Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeDessertBakingBlack Forest Cake

Black Forest Cake

Black Forest Cake is one of my fave cakes ..I like it so much that when I finally learned to bake cakes, I made it my mini-mission in life to “master” this yummy cake and I guess I succeeded..my family said that my cake is soo yummy and is way better than the one we used to buy from the bakeshop..or maybe they’re just pulling  my leg, so I’ll keep on baking for them…lol.

Seriously, this is one very delicious chocolate cake, I used to accept orders for this during Christmas season. I’m posting this because someone requested for a recipe of chocolate cake on my facebook page and I realized that I haven’t posted any of my favorite chocolate cake recipes yet.  This is one of the 3 chocolate cake recipes that I use for my small homebaking business, I chose to share this one first because this is the easiest, no mixer needed, just strong arms 😉 … it has never failed me, I hope you’ll like it too!

black_forest_cake

The photos are quite old, they were taken by my sister-in-law. I’ll update this post in the coming days with step-by-step photos to help the beginners; if you know how to bake cakes already, this is just too easy for you, you don’t need the photos anymore or maybe even this recipe ;).

BLACK FOREST CAKE

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup dutch process cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or milk
1/2 cup corn oil or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup strong coffee OR 2 tablespoons coffee powder diluted in boiling water.

Icing & Decoration
500 ml all-purpose cream
4 tablespoons caster sugar
6 tablespoons simple sugar syrup (recipe at the bottom)
3 tablespoons Kirsch or brandy or rum- replace with water if you’re serving to kids
1 jar/bottle (26-oz) Maraschino cherries

6 ounces dark chocolate, finely grated ( for the side of the cake),
3 ounces grated dark chocolate for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour 2 9-inch baking pans.

Make the cake:  Sift dry ingredients twice in a bowl; set aside.  Mix eggs, milk, oil and vanilla in another bowl, stir well and pour into the flour mixture, mix well with a wire whisk to combine.  Stir in hot coffee.  Pour into baking pans and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Take it out of the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan then invert in a wire rack to cool completely.  You can make this cake a day ahead; cover it in plastic wrap, then with foil and keep it in the fridge or you freeze it up to 3 months.

Whip the cream and sugar until stiff.

To make sugar syrup:  Mix 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups water in a pan, stir until the  sugar completely dissolves then bring to a boil, let boil for a full minute then turn off heat.  Transfer to a clean jar or container, let cool and cover. This will keep indefinitely in the fridge, you can use this to sweeten iced tea and other beverage.   The ratio is 1:2 sugar to water in case you want to make more or less 🙂

UPDATE: Combine 6 tablespoons of simple syrup and 3 tablespoons of Kirsch or rum in a small bowl.

Assembly
Level the top of each cake with a serrated knife; lay one cake in a cake platter or cake stand.  If you have a cake board that’s even better.  Put a strip of parchment paper of foil under the cake to protect the cake stand.  Brush the top and sides of the cake with the simple syrup-Kirsch/rum mixture.  Lay pieces of cherry halves on the cake, then spread 1/2 cup of whipped cream on top, level with a spatula.  Carefully lay down the other cake layer on top; brush top with syrup and spread about a cup of whipped cream on top and sides of the cake, smooth it with a spatula.

note: At this point you may go ahead and use your creativity and decorate the cake as you wish, topping it with cherries and chocolate on top of course…or if you want to make it look like mine’s, follow my directions below but I have to warn you, I’m not very good in putting it down in writing, if you get confused or you found some mistakes, I’m sorry…please let me know so I can correct it.

Here goes..
Pat grated chocolates around the sides of the cake using a spatula or your other hand ( this can be a tricky if you have naturally warm hands)
Put the remaining whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a medium size star nozzle. Pipe mounds around the top; using a smaller star, pipe a small circle of mounds in the very center of the cake.  Sprinkle grated/shaved chocolates around then arrange cherries in the middle.  Pull the strips of parchment paper/foil from underneath the cake and there, you’re done!

Keep it in the fridge covered  or in a box until you’re ready to serve.  This cake is best eaten the same day it’s  made or within 24 hours.  Keep in mind that the cream will absorb-and hence will taste like it -any strong odor in the fridge so make sure you cover either the cake or the food that you think will affect the flavor of your cake.

Whew, writing about this cake is harder than actually making it..lol.

Happy Baking!

Olive

Thanks for your time..have a nice day! ♥ GOD BLESS! 🙂

Black Forest Cake

Olive
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Ingredients
  

  • CHOCOLATE CAKE
  • 1 3/4 CUPS All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 CUPS SUGAR
  • 3/4 CUP DUTCH PROCESS COCOA
  • 1 1/2 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
  • 1 1/2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
  • 1 TEASPOON SALT
  • 2 EGGS
  • 1 CUP BUTTERMILK OR MILK
  • 1/2 CUP CORN OIL OR VEGETABLE OIL
  • 2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT
  • 1 CUP STRONG COFFEE OR 2 TABLESPOONS COFFEE POWDER DILUTED IN BOILING WATER.
  • ICING & DECORATION
  • 500 ML ALL-PURPOSE CREAM
  • 4 TABLESPOONS CASTER SUGAR
  • 6 TABLESPOONS SIMPLE SUGAR SYRUP RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM
  • 3 TABLESPOONS KIRSCH OR BRANDY OR RUM- REPLACE WITH WATER IF YOU’RE SERVING TO KIDS
  • 1 JAR/BOTTLE 26-OZ MARASCHINO CHERRIES
  • 6 OUNCES DARK CHOCOLATE FINELY GRATED ( FOR THE SIDE OF THE CAKE),
  • 3 OUNCES GRATED DARK CHOCOLATE FOR TOPPING

