This black forest pie is the stunning no bake dessert that looks like it took hours but comes together with just five simple ingredients! Rich and creamy chocolate mousse, a chocolaty cookie crust, fluffy whipped topping, and glossy cherry pie filling make this black forest dessert completely irresistible. If you're looking for a showstopping dessert that requires zero baking and delivers maximum wow factor, this is it!
Jump to:
- 🍒Easy No Bake Dessert Inspired By German Black Forest Cake
- ✅This Black Forest Pie Is Perfect for Every Season and Celebration
- 😍Just 5 Ingredients Stand Between You And This Dreamy Black Forest Pie
- 🔪How To Make Black Forest Pie
- 🌿Healthy Ingredient Substitutions
- 📖Easy Recipe Variations
- 🍽Essential Equipment Needed
- 🍶Storing Your Black Forest Pie
- ✅Betty's Top Tip
- ❓Black Forest Pie FAQ
- 🍒More Easy Recipes With Cherry Pie Filling
- 🥧More No Bake Pies
- 📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions
- 💬 Comments
🍒Easy No Bake Dessert Inspired By German Black Forest Cake
Black forest cake is a beloved German classic traditionally made with chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream, and cherries. This recipe takes all of those iconic black forest dessert flavors and transforms them into the easiest no bake pie imaginable! Just like our Chocolate Cherry Cake, this black forest pie delivers every bit of that rich chocolate and cherry magic without ever turning on your oven.
✅This Black Forest Pie Is Perfect for Every Season and Celebration
This black forest pie truly shines at every single occasion you can think of! From holiday dessert tables to summer potlucks and cozy winter gatherings, this easy scrumptious dessert fits in perfectly everywhere. No matter the occasion, this luscious no bake dessert consistently steals the show every single time it hits the table!
😍Just 5 Ingredients Stand Between You And This Dreamy Black Forest Pie
You read that right--just five simple ingredients are all you need to create this stunning black forest pie! No complicated techniques, no long grocery lists, and absolutely no baking required for this incredible dessert. Scroll down to the ingredients list below and you'll be amazed at how simple and accessible everything really is!
- premade chocolate pie crust: saves time and provides a rich, crunchy chocolate base without any baking required
- Cool Whip: stabilized whip creates a fluffy, cloud-like layer that holds its shape beautifully when you slice into the pie
- instant chocolate pudding: sets up quickly with milk to create a dense, silky chocolate layer that slices perfectly
- milk: cold milk is essential to activate the instant pudding mix, ensuring it thickens into a perfectly smooth texture
- cherry pie filling: canned cherry pie filling delivers that iconic sweet-tart flavor and glossy look
- semi-sweet or dark chocolate baking bar (optional): used for chocolate curls (garnish)
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪How To Make Black Forest Pie
Step 1: Spread some of the defrosted whip onto the bottom of the crust.
Step 2: Reserve ½ cup of whip for the next step; mix the remaining with prepared chocolate pudding.
Step 3: Add pudding mixture to the pie shell, followed by reserved whip.
Step 4: Top with cherries and allow to set in fridge before slicing and serving.
For step-by-step instructions, see the printable recipe card below.
Hint: For the top layer, you only need a light and even layer of whipped topping. Spread it gently from the center outward. Try to leave about a one inch border of the chocolate pudding layer visible around the edge. This creates a gorgeous layered presentation. Take your time and spread slowly so you don't disturb those beautiful layers underneath!
🌿Healthy Ingredient Substitutions
- Sugar-Free Pudding: Use a sugar-free variety to significantly cut down on the overall sugar content.
- No-Sugar-Added Cherries: Look for a "no sugar added" or "lite" version of canned cherry pie filling at the grocery store. You can also use a natural brand to avoid high fructose corn syrup. (Keep in mind the syrup tends to be thinner/runnier with these options.)
- Lite or Fat-Free Whipped Topping: Reduced-fat or fat-free whip easily cuts down on calories and fat while keeping that signature fluffy texture.
📖Easy Recipe Variations
- White Forest Pie: Trade the chocolate cookie crust for a pre-made graham cracker or shortbread crust. Use instant white chocolate pudding instead of regular chocolate. Top with the standard Cool Whip and cherry pie filling!
- Black Forest Cheesecake Pie: Skip the pudding layer. Instead, beat an 8-ounce block of softened, full-fat cream cheese with half a cup of powdered sugar, then fold in the entire tub of Cool Whip. Spread this creamy, no-bake cheesecake mixture into the chocolate crust and top with the cherries.
