Black Forest Cake

Image from Baking Up Memories

The Black Forest Cake, a traditional German dessert, was the cake my grandfather would bake for every birthday party. I could count on him baking it for each of his grandkids every year. He was always baking cakes, and between his Pineapple Upside-down Cake and this cake, we were well sugared-up! The Black Forest Cake gets its name from the Black Forest in Germany where it originated. What makes it different from other chocolate cakes is the use of cherries – lots of them!

I’m more a vanilla cake kind of girl, but I will devour a Black Forest Cake any day. The cherry sauce, actual cherries, and cherry on top give this rich chocolate cake a special tartness that cannot be explained, only tasted!


Black Forest Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

2 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Topping

2 (20 oz) cans pitted sour cherries

1 cup white sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting

3 cups heavy whipping cream

⅓ cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Place a medium bowl in the refrigerator to chill.

2. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat until combined. Pour cake batter into the prepared pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a paring knife around edges to loosen and invert carefully onto racks to cool completely, 1 to 2 hours.

4. While cake layers bake, drain cherries for topping, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Combine reserved juice, cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until thickened. Stir in vanilla. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely.

5. Combine whipping cream and confectioners' sugar for frosting in the chilled bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.

6. Split each cake layer in half horizontally using a long, serrated knife. Tear one layer into crumbs; set aside. Gently brush loose crumbs off top and sides of remaining layers using a pastry brush or your hands. Reserve 1 1/2 cups frosting for piping decorations on cake; set aside.

7. Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread with 1 cup frosting; top with 3/4 cup cherry topping. Top with second cake layer; repeat layers of frosting and cherry topping. Top with third cake layer and frost sides of cake.

8. Add saved cake crumbs onto the sides of the cake. Spoon saved 1 1/2 cups frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a star decorator tip. Pipe around the top and bottom edges of the cake. Spoon remaining cherry topping on top of the cake.

9. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Makes 12 servings




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