Instructions
 

  • PREHEAT OVEN TO 350F. GREASE AND FLOUR 2 9-INCH BAKING PANS.
  • MAKE THE CAKE: SIFT DRY INGREDIENTS TWICE IN A BOWL; SET ASIDE. MIX EGGS, MILK, OIL AND VANILLA IN ANOTHER BOWL, STIR WELL AND POUR INTO THE FLOUR MIXTURE, MIX WELL WITH A WIRE WHISK TO COMBINE. STIR IN HOT COFFEE. POUR INTO BAKING PANS AND BAKE IN THE OVEN FOR 30-35 MINUTES OR UNTIL A TOOTHPICK INSERTED IN THE CENTER COMES OUT CLEAN. TAKE IT OUT OF THE OVEN AND COOL FOR 5-10 MINUTES IN THE PAN THEN INVERT IN A WIRE RACK TO COOL COMPLETELY. YOU CAN MAKE THIS CAKE A DAY AHEAD; COVER IT IN PLASTIC WRAP, THEN WITH FOIL AND KEEP IT IN THE FRIDGE OR YOU FREEZE IT UP TO 3 MONTHS.
  • WHIP THE CREAM AND SUGAR UNTIL STIFF.
  • TO MAKE SUGAR SYRUP: MIX 1 CUP OF SUGAR AND 2 CUPS WATER IN A PAN, STIR UNTIL THE SUGAR COMPLETELY DISSOLVES THEN BRING TO A BOIL, LET BOIL FOR A FULL MINUTE THEN TURN OFF HEAT. TRANSFER TO A CLEAN JAR OR CONTAINER, LET COOL AND COVER. THIS WILL KEEP INDEFINITELY IN THE FRIDGE, YOU CAN USE THIS TO SWEETEN ICED TEA AND OTHER BEVERAGE. THE RATIO IS 1:2 SUGAR TO WATER IN CASE YOU WANT TO MAKE MORE OR LESS 🙂
  • UPDATE: COMBINE 6 TABLESPOONS OF SIMPLE SYRUP AND 3 TABLESPOONS OF KIRSCH OR RUM IN A SMALL BOWL.
  • ASSEMBLY
  • LEVEL THE TOP OF EACH CAKE WITH A SERRATED KNIFE; LAY ONE CAKE IN A CAKE PLATTER OR CAKE STAND. IF YOU HAVE A CAKE BOARD THAT’S EVEN BETTER. PUT A STRIP OF PARCHMENT PAPER OF FOIL UNDER THE CAKE TO PROTECT THE CAKE STAND. BRUSH THE TOP AND SIDES OF THE CAKE WITH THE SIMPLE SYRUP-KIRSCH/RUM MIXTURE. LAY PIECES OF CHERRY HALVES ON THE CAKE, THEN SPREAD 1/2 CUP OF WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP, LEVEL WITH A SPATULA. CAREFULLY LAY DOWN THE OTHER CAKE LAYER ON TOP; BRUSH TOP WITH SYRUP AND SPREAD ABOUT A CUP OF WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP AND SIDES OF THE CAKE, SMOOTH IT WITH A SPATULA.
  • NOTE: AT THIS POINT YOU MAY GO AHEAD AND USE YOUR CREATIVITY AND DECORATE THE CAKE AS YOU WISH, TOPPING IT WITH CHERRIES AND CHOCOLATE ON TOP OF COURSE…OR IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE MINE’S, FOLLOW MY DIRECTIONS BELOW BUT I HAVE TO WARN YOU, I’M NOT VERY GOOD IN PUTTING IT DOWN IN WRITING, IF YOU GET CONFUSED OR YOU FOUND SOME MISTAKES, I’M SORRY…PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO I CAN CORRECT IT.
  • HERE GOES..
  • PAT GRATED CHOCOLATES AROUND THE SIDES OF THE CAKE USING A SPATULA OR YOUR OTHER HAND ( THIS CAN BE A TRICKY IF YOU HAVE NATURALLY WARM HANDS)
  • PUT THE REMAINING WHIPPED CREAM IN A PIPING BAG FITTED WITH A MEDIUM SIZE STAR NOZZLE. PIPE MOUNDS AROUND THE TOP; USING A SMALLER STAR, PIPE A SMALL CIRCLE OF MOUNDS IN THE VERY CENTER OF THE CAKE. SPRINKLE GRATED/SHAVED CHOCOLATES AROUND THEN ARRANGE CHERRIES IN THE MIDDLE. PULL THE STRIPS OF PARCHMENT PAPER/FOIL FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAKE AND THERE, YOU’RE DONE!
  • KEEP IT IN THE FRIDGE COVERED OR IN A BOX UNTIL YOU’RE READY TO SERVE. THIS CAKE IS BEST EATEN THE SAME DAY IT’S MADE OR WITHIN 24 HOURS. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE CREAM WILL ABSORB-AND HENCE WILL TASTE LIKE IT -ANY STRONG ODOR IN THE FRIDGE SO MAKE SURE YOU COVER EITHER THE CAKE OR THE FOOD THAT YOU THINK WILL AFFECT THE FLAVOR OF YOUR CAKE.
  • WHEW, WRITING ABOUT THIS CAKE IS HARDER THAN ACTUALLY MAKING IT..LOL.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

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