Black Forest Cake

This gateau is the most German of all cakes: Black Forest Cake! My idea of the perfect version has soft and tender cake layers wielding enough chocolate flavour without being overwhelming. Jarred rather than fresh cherries are my other trick, because they just work that much better with the cake. And most importantly to me, it’s not too sweet, so you can actually taste all the elements rather than just a pile of sugar!!

To our dear German readers out there – how do you rate my efforts??

Black Forest Cake

I’ve never been completely happy with Black Forest Cake recipes I’ve tried in the past – from traditional German cookbooks to recipes by notable bakeries and online. Niggly problems seem to be the bane of this cake. Often the cake layers are too dry (a very common offender). Other times it isn’t constructed right. Or the wrong type of cherries are used. Or – and the biggest issue for me – the cake is just far too sweet and sugar obliterates everything.

So I took the best bits to formulate what I want in a Black Forest Cake and constructed what I think is The Perfect Black Forest Cake. Here’s what makes it so!

• Three chocolate cake layers – Tender and moist layers that are still sturdy enough to hold up to the (considerable!) mass of toppings and the all-essential cherry syrup soaking. The sponge is chocolate-y but not overwhelmingly so (save that kind of excess for Chocolate Cake!);

• Cherry syrup that actually tastes of cherries, not just tooth-aching sweetness from sugar;

• Vanilla cream, just lightly sweetened (notice a theme here?); and

• Jarred rather than fresh cherries – Jarred cherries simply work better in this cake from a textural point of view. They’re softer and so meld better with the other ingredients when you eat the cake. I tried fresh cherries in their prime during summer and they honestly weren’t as good!

If all this sounds pretty good to you, then I dare say this might just be YOUR idea of a perfect Black Forest Cake too!

What goes in Black Forest Cake

1. Chocolate cake layers

Here’s what you need to make the three cake layers:

Nothing groundbreaking here! Just a note on a couple of things:

• Eggs – Make sure they are what’s sold as “large eggs”, which are 55 – 60g / 2oz each. These are industry-standard sizes in Australia and the US. If your eggs are significantly larger or smaller in size, just weigh different eggs and use 200 – 220g / 8 oz in total (including shell) or 180 – 200g / 7.3 oz in total excluding shell (this is useful if you need to use a partial egg to make up the total required weight. Crack eggs, beat whites and yolks together, THEN pour into a bowl to measure out what you need).

  Use at room temperature – Eggs need to be at room temperature and not fridge-cold, because they aerate better when beaten. This is particularly important for Black Forest Cake because the sponge layers rely solely on the eggs to make them rise; they do not use baking powder or baking soda like other cakes do. A quick way to warm up fridge-cold eggs: Place eggs in a large bowl, cover with warm tap water (just warm, not hot) and leave for 5 minutes. Wipe dry (to avoid residual water dripping into bowl), then use per recipe; and

• Cocoa – Use Dutch process cocoa powder if you can because the colour and flavour is more intense than regular cocoa powder. But regular, unsweetened cocoa powder can be used in a pinch here – plenty of other flavours going on so it won’t compromise the outcome!

2. Cherry layer and syrup

Black Forest Cake is sandwiched with cherries and the cake layers are soaked with cherry syrup which adds flavour and moisture into the sponge layers which are often (sadly!) too dry. Here’s what you need:

Just a note on a couple of items:

• Morello / sour cherries in a can or jar in syrup or juice – YES jarred not fresh cherries! I’ve tried them with fresh cherries and although lovely when summer cherries are in their prime, the cake just doesn’t meld together as well as using canned cherries because they are softer. Even cooked to make a sauce, like I do with blueberries, the texture just wasn’t as good. So, canned cherries it is!

  Also, we use the flavoured syrup from the jar as the base for the cherry syrup which is used to brush the cake layers.

  Can’t find canned cherries? Use frozen pitted cherries + cherry juice instead. Thaw completely (reserve liquid). Top up using cherry juice to make up the cherry liquid called for in the recipe;

• Kirsch or cherry liqueur – This is a German cherry flavoured brandy. Authentic Black Forest Cake uses it in the cherry syrup. But if you prefer not to use alcohol, just substitute with more reserved cherry juice.

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3. Decorations!

• Cream – We need a hefty amount of cream for this recipe! But it’s only lightly sweetened with icing sugar so it isn’t overly heavy or rich.

  This recipe does not call for stabilised cream (ie where the aeration of cream is stabilised using gelatine or cornflour – there’s a few methods). I prefer the pure unadulterated flavour of plain whipped cream, though it does lose aeration after a few days. Using heavy / thickened cream rather than pure cream helps the cream to maintain its form.

  Having said that though, the cake is still perfectly scoff-able even on Day 4! I just wouldn’t take it to an event to impress.

• Cherries for decorating – Use any cherries you want here. I’ve opted for Maraschino both for colour (love the bright red colour!) and also because cherries are out of season here. I’d definitely use fresh cherries if I could get my hands on them!

• Chocolate – For making curls or shavings, for decorating!

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How to make Black Forest Cake

1. Chocolate Sponge Cake Layers

1. Sift: Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl to remove any pesky lumps. This is important for this cake batter so you can minimise the amount of mixing required when you fold the flour into the aerated eggs. I hate sifting, so I promise I only do it when essential!!

