Black Forest Waffle Cake
Published July 29, 2021 • Updated March 7, 2026
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I built this keto black forest waffle cake with chocolate chaffle layers, cherry whipped cream frosting, and zero sugar. The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes, and the cherry extract trick gives you that classic flavor without the carbs.
I’ve been making waffle cakes for years, and this version is the one I pull out when I want something that looks like it took all afternoon. The chocolate chaffle layers are rich and spongy, and when you stack them with cherry whipped cream frosting, it tastes like the real thing (minus the carbs).
The base is my chocolate chaffle recipe with a few tweaks. I use cream cheese, eggs, almond flour, and melted sugar-free chocolate. The key is not overcooking them. I pull mine at exactly 2 minutes, even when they look slightly underdone. They firm up as they cool on a wire rack, and that soft center is what makes this feel like actual cake. If you cook them until they’re crispy, the whole thing turns dry. That’s the single biggest mistake I see people make with waffle cakes.
For the frosting, I whip heavy cream with powdered sweetener and cherry extract. I tested cherry jam in early versions and the flavor fell flat every time. Too much liquid, muddy taste. Cherry extract is what works, and I’d double it if you want the cherry to stand up against the chocolate. A reader named Heidi made four different keto versions before landing on mine specifically because the extract solved what jam couldn’t.
I make my layers in a small waffle iron, which gives you perfectly round layers that stack neatly. A larger iron works too, you’ll just get fewer, bigger layers. I typically get 6-8 small waffles from one batch.
If you like chaffle desserts, try my birthday cake chaffle for a vanilla spin, or the easy keto chocolate cake if you prefer the oven. My chocolate trifle and chocolate lava cake are two more I come back to.
Assembly tip that saves me every time: let the chaffle layers cool completely before stacking. Warm layers melt the whipped cream and the whole thing slides apart. I set mine on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Once cool, spread a generous layer of frosting between each one, then frost the outside. Keep it in the fridge until serving.
This is the kind of dessert that gets a reaction when you bring it out. I’ve served it at holiday dinners and people don’t believe it’s low carb. You can also freeze the individual chaffle layers (unassembled) for up to 2 months. I wrap them in parchment between each layer, then store the stack in a freezer bag. When I want cake, I thaw the layers, whip fresh frosting, and assemble. Cuts my active time in half.
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Waffle Cake Ingredients
2 eggs -
2 oz cream cheese, softened
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1/4 cup almond flour
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1/4 cup sugar free chocolate chips, melted
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2 teaspoons monk fruit blend sweetener
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1 teaspoon vanilla
Cherry Whipped Cream Frosting Ingredients
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1 cup heavy whipping cream
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1/4 cup powdered erythritol sweetener
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2 teaspoons cherry flavor extract
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red or pink food coloring, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Mix waffle batter
In a medium bowl, add eggs, cream cheese, almond flour, melted chocolate, sweetener and vanilla. Mix together using an electric mixer. NOTE: To melt chocolate, place in a microwave-safe bowl and melt at 30 second intervals until melted, stirring in between.
Make chocolate waffles
Pour a small amount of waffle batter into a small waffle maker and cook for 2-3 minutes or until waffle is set. Repeat with remaining batter, making waffles in the waffle iron. Waffles will be spongy instead of crispy.
Make cherry whipped cream frosting
Add heavy cream to a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form. Add in powdered sweetener and cherry extract. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Whip in food coloring if using to make a light pink frosting.
Assemble the waffle cake
Assemble cake layers by adding layers of whipped cream frosting in between each waffle and around the cake. Serve with your favorite sugar free ice cream.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze the chaffle layers?
I freeze them all the time. I wrap each layer individually in parchment paper, stack them in a freezer bag, and they keep for up to 2 months. I don't freeze them assembled because the whipped cream breaks down. When I'm ready, I thaw the layers at room temperature for about 15 minutes, whip fresh frosting, and assemble. It cuts my active time in half on busy nights.
How do I keep the chaffle layers from getting soggy?
I let my layers cool completely on a wire rack before assembling. If you stack them warm, the steam gets trapped and makes everything soggy. I also chill my bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes before whipping the cream, which gives me stiffer peaks that hold up between layers. The finished cake stays in the fridge, and mine have stayed perfectly layered for 3-4 days stored this way.
