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A stack of Black Forest brownies on a plate, with a glass of milk and more brownies behind the plate.
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Black Forest Brownies

These brownies take flavor inspiration from the classic German Black Forest Cake. It features fresh cherries baked into a rich dark chocolate brownie swirled with vanilla cream cheese. Though the final dessert looks difficult to make, they’re actually fairly easy. Just make sure to bring the cream cheese to room temperature before making the filling, as cold cream cheese will never smooth out, no matter how much you beat and mix it. I have a section above on how to quickly bring cream cheese to room temperature.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword brownie, cheesecake, cherries, chocolate, cream cheese
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 24
Calories 317kcal
Author Irvin

Ingredients

Cherry mix-in

  • 1 cup pitted and halved cherries 150 g before pitting, 135 g after pitting
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or raspberry vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar

Cheesecake filling

  • 8 ounces softened cream cheese 225 g or 1 brick
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup white sugar 67 g
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Brownie batter

  • 1 cup unsalted butter 225 g or 2 sticks
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar 300 g
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 110 g
  • 1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa 110 g
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso or instant coffee
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips 165 g
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    Lightly spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan with cooking oil then line it with parchment paper, making sure about an inch of paper is overhanging the edges.
    Make the cherry mix-in by pitting the cherries then cutting them in half. In a non-reactive bowl (glass, plastic or stainless steel) mix the fruit with balsamic vinegar and sugar, then set aside.
    Left image is cherries, balsamic vinegar and sugar in a bowl. Right image is ingredients mixed together.
  • Make the cheesecake filling placing the room temperature cream cheese, egg, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
    It’s important that the cream cheese has softened and is at room temperature, otherwise the filling won’t be smooth. I have a section above that tells you how to quickly bring it to room temperature if you forgot.
    Whisk ingredients together with a balloon whisk until all the ingredients are blended together and smooth.
    Left image is cream cheese, egg, white sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt in a small glass mixing bowl. Right image is all the ingredients whisked together until smooth with a balloon whisk in the bowl with the mixture.
  • Make the brownie batter by placing the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook in 30 second intervals, until the butter is melted. Once the butter is liquid, stir it thoroughly with a balloon whisk to make sure the sugar and cocoa is dissolved.
    Left image is butter, white sugar, dark brown sugar, and cocoa in a microwave safe bowl. Right image is ingredients heated in the microwave until the butter has melted, and the entire mixture whisked together with a balloon whisk.
  • Stir in the vanilla, kosher salt, espresso powder, and baking. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next one. The batter should be shiny and glossy.
    Left image is an egg added to the brownie mixture. Right image is the egg whisked into the brownie batter, with the mixture starting to look glossy and shiny.
  • Add the flour and gently fold it in, making sure not to overmix.
    Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the batter and set aside in a small bowl for later.
    Left image is brownie batter in a bowl, with flour added to it. Right image is flour folded into the brownie batter.
  • Add the chocolate chips and mix it in. Repeat with the cherries, including any liquid that has accumulated in the bottom, making sure both the chocolate and the cherries are evenly distributed through the batter.
    Left image is cherries added to the brownie batter. Right image is chocolate chips added to the brownie batter.
  • Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it out. Spoon the cream cheese filling over the batter.
    Left image is brownie batter in prepared baking pan. Right image is cream cheese filling spooned over it the brownie batter.
  • Mix in 1 tablespoon of milk to the reserve brownie batter to thin it out. Drizzle and spoon the batter over the cream cheese filling.
    Left image is milk added to some reserved brownie batter. Right image is thinned out brownie batter with the milk stirred in.
  • Using a butter knife or chopstick, swirl and marble the brownie and cream cheese batter together. Don’t overmix, just swirl enough to create a pretty pattern.
    Bake in the oven for 27 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownie comes out clean (check a few spots, as you may hit a cherry which will give a false reading).
    Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Then grab the sides of the parchment paper that is overhanging the pan and lift the entire brownie up and out of the pan. Move to a cutting board and cut to serve.
    Left image is thinned out brownie batter spooned over the cream cheese filling. Right image is a hand swirling and marbling the batter with a chopstick.

Nutrition

Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.8g | Protein: 6.4g | Fat: 18.5g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 2181mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 15.6g | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 1mg