- Black Forest Ice Cream Pie: Swap the bottom whip and pudding layers for a pint of softened chocolate or cherry-vanilla ice cream. Spread it into your pre-made chocolate crust and freeze until solid. Then finish it off with the whipped topping, a drizzle of hot fudge, and canned cherries right before serving.
See Ridiculously Easy Cool Whip Recipes for more great whip dessert ideas!
🍽Essential Equipment Needed
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- spreading spatula
- slotted spoon
🍶Storing Your Black Forest Pie
- Fridge: Store any leftover Black Forest Pie loosely covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer: This pie freezes beautifully! Wrap it tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. You can even serve it partially frozen for a fun "ice cream pie" texture!
- Make-Ahead: This is the perfect dessert to make ahead of time. You can assemble the entire pie up to 24 hours in advance--just keep it chilled in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
✅Betty's Top Tip
Drain the Cherries! For the absolute best presentation and sliceable texture, don't just pour the entire can of cherry pie filling on top! Instead, use a slotted spoon to gently scoop the cherries out of the can; tap the spoon inside the can, then run it over the edge of the can. This allows the excess syrup to drain, preventing your beautiful white whipped layer from getting soggy or bleeding pink. By following this tip, you get all that delicious cherry flavor and picture-perfect layers!
❓Black Forest Pie FAQ
Traditional German Black Forest cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) gets its name and signature flavor from layers of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream, cherries, and Kirsch (a clear cherry liqueur). This easy no-bake pie takes that classic flavor trio of rich chocolate, fluffy cream, and sweet cherries, and turns it into a quick, family-friendly dessert without the alcohol or the oven!
Yes, this is the perfect make-ahead dessert! Since it's a no-bake pie, it actually benefits from chilling in the fridge so the instant chocolate pudding and Cool Whip layers can beautifully set up. You can easily assemble it 12 to 24 hours in advance.
If you have leftovers, this pie will keep well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Be sure to loosely cover it with plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container so the whipped topping doesn't dry out or absorb other fridge odors.
Adding chocolate curls is a great way to make this simple pie look like it came from a bakery! Just take a chilled bar of semi-sweet or dark chocolate and run a standard vegetable peeler down the side of the bar to create wide curls, or along the edge for narrower shavings. Sprinkle them over the cherries right before serving.
I prefer Cool Whip (or a store-brand version) for this recipe because it's stabilized. If you want to use homemade whipped cream, I would only use it as a garnish or topping, but not as an ingredient in the pie itself.
🍒More Easy Recipes With Cherry Pie Filling
Here are some of our other favorite easy desserts with cherry pie filling:
🥧More No Bake Pies
Looking for more no bake pies like this Black Forest Pie? Try these, or head over to our Easy Desserts page:
📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions
No Bake Black Forest Pie
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- spreading spatula
- slotted spoon
- vegetable peeler (only needed if making chocolate curls)
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Ingredients
- 1 premade chocolate pie crust
- 8 oz Cool Whip defrost overnight in fridge for best stabilized whip
- 3.9 oz instant chocolate pudding (4 serving size box) DO NOT follow directions on the box
- 1 cup cold milk
- 21 oz can cherry pie filling
- 4 oz semisweet or dark chocolate baking bar optional for chocolate curls garnish
Instructions
- Spread 1 cup of whip into bottom of chocolate crust; set aside.
- Make pudding by combining pudding mix with 1 cup of cold milk (do not follow instructions on the box). Whisk until set and somewhat firm.
- Reserve ½ cup of whip for the topping. Gently fold the remaining into the pudding to create a chocolate mousse. Do not stir vigorously as this can affect the overall consistency.
- Carefully spread mousse over whip in pie shell; spread mousse to crust's edges.
- Spread reserved ½ cup plain whip on top of mousse, leaving a 1 inch border/ring of exposed mousse around the crust's edge.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove cherries from can, taking time to drain some of the syrup back into the can. Dollop partially drained cherries by the spoonful onto the plain whip on top.
- Cover pie with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours to set.
- Before serving, you may choose to add chocolate curls to the top. Run a chocolate baking bar's edge along a vegetable peeler to create curls for a beautiful presentation.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional information is provided by a third party service and is intended for guidance purposes only. KitchenReadyBetty.com makes no claims to its accuracy.
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