Black Forest cake: let’s bake

The only secret of this Black Forest cake (other cakes of this blog are here) is: do not spare the cherries.

Kirsch or cognac for soaking cherries for several hours before assembling the cake is optional and just if using alcohol in baking is right for you (remember that cherries are not heat-treated and they are soaked in alcohol).

Dark chocolate. In principle. As dark as it delicious for you. For this recipe I’ve used Fazer Tumma Suklaa 44% and yes, it’s good.

Black Forest cake decor is simpler than you can wonder. Just melt chocolate, then spread thickly, roll and freeze. All details of the process are following.

You may bake the sponge up to day or two ahead or freeze up to month. The same comment touches to chocolate roll.

This is a good opportunity to spread the load on the chef and I personally use this tip every time. In a case of the ‘I want a Black Forest cake this evening!’ idea has arisen in your head, all that remains for you is to whip the cream and filling. Hyvä!

Black forest

classical cake which doesn’t need to be introduced

Ingredients

For 16 cm cake of three layers
Sponge cake

175 g softened butter
200 g brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste
100 g melted dark chocolate
2 tbsp cacao powder
1/2 tsp soda
50 g soured cream
100 g cream cheese

Icing

• 250 g softened butter
• 500 g icing sugar
• 100 g soured cream
• 2 tsp vanilla paste

Chocolate shards

• 300 g melted chocolate
• 1 tbdp cocoa

Filling

• 150 g double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 400 g cherries (plus kirsch or cognac if it’s your choice; I skip this step)

Instruction

Sponge cake (you may bake the sponge cake up to 24 hours ahead or freeze up to month)

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C.
2. Beat butter wirh sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one by one, then vanilla paste, melted chocolate, flough, cocoa and soda until combined completely.
3. Finally add soured cream.
4. Divide the dough into three parts and put it into three prepared 16 cm cake tins (I use a metal ring, which I wrap with foil, forming a bottom).
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Cool the sponges in the tins for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate shards (the same idea: make the shards beforehand)

1. Melt chocolate then spread thickly on a baking paper.
2. Roll up the paper then put in a freezer.

Icing

1. Beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Add soured cream and vanilla.

Filling

1. Beat double cream until soft peaks. Then add sugar.
2. Put cherries into alcohol if decide not to skip this step.

Assembling

1. Put the first spongeon a plate. Spread over the icing, then scatter cherries.
2. Make the same with other sponges.
3. Cover the cake top and its sides with icing.

Decoration

1. Carefully unfold the chocolate roll and separate into long and thin shards. Thin is a keyword. Sift cocoa on shards.
2. Stick the shards on the cake sides.
3. Put the filling on top of the cake and arrange cherries on top.

The recipe and decor idea are based on Delicious Magazine and its December issue of 2019.

P.S. All cherries in this cake, harvested and then frozen, are from my garden.