Love and Olive Oil

Frozen Black Forest Tart

Frozen Black Forest Tart

Hold your horses people, because I have news for you:

IT’S STILL SUMMER.

Seriously, as long as the days are sticky and humid and 90, I will not touch a can of pumpkin.

I refuse.

And until I can’t stand it any longer and have to turn on the heater and put on a sweater,

I’m still making ice cream.

Well, probably after too. But regardless…

Frozen Black Forest Tart

It is in protest of the impending season that I present this refreshing no-bake dessert. Regardless of the weather, it comes together lickety split and will get gobbled up just as fast. Not to mention it’s, like, totally impressive when you slice into the pie to find a perfectly preserved cross-section of sweet red cherries.

Frozen Black Forest Tart

This tart is made up of 3 simple components, which come together in a fluted circle of frozen bliss:

A buttery chocolate wafer cookie crust, with a hint of salt and dark chocolate flavor (my favorite part, that salty kick).

A base of halved sweet cherries, red and ripe and frosty, creating an intriguing scallop pattern in each and every slice (actually THIS might be the best part of all).

Frozen Black Forest Tart

And finally, a light chocolate mousse, which takes on a delightful texture when frozen, something akin to a frozen chocolate cloud. This is not a dense and overly rich chocolate pie, rather, the filling is surprisingly light, retaining the airy nature of the whipped cream with a delicate chocolate flavor. Oh, and did I mention it’s spiked with kirsch (hence the black forest designation)?

I take it back – the ENTIRE tart is my favorite part, this I can surely say. And this “queen” of tarts will steal your hearts, all on a summer’s day.

Frozen Black Forest Tart

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Ingredients:

For Crust:

  • 8 ounces chocolate wafer cookies (about 32 cookies)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon semisweet chocolate chips

For Filling:

  • 1 pound sweet cherries, pitted and halved
  • 1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 2 tablespoons kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • additional whipped cream, for topping (optional)

Directions:

To prepare crust, pulse cookies, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until finely ground and no large chunks remain. In a microwave safe container, warm butter and chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Drizzle over crumb mixture and pulse until evenly moistened. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a lightly buttered 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Tip: use a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup to easily and firmly press the crumb mixture into the tart pan for nice, crisp edges.

Place tart pan on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour or until firm. Arrange halved cherries in a single layer in the bottom of the pan; return to freezer until ready to use. Reserve any leftover cherries for garnish.

To prepare filling, place chocolate chips and 1/4 cup cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on medium heat, stirring every 15 to 20 seconds, until chocolate is just barely melted and smooth. Stir in kirsch and let cool to lukewarm.

In a metal mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip remaining heavy cream and granulated sugar until it forms soft peaks. Add 1/3 of whipped cream to melted chocolate to lighten; add remaining whipped cream and fold until just incorporated and no streaks remain.

Pour mousse into crust, spreading into crevices between cherries. Smooth top with a spatula. Return to freezer and and freeze for at least 1 hour or until completely firm. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing and serving, topped with additional whipped cream and cherries, if desired.

All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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51 Comments

  1. Absolutely love your creative idea with frozen black forest tart! Never seen something like this! Definitely i will try to make it too! I found your post from Pinterest! I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing!

  2. This looks amazing!! I still have a bottle of kirsch and wondering what shall I do except the black forrest cake – this one looks easier and great for the summer… will do it as soon as I have an occasion! :) thanks for the recipe!

  3. This pie is gorgeous! I’m sure it tastes amazing too.

  4. Serious gorgeousness.  I am beyond impressed!

  5. Looks just right for me! I am going to make tomorrow! Are the cherries canned or fresh?

    • I used fresh cherries here. I think canned or frozen ones would be too “weepy” so definitely use fresh if you can find them!

  6. We are definitely experiencing fall in this part of the country, but I put lots of cherries in the freezer this summer for just such an occasion. Definitely making this one soon! 

  7. We have some fantastic cooks in the family that make meatballs the size of a fist, breaded chicken to die for, and Italian wedding soup that rivals any restaurant. However, our family focuses more on the savory than the sweet. This recipe seems perfect, with the balance of chocolate and cherries. There are not a ton of ingredients and the recipe doesn’t seem overly complicated, so I think( or hope) that I can make this dessert without too many problems. This recipe sounds perfect for any time of year, but it would be a delicious to cool off on a hot day.

  8. Oh my, these photos are gorgeous!! I can not wait to have a slice of this…okay a fewslices ;)

  9. Thank you!  This looks amazing!

  10. This is almost too beautiful to eat! Love the colors and flavors.

  11. Just discovered you today while searching for other Nashville bloggers. Love your site and I am pinning this recipe!

  12. Great consistency in this tart! Awesome job.

  13. Holy cow, Lindsay, what a crazy spectacular recipe! I am absolutely making this. And I love the little cherries peeking out in every slice. PS I totally agree with you about summer. There’s no pumpkin in my pantry =)

  14. This looks unbelievable and such beautiful photography! Black forest tart is easily one of my all-time favorite desserts and flavor combos.

