Black Forest Cake with Luxardo Cherries (Betty Crocker Wednesday Cake Mix)

There’s something moody, dark, and delicious about a Black Forest cake — and when I spotted the new Betty Crocker “Wednesday” Dark Chocolate Cake Mix, I knew it was the perfect base for this classic dessert. The mix itself has deep chocolate flavor inspired by the show Wednesday, and with a few little tweaks, it transforms beautifully into a Black Forest–style cake.

Instead of using just plain water like the box calls for, I decided to swap part of the liquid for the syrup from Luxardo Maraschino Cherries. If you’ve tried these cherries before, you know their syrup is rich and thick, almost like a cherry liqueur without the alcohol. To balance the thickness and keep the cake light, I mixed ¼ cup Luxardo syrup with ¼ cup water to create ½ cup of cherry liquid, then added another ½ cup of plain water. This gave the cake a subtle but noticeable cherry depth without weighing down the batter.

The result is a moist, dark chocolate cake layered with whipped cream and cherries — and honestly, I think Wednesday Addams herself would approve. To give it a playful, spooky twist, I added extra Luxardo cherries on top and some eye-shaped sprinkles, making it perfect for a Halloween dessert or any moody celebration.

If you would like to see how I made this cake, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

Let’s start with the recipe.

Recipe: Black Forest Cake with Luxardo Cherries

Yield 8inch or 9inch 2 layer cake.

Baker’s Note

Luxardo syrup is much thicker than regular cherry juice. To keep your cake light and fluffy while still bringing in the cherry flavor, mix ¼ cup Luxardo syrup with ¼ cup water and use that in place of part of the water. You’ll end up with ½ cup cherry liquid + ½ cup water total, which is just right for the mix.

Also, you can decide to use regular maraschino cherries which are a bit cheaper than the brand I mentioned before.