Black Forest Cake Recipe & Hint

I've had several requests for the recipe for the Black Forest Cake so here it is.  Although this recipe is not difficult to make there are several steps and thus it may be considered a more advanced level recipe.  As I said, you can bake the cake in advance.  Make sure it is cooled completely, then you can wrap it (uncut) in plastic wrap and leave it overnight.  The syrup can be mixed and boiled the day before and stored in the fridge.  I would make the whipped cream just before you are ready to assemble the cake and then the whole cake can be stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve it, up to a full day later.

The 9" cake needs to be cut into thirds.  It is a much denser and drier cake than, say, regular Chocolate Cake, so it's not as difficult as it sounds but you have to be careful.  I first marked the side of the cake with a knife into even thirds so I knew where to cut.  Then I used this tool
to saw my cake into layers.  I bought this way back in the 90s when I was in a cake decorating course and honestly, I don't think I've used it since.  It consists of a tense wire held in a frame and makes cutting the layers evenly much easier because you can set the height of the wire, which keeps your "sawing" consistent.  You can also use a serrated knife (slowly) or unflavoured dental floss.  If you have any questions, just let me know and I'll try to help. 

Cake:

3/4 cup cake & pastry flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

4 eggs

2 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

 

Kirsch Syrup

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 Tbsp kirsch

 

Chantilly Cream

3 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 14oz cans cherries in syrup, well drained

1 oz grated bittersweet chocolate

 

- Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease & flour a 9" cake pan

- sift flour & cocoa.  Put eggs & yolk in mixer bowl in pan with 1" simmering water.  Whisk sugar into eggs constantly about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Beat with whisk attachment until cool, thick and light, at med-hi for about 5-10 mins.

- sift 1/3 flour mix over eggs.  Fold.  Repeat 2 more times until just blended.  Fold 1 cup of batter into butter.  Fold butter mix back into batter.  Pour into pan.  Bake 22-24 mins.  Cool 10 mins in pan, then cool completely on rack.

- Syrup: place sugar and water in pan.  Bring to boil, then simmer 3 mins.  Remove from heat and stir in kirsch.  Cool completely.

- Cream: beat cream until starts to thicken.  Gradually add sugar.  Beat until soft peaks form.  Beat in vanilla.  Beat until stiff peaks form.

Assembly:

- reserve 12 cherries

- slice cake horizontally into 3 layers

- put top layer bottom-side up onto plate.  Use a brush to moisten with 1/3 syrup

- spread with 1/4 cream

- scatter 1/2 of cherries

- top with middle layer

- repeat: syrup, cream, cherries

- moisten top of bottom layer and place syrup side down on cream.  cover with cream, reserving 1 cup of cream to pipe 12 rosettes on top of cake.  Place a cherry on each rosette.  Sprinkle centre of cake with grated chocolate.

Comments

[sherry :O)]

Angie, that cake looks incredible!

Hey :-O ...I have one of those cake cutters too that I bought 2 years ago when my daughter & I took a cake decorating class over at Michaels Crafts.

We realized after the class that we would've done just fine with bringing in some disposable decorating bags and a few different tips.

Instead, we bought everything on their lengthy "suggestion list" (which is probably what they hope you'll do since they sell it all in their store)

Oh well.. it was still fun! ;o)

The only thing we didn't follow in that class was the instructor's recipe for decorator's icing. Her recipe was mostly shortening & sugar and I knew that a real buttercream (w/butter, not shortening) works perfectly for decorating and tastes MUCH better.

I'm like you though.. I haven't used that cake slicer since I took the class. When I slice cakes, I use a long (sharp) serrated knife to slice the cake right in the center, then I slide a thin cookie sheet with no lips on it between the two sections and ~whala~ I pick up the top section & slide it on its cooling rack. Never fails!

I can't wait to try your Black Forest cake! MMmmmm.