Black Forest Cake "Lasagna"

I've been on a bit of a lasagna kick lately.  We've had three different kinds of lasagna in the last couple of weeks and none of them have been the traditional, Italian type.

This Black Forest Cake Lasagna is something my brain dreamed up one day when I had a can of cherry pie filling in my pantry and wanted a unique way to use it up.  So, I just had to give it a go.  Thankfully my little experiment worked and it turned out quite tasty.  It's pretty easy to put together, too.  The only tricky part is slicing the cake into thirds but I have a solution for that which I'll explain below.

Hope you'll give this one a go.  And don't leave off the ganache, it really finishes the cake nicely.

Black Forest Cake Lasagna

1 German chocolate or Devil’s food cake prepared in a 9x13 pan and cooled (from a box mix is fine)
2 (4-serving size) boxes instant chocolate pudding
3 cups cold milk
1 can cherry pie filling

Ganache:
4 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate
6 tablespoons cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ tablespoon corn syrup
½ tablespoon vanilla extract

Prepare the pudding by whisking together pudding mix and milk in a medium sized bowl until pudding is dissolved.  Set bowl in the refrigerator to thicken while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

To prepare the ganache, heat together cream, butter, corn syrup, and vanilla; warm but do not boil.  Remove from heat and add the chocolate.  Let stand about 5 minutes or until the chocolate has completely melted.  Using a whisk, gently stir the mixture until the chocolate in incorporated.  Be careful to not whip air into the mixture though.  Set aside is a warm spot.

Slice cake into 3 layers.  The easiest way to do this is to cut the top third of the cake off and set aside.  If you have a steady hand continue by cutting the remaining cake in half lengthwise.  If you’re not so experienced at cake slicing you can divide the bottom two layers into 4 sections and then slice them in half to create the layers.  No one will see the bottom two layers do it doesn't matter if they are one whole piece or not.

Place one layer in the bottom of a 9x13-inch cake pan.

Spread ½ of the cherry pie filling over the cake.

Spread ½ of the chocolate pudding over the pie filling.

Repeat.

Place on top the top cake layer cut side up.

Pour ganache evenly over the top cake layer.  If some runs down the side, this is fine.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.  Serve with whipped cream and garnish with maraschino cherries, if desired.

Click HERE for a printable version of this recipe.

This recipe has been tested, repeatedly and for several days.  It passed with every bite.

Enjoy!