Can I make this dairy-free?
I've tested this with dairy-free cream cheese in the chaffle batter and it works fine. Pick one with a similar thick consistency to regular cream cheese. For the frosting, I've swapped in coconut cream (the thick part from a chilled can) and it whips up well. The flavor shifts slightly but my family didn't complain.
What can I use instead of almond flour?
I've tried both sunflower seed flour and coconut flour as swaps. Coconut flour absorbs a lot more liquid, so I add an extra egg and a splash of almond milk to the batter when I use it. Sunflower seed flour is closer to a 1:1 swap, but I find the chaffles come out slightly denser. Both work, I just prefer the texture with almond flour.
Can I use real cherries instead of cherry extract?
I've tried it both ways. Fresh cherries add too many carbs (about 16.5 net per cup), and the texture gets heavy once they release their juices into the frosting. Cherry jam is even worse. I tested jam across multiple batches and the flavor was always flat and muddy compared to extract. Extract gives you concentrated cherry flavor with zero carbs, and 1-2 teaspoons is all you need. If you want actual fruit in the layers, I'd go with a few fresh raspberries instead. They're much lower in carbs and hold up better in whipped cream. My strawberry shortcake recipe uses fresh berries the same way if you want another fruit-forward option.
How many net carbs per serving?
When I make this with 6 chaffle layers and split it into 8 slices, each slice comes in around 5-6g net carbs depending on the sweetener and chocolate I use. I use Lily's chocolate chips and Besti monk fruit sweetener. The frosting is mostly heavy cream, which keeps the carb count low.
What sugar-free chocolate brand works best?
I've been using Lily's chocolate chips in this recipe for a while now. A reader named Dana tried the 70% dark version and said it made a completely different cake, more intense and bittersweet. I tested it after reading her comment and I agree. The darker chocolate pairs better with the cherry cream. I've switched to the 70% permanently. If you can't find Lily's, any sugar-free chocolate chips that melt cleanly will work.
Can I make this ahead for a party?
I make this for gatherings all the time. The chaffle layers can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in a sealed container at room temperature, or frozen for up to 2 months. I whip the frosting the day of serving because it holds best when fresh. Assembly takes about 10 minutes once the layers are ready. The whole cake sits well in the fridge for 3-4 hours before serving, and it slices cleaner once it's been chilled. I've brought this to holiday dinners and it looks far more impressive than the effort suggests.
I was sure the '30 minutes' was optimistic for something with four waffle rounds and a from-scratch whipped cream. It's not. The small iron moves through the batter quickly and the cherry cream comes together while the last waffle cools. The keto layer cakes I've tried usually involve more work for less payoff. This one actually tastes like a real dessert.
'Real dessert' is exactly the bar.
Cherry whipped cream is the reason for batch four.
3.8 net carbs. That number made me look twice. My grandma made black forest cake for my birthday every year, real kirsch and everything, and after going keto I stopped expecting to find anything close. Made this on a random Tuesday, first time I've ever tried anything layered, and it somehow came together. The cherry extract in the whipped cream isn't exactly what she did but it hits the same spot. I was not ready for that. Already sent her the link.
Kirsch is hard to beat. 'Hits the same spot' is plenty.
Made this over the weekend and my waffles came out pretty inconsistent, some spots crispy and some still soft in the middle. Is there a visual cue to look for when they're done, or does the 2-3 minute timing hold pretty well across different waffle makers?
The timing doesn't hold across waffle makers. I watch for when the steam from the sides dies down to almost nothing. That's moisture still cooking off. For the crispy/soft patchwork you got, that's usually a preheat problem. I run mine a solid 3 minutes before the first batter, and I treat that first chaffle as a throwaway while it levels out.
double the melted chocolate in the batter. everything else is right.
More chocolate in the chaffle batter, noted. I've pushed it to 1/3 cup before but not the full half. Testing this week.
Almost skipped this because I wasn't sure I could pull off something this layered. But the cherry whipped cream came together so fast it kind of shocked me, and the waffle layers actually held their shape when I stacked them. Didn't expect that. Looked like something from a bakery and it was done in under 30 minutes. Making this for my mom's birthday next month. Can't believe something this impressive is that simple.
