Black Forest Cake

With the summer cherry season coming to a close how could I not go out with a bang? I’m going retro & brining back a dessert that should never have fallen out of fashion, black forest cake. It’s as good now as it was in the 70’s & 80’s, even better I’d argue as let’s face it, we have got better tastes these days!

Whilst black forest cake was invented long before it’s heyday here in the UK, there’s a lot of misconception over the region that this wonderful cake takes its name from. The Black Forest (or Schwarzwald- A-Level German really paid off) mountain range in south-west Germany is heralded as the birthplace of this popular dessert, however the name actually derives from the inclusion of one of it’s key ingredient, Kirch or Kirch Wasser, a fiery cherry liqueur which originates in the region known for its sour cherries. In fact, the cake itself boasts a protected status, meaning that without the inclusion of kirch, a cake cannot be classed as a black forest cake.

Obviously, boozy desserts aren’t for everyone & during it’s popularity here in the UK, kirsch was considered an exotic, expensive ingredient & so was often omitted, hence we call it black forest gateau. Whether your enjoy a tipple or not though, there’s no denying that the combination of big juicy cherries, soft whipped cream & chocolate is a match made in heaven! I’ve stayed true to a classic here but given here a slightly more modern look with a chocolate shard decoration but by all means, switch it up for chocolate shavings, chocolate chunks or a glistening drizzle of melted chocolate.

BLACK FOREST CAKE
(makes an 18cm layer cake)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 300g plain flour
• 300g caster sugar
• 75g cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 120ml rapeseed oil
• 225g natural yogurt
• 225ml boiling water

For the filling & covering:

• 6 tbsp kirch or cherry vodka
• 700ml double cream
• 35g icing sugar
• 350g cherries, pitted & halved

To decorate (optional):

• 250g dark chocolate
• 20g toasted flaked almonds
• 8 – 10 cherries
• A little cocoa powder

Method:

To make the cake:

• In a large jug, combine the eggs, vanilla, yogurt, oil & boiling water
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & bicarbonate
• Add the sugar to the bowl & stir to combine
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients & add in the wet yogurt mixture
• Fold everything together until smooth & no pockets of dry flour remain
• Divide the mixture evenly between 3 greased & lined 18cm sandwich tins
• Bake in the oven at 180C for 40 – 45 minutes, until the cakes are springing back to the touch when pressed lightly with a finger in the centre
• Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 mins before removing & placing on a wire cooling rack until cooled

To fill & assemble the cake:

• In a large clean bowl add the cream & icing sugar & use a whisk or hand mixer to whip up the cream until it becomes thick enough to hold its shape
• Place one of the sponges onto the stand or serving plate for the cake & secure it with a little of the cream underneath
• Next, brush the cake with 2 tbsp of the kirsch
• Now, add approximately one quarter of the cream on top of the cake & spread evenly with a spatula
• Scatter over half of the cherries before adding on the next layer of sponge & repeating with the second sponge
• Add the final sponge layer & again brush with the kirsch
• Take out a few spoonfuls of the whipped cream & set aside for decorating the cake
• Use the remaining whipped cream & a spatula to spread & cover the whole cake with it

To decorate the cake:

• To make the chocolate shards, break up the chocolate & place the in a heatproof bowl
• Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water & gently melt the chocolate until smooth
• Set the chocolate aside to cool until it thickens a little
• Once thickened, spread the chocolate across two pieces of baking parchment before carefully rolling them up a little
• Place in the fridge to set (around 20-30 minutes)
• Once set, unroll the chocolate & break into nice long shards
• Next, take the toasted flaked almonds & gently press them along the sides of the cake
• Now, using a little of the reserved whipped cream as a sort of glue, arrange the chocolate shard all along the outside of the cake
• Finally, add the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag & pipe a few swirls on top of the cake before dusting each one with a little cocoa powder & popping a cherry on top