  15. this looks so good! Question – how long can I leave this in then freezer?

    • If you can cover it to prevent freezer burn, I think it’d keep pretty well for a few weeks! Although the cherries definitely get more frosty the longer it’s in there.

  16. Couldn’t agree with you more, summer ain’t over yet! I can’t break out the pumpkin etc. while there are still so many great later summer produce to enjoy! This tarts is beautiful, by the way. Love the scalloped look of the cherries in every slice!

  17. OMG…. this is just the prettiest cake I have ever seen. I love the dark chocolate crust mixed with the color of the cherries. Nice!

  18. This is one of the most beautiful cakes I’ve ever seen. I wish my cakes looked like that. I so need to make this while the weather is still hot and sunny :)

  19. OMG – yum! i am totally going to make this, thanks so much for sharing! gorgeous photos by the way!

  20. This is absolutely stunning! Love the combination of chocolate and cherries. Pinned!

  21. Mmm this sounds perfect!

  22. Ahhhhhh, your tart is beautiful! And seriously, your pictures are just perfection. Really!

  23. This looks so delicious. Love the photos!

  24. I am so ready for fall and this tart!!

  25. Guilty of diving into fall already! I picked apples last weekend at the one farm because they were ready. I probably won’t open the pumpkin until October though ;) Absolutely love this tart! Cherries and chocolate – can’t beat it.

    P.S. I will still make ice cream when there’s 2 feet of snow on the ground and -10 degrees outside.

  26. I seriously want to live inside your mouth.

  27. Perfection! Absolutely gorgeous! I must admit, I’m getting excited for Fall, but am not ready to bust out the Fall recipes just yet. There are definitely a couple more ice creams happening first!

  28. I have to admit there’s definitely a bit of fall in the breeze here in NY – but I’d still totally eat this tart!

  29. This is stunning! While I couldn’t be happier summer is ending weather-wise, that doesn’t mean I won’t make frozen desserts all winter :) The more cold the better!

  30. Wow! My heart is stolen away by this tart Lindsay. I will be holding on to the summer (ahem kirsch) until the heat is gone ;)

  31. The most gorgeous looking black forest tart I have ever seen! I would probably end up eating the entire dish myself!

  32. Ill make some more room for summer just so I can whip up this tart! Gorgeous!

  33. I’m so tied between total excitement for fall and complete mourning of the end of summer. BUT this tart looks so good, I love anything with cherries. Have never actually frozen mousse before!

  34. I’m with you, girl! Still summer in my book, though I hate that everyone seems to ignore the fact that post-Labor Day until October is clearly apple season. There’s no need to jump straight to pumpkin. My motto is that if you can’t harvest it, it’s not time for you to be posting about it. Anywho, this is a stunner of a tart!

  35. Yes! Amen, lady. Last I checked summer still has 17 more days. Also, it’s like 80 out here, get the darn pumpkin out of my face! I’m so with you on this. So, so with you :)

  36. Hooray for no pumpkin until at least Oct 1. At least that’s my goal. It’s chilly here but it’s just not pumpkin season yet in my eyes. But WOW I want a giant slice of this gorgeous tart!

  37. Wow, this is absolutely STUNNING, Lindsay!! I love how everything goes together and how it’s layered. I 110% agree. NO PUMPKIN til October. People are totally rushing it. It’s still in the 80s here!

  38. This is absolutely lovely and I also love that it’s “no bake”. Summer in the tropics extends well into November and having the oven on makes my windows fog up in the humidity. It feels like I live inside of a gin and tonic when I bake in the sweltering heat!
    I must say, Love & Olive Oil…your attention to detail and your food/photo styling is among the best out there. Your graphic design sensibilities shine through. The site’s redesign is super. Kudos! And…Thanks, you guys always make my day.
    I have a small question…chocolate wafer cookies….I know you don’t typically (nor do any bloggers really) share brand names…but in looking for chocolate wafers at my local supermarket recently for another project, I was unable to find ANY at all in the giant cookie aisle. Vanilla only. I went with chocolate Teddy Grahams because I didn’t want the hassle of clearing out the Oreo Middles. Anyone else have a brand name for chocolate wafers?

  39. It’s still hot here too so I agree, as long as it’s hot, it’s still Summer! This looks absolutely gorgeous. I’ll take 2 please!

  40. Beautiful photos!!!

  41. Beautiful!! And I love the cherries on the bottom. :)

    Cheers to summer!

  42. This looks out of this world. I may need to step out of my comfort zone and give this a try.

  43. omg Linds this is gorgeous!!! Looks absolutely delicious!! Amen to Summer not being over – Pumpkin is for October, thank you very much!!

  44. Thank you for using kirsch, too many BF imposters out there with no kirsch!!

  45. THIS Is BEAUTIFUL!!! And I totally concur, it’s still summer! Which is why I posted pina coladas today. Pumpkin and apples can wait – it’s still 90F here! A slice of this tart would go.down.so.easily!

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