That stacking moment gets everyone. It's the crispy exterior from the waffle iron that holds the layers, regular cake just doesn't have that structure. I make mine the night before for parties, sealed container at room temp, then assemble the morning of. Refrigerate uncovered for about an hour before serving and the cream firms back up enough to slice clean. She's going to love it.
Used Lily's dark chocolate chips instead of regular sugar-free. The bitterness cuts through the cherry whipped cream and honestly made it taste closer to the real thing. One tip if your waffles come out soft: let them sit uncovered for 5 minutes before layering. They firm up and the frosting stops sliding.
Dana got me on the 70% dark Lily's a while back. Completely different cake. That trick about sitting uncovered before stacking, I need to add that to the post notes.
Swapped half the cherry extract for almond in the whipped cream. Tasted exactly like the Black Forest cake I grew up eating. Four stars because the cream softens fast at room temp, but cold from the fridge it holds perfectly.
Half cherry, half almond is a better ratio anyway. The cream's going to go soft past 20 minutes out. Slice cold, plate fast.
Brought this to my sister's birthday dinner last weekend and the cherry whipped cream is what got people. My aunt kept insisting I had used real cherries and got genuinely annoyed when I told her it was extract, like she couldn't wrap her head around it. The chocolate chaffle layers held up way better than I expected under all that frosting, no sogginess even after the cake sat for an hour before we cut into it. I made two stacks thinking that was plenty for eight people (it was not). Nobody at that table except me and my sister was keto, and not one person asked or cared because this thing looks and tastes like an actual dessert from a bakery. The fact that it took me 30 minutes to pull together still kind of kills me.
Your aunt's annoyance is basically a 5-star review. Three stacks for eight next time.
Made at least three keto black forest recipes and the cherry always disappoints, either too faint or straight-up candy. This one actually tastes like real cherry. Only note: I'd go a bit thicker on the waffle layers, but easy fix.
Cherry extract is finicky. Half a teaspoon off and you're at nothing or cough syrup. For thicker layers, add another tablespoon of batter.
I didn't have cherry extract so I just grabbed almond extract and hoped for the best (beginner move, I know), and it turned into this weirdly amazing marzipan-black-forest hybrid that I'm still thinking about. The chocolate chaffle layers were so dense and fudgy, nothing like I expected from a waffle batter. I have cherry extract on order now but I'm genuinely a little sad to move on from the accident.
Almond extract plus chocolate chaffle batter is basically marzipan in waffle form, so that accident makes complete sense. Don't abandon it when the cherry shows up.
Doubled the cherry extract because I was nervous one teaspoon wouldn't be enough, and it came through huge, way more flavor than I expected from something that small. Tip for other beginners: get the whipped cream to actual stiff peaks before you layer or the whole cake leans.
Double dose sounds like it really came through. And yes on the stiff peaks - I chill my bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before whipping, holds way longer than room temp.
Made this Saturday and my daughter walked in while I was assembling the layers and thought I'd bought it somewhere. When I told her it came out of the mini waffle maker she just stared at me. The cherry extract is what does it (she said it tasted like actual Black Forest cake from a bakery we used to go to). Making a double batch for her birthday in April.
Ha. Bakery confusion is the goal. Cherry extract does that every time. Her birthday double batch is going to be great.
Made a double batch of the chocolate waffles on Sunday and just kept the layers in the fridge to assemble through the week. The cherry whipped cream held up way longer than I expected (four days, still looked fine). By day three the layers soften a little, which is why I'm giving four stars instead of five, but the flavor actually gets better as it sits. Had no idea cherry extract was even a thing before this recipe and now I want to put it in everything.
Day three softening is real. The layers pull moisture from the cream the whole time they're sitting. Worth it for the flavor. Cherry extract on pretty much everything now.
Used a little less almond flour than the recipe calls for and the waffles came out almost fudgy instead of cakey, which I liked way better with the cherry whipped cream. If you try that, give them an extra 30 seconds in the waffle maker or they'll stick.
Fudgy with cherry cream sounds better than cakey anyway. Good call on the extra 30 seconds, mine stick too if I pull them early.