milk, sugar, cocoa powder, cherry juice, vanilla, and salt to a small-medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk to combine.
- Bring it to a simmer, whisking occasionally.
- Once simmering, whisk in the chopped chocolate.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute, whisking constantly. Pour into 2 mugs and top each with half of the whipped cream, 1 cherry, and 1 teaspoon chocolate curls. Serve immediately.
Equipment for This Recipe
Tips for Making Black Forest Hot Chocolate
- If you can’t find Amarena cherries. There are a couple different substitutes you can use instead of Amarena cherries. You can use Luxardo cherries or regular maraschino cherries.
- Don’t skip the salt. The end result won’t be salty, we just need a little bit of salt to balance the sweetness and pull out the other flavors. I like to use sea salt if I have it on hand.
- In a pinch you can use whipped cream from a can. But if possible, I recommend taking a couple minutes to whip cream to soft peaks. It’s easy to do, and there’s no comparison in terms of flavor!
Black Forest Hot Chocolate FAQs
What is Black Forest Flavor?
Black Forest Cake was the inspiration for this hot cocoa recipe!
Black Forest is a German cake with layers of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream, cherries, and shaved chocolate for decoration.
Here we use the same flavors of chocolate, cherry, and whipped cream in this warming drink.
What is the Difference Between Amarena Cherries and Maraschino Cherries?
Amarena cherries have a sweet/tart intense cherry flavor. Additionally, they are usually smaller with a deep mahogany color.
On the other hand, maraschino cherries are usually dyed bright red and soaked in sugar syrup with a variety of preservatives and additives.
What is the Difference Between Hot Chocolate and Hot Cocoa?
Hot cocoa is usually made from milk, sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Alternatively, hot chocolate is typically made from chocolate melted into milk, cream, or another liquid.
As a result, hot cocoa is thinner and less rich than hot chocolate. Sometimes hot chocolate is so rich that it tastes like a chocolate bar in liquid form!
More Delicious Hot Chocolate Recipes to Make
- Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate
- Drinking Chocolate (French Hot Chocolate)
- Protein Hot Chocolate
- White Hot Chocolate
- 5-Minute Low Carb Hot Chocolate
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Black Forest Hot Chocolate
Equipment
Ingredients
Hot Chocolate:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon Amarena cherry juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ ounces 72% dark chocolate chopped
Toppings:
- 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream whipped to soft peaks
- 2 Amarena cherries
- 2 teaspoons dark chocolate curls
Instructions
- Add the milk, sugar, cocoa powder, cherry juice, vanilla, and salt to a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine.
- Once simmering, whisk in the chopped chocolate.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute, whisking constantly.
- Pour into 2 mugs and top each with half of the whipped cream, 1 cherry, and 1 teaspoon chocolate curls.
- Serve immediately.
Faith's Tips
- Amarena Cherries Substitute: If you can’t find Amarena cherries, there are a couple different substitutes you can use instead of Amarena cherries. You can use Luxardo cherries or regular maraschino cherries.
- Salt Tip: Don’t skip the salt. The end result won’t be salty, we just need a little bit of salt to balance the sweetness and pull out the other flavors. I like to use sea salt if I have it on hand.
- Homemade Whipped Cream: In a pinch you can use whipped cream from a can. But if possible, I recommend taking a couple minutes to whip cream to soft peaks. It’s easy to do, and there’s no comparison in terms of flavor!
Nutrition
Colette | Coco in the Kitchen says
I'm not waiting for cold weather for this! It looks SO yummy!