2. Beat eggs: Beat eggs briefly to combine, then slowly add the sugar in over 45 seconds. Then beat the eggs for a whole 7 minutes on speed 8 until it’s pale in colour and tripled in volume. Don’t shortcut this step – this is what makes the cake rise (there’s no baking powder used);

3. Fold in flour: Gently fold the flour and cocoa powder until most of it is incorporated (see video for folding technique) – a few flour streaks is fine, we will mix them in the next step. Use a rubber spatula or a large metal spoon to make short work of this – the less you mix, the better your cake will rise!

4. Fold in butter: Add butter then gently fold that through as well, until you have a smooth batter;

5. Bake: Divide the batter between 3 x 20cm/8”cake pans. The batter should be thin enough to be pourable into the cake pans, rather than having to scoop and dollop. Though you will need to scrape the bowl out.

   Then bake for 25 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).

   If your oven is not large enough to fit 3 cake pans on one shelf, do as I do: Put 2 in the middle shelf, and one underneath. Take the top 2 out at 25 min, and leave the bottom cake pan in for another 2 minutes; and

6. Cool: Check to ensure the cakes are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre and ensuring it comes out clean. If there is batter on the skewers, it means the cake needs to be cooked more so just return it into the oven.

   Then turn the cake out onto cooling racks, and allow to cool fully before assembling!

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2. Cherry Syrup & Cherries

While the cake is baking / cooling, prepare the cherries and syrup for sandwiching.

1. Drain cherries: Drain jar of cherries, reserving the liquid;

2. Measure out 1/4 cup / 60ml of the reserved cherry juice to make a cornflour slurry;

3. Cherry cornflour slurry: Mix the juice with cornflour to make the slurry;

4. Make cherry syrup: Place a medium pot over medium low heat, add the sugar and another 1/3 cup of reserved juice. Bring to a gentle simmer to dissolve the sugar.

   Then add the cornflour slurry and bring to a simmer, cook for 1 minutes or until it thickens into a thin syrup. We want the syrup to be quite thin so it soaks the cake layers all the way through; and

5. Add Kirsch (cherry liquor): Remove from the heat and stir in the Kirsch;

6. Soak cherries, cool: Then pour the syrup over the drained cherries and allow to cool completely before using. In this step, the cherries get soaked with the extra flavour from the Kirsch.

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3. Chocolate Curls (optional)

This step is entirely optional because it does take a bit of practice. If you’re having trouble making curls, don’t fret. At the very least you can make chocolate shavings which is super easy, and it looks GREAT on Black Forest Cakes. In fact, most Black Forest Cakes are decorating with chocolate shavings rather than curls!

1. Spread over back of baking tray: Break up the block of chocolate and place in a microwave safe bowl. Gently melt in a microwave by heating over 3 x 20 second bursts, stirring in between.

   Pour the melted chocolate over the back of a baking pan and spread out with a spatula as thin as possible;

2. Refrigerate for 3 – 4 minutes until the centre is just set.

3. Scrape curls: Using something with a sharp straight edge (I use a bench scraper, spatula or the back of a knife also works), hold it at a 45 degree angle and scrape along the tray away from you to create curls. Do a small test patch first – if chocolate is too hard, curls break/flake (leave to soften slightly, try again). If chocolate is too soft = curls sag/won’t roll, refrigerate ore; and

4. Whip cream until stiff – Just prior to assembling the cake, beat the cream until stiff. Refrigerate until required.

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4. Assembling the cake

We’re on the home run here! And this is the best part!

1. Brush with cherry syrup: Brush a cake layer with 1/4 cup of the cherry syrup the cherries are soaking in.

2. Cream layer: Spread with 1 cup of whipped cream, leaving a 1cm / 1/2″ border (weight of cake will push cream to edge).

3. Layer cherries: Top the cream with half the cherries (single layer), using a slotted spoon to drain well (but don’t pat dry, want the cherries juicy!);

4. Repeat: Top with a cake layer, brush with 1/4 cup syrup, spread with 1 cup cream, top with remaining cherries, place 3rd cake layer on top.

   Finish by brushing the top layer with 1/3 cup of the cherry syrup. You will have some syrup leftover.

5. Cover with cream: Reserve 1 1/2 cups whipped cream for piping decorations. Spread the remaining cream over the top and side of the cake;

6. Chocolate shavings: Pile large chocolate curls in the middle (I stack it like building a fire!). Use the smaller broken shavings to coat the base of the sides of the cake (cold hands, scoop shavings, press on side).

7. Pipe dollops around the edge using a large star tipped nozzle; and

8. Top & REST each dollop with a maraschino cherry.

   Then importantly, REST the cake in the fridge for 4+ hours, preferably overnight, to allow flavours to develop and syrup to really soak into the cake. This step is key for a really great Black Forest Cake, so don’t skip it!

Now THIS is what I call a cake!!! All those layers, all those elements!

And with that, this Black Forest Cake wraps up German Week here on RecipeTin Eats! A week when I shared recipes to make your very own German feast at home, on the menu we have:

• Slow Roasted CRISPY Pork Knuckle – declared even by German nationals to be better than they’ve ever seen in Germany!! #WOW

• German Potato Salad – a warm potato salad with a bacon vinaigrette. You know it’s a hit!

• German Cucumber Salad – a refreshing side that’s perfect for hearty German food; and

• This Black Forest Cake to finish with a bang!

And with that, another menu theme week is done! What shall we do next? – Nagi x

‘Theme week’ menus from years gone by:

• Middle Eastern Arabian Nights Menu

• Big Mexican Fiesta

• Spanish Week!

• Greek Week!

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Watch how to make it

Life of Dozer

Dozer, I promise there’s nothing going on in here of interest to you….

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