With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I realized that this year I could use a little cheering up. What comes to mind is Black Forest Cake. Yes, it’s rich and deadly, but with V-Day shouldn’t all our senses take on the component of an arrow penetrating our heart. And, of course, it doesn’t have to have to be physical romantic love; for my sentiment goes out to friends, lovers, and family members from yesterday today.
As I write this, it is Martin Luther King, Jr, Day.
He devoted his life with influential message of peace and fellowship between all of us – regardless of race, religion, and gender. It is hard to believe that there are some of us today who have difficulties understanding the righteousness of his message. But, I believe that food when shared between friends and strangers can be inspirational, and Black Forest Cake speaks directly to me.
While the exact origins of the Black Forest cake are unclear, it is believed to have evolved from a traditional dessert called “Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser Torte,” which translates to Black Forest cherry brandy torte. This dessert was made with layers of chocolate cake soaked in Kirsch and topped with cherries. Inside the cake is a thick cherry center, made from blended Morello cherries. The burgundy-colored filling has a slightly tangy taste, and just enough cherry texture to be noteworthy. It’s not syrupy at all, but pleasingly fresh tasting.
The best part of this cake is the whipped cream “icing.” Cream is the first ingredient in this cake, which is amazing. The “icing” is only slightly sweet, but has a natural, wholesome butterfat taste and a satisfying mouthfeel. If you love cream, it would be hard not to relish this..
But, it’s always a tad fattening – so I prepare it once a year on Valentine’s Day.
From: Natalie’s Kitchen Black Forest Cake Recipe, German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients For the Filling:
4 cups (1 lb) Bing cherries, pitted, plus 12 whole cherries for décor.
For the Frosting/Topping:
3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup Confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbsp kirsch (cherry liqueur)
4 oz good quality dark chocolate
How to Make Black Forest Cake Layers:
Prep: Preheat Oven to 350°F. Line bottoms of two 9″ round pans with parchment paper (don’t grease sides).
- Beat 9 large eggs with the whisk attachment for 1 min on high speed.
With the mixer, gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed a full 8 minutes. It should be thick and fluffy.
Tip: the mixture it should fall off the whisk and still ‘stand up’ on the cake mixture - Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup cocoa powder and sift in thirds into the batter, folding with a spatula between each addition.
Once all flour is in, continue to fold just until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the bottom of the bowl to get any pockets of flour hiding at the bottom; do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter. - Gently fold in 1/2 tsp vanilla and room temp butter, folding as you add butter in a steady stream and scraping from the bottom to make sure you don’t have butter pooling at the bottom.
Fold just until incorporated. Divide batter equally between two prepared cake pans and bake immediately in fully preheated oven at 350°F for 20-25, or until a toothpick comes out clean. - Let cool in pans for 10 min then run a knife or thin edged spatula around the edges to loosen cake.
Transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing.
When cakes are at room temp, and you’re ready to assemble, slice cake layers in half with a long-serrated knife.
Making the Syrup for Black Forest Cake:
- Roughly chop pitted cherries and place in a medium bowl with 3 Tbsp kirsch.
- Let sit at room temp for at least 30 min, stirring a couple times, then drain cherries in a sieve over a bowl. Keep the cherries and syrup.
- Add 1/4 cup cold filtered water to the syrup to get about 3/4 cup total syrup.
Making the Cream: For best results freeze bowl and whisk attachment 15 min before using.
- Beat 3 1/2 cups heavy cream with whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form,
- add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp kirsch and beat on high until stiff and spreadable (1-2 min).
- Refrigerate until ready to use (tip: keep whisk attachment in the bowl – you can whip it another 30 seconds if it seems slightly loose after refrigeration).
Assembling your Black Forest Cake:
- Place first cake layer on a cake stand and brush with 1/4 of the syrup.
Cover the top with about 3/4 cup frosting (3 ice cream scoops’ worth) and top with 1/3 of the chopped cherries.
Repeat with remaining layers and top with the flattest layer.
Transfer 1 1/2 cups frosting to a pastry bag with a large flower tip and refrigerate until ready to use (don’t handle the bag too much or the cream will soften).
Fill the cracks along the sides of cake with frosting then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting. - To make chocolate shavings, you can either melt chocolate in the microwave, spread it thin over the back of a baking sheet with the help of a food scraper, then refrigerate a few minutes and use a food scraper to create bark-like shavings. This is the more authentic way. Alternatively, you can use a potato peeler to shave a chunk of chocolate, It will still be pretty but it won’t have the same “black forest cake” feel to it.
- Cover sides and top of cake with chocolate shavings leaving a 1″ perimeter on top for piping frosting.
Pipe rounds of frosting around the top of the cake and place a whole cherry over each one.
Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving for the flavors to meld
