Black Forest Cake
Phewww…I finally had a time to sit down and wrote a post about my husband birthday cake. This cake was meant to be made and eaten the day my husband had his birthday but because he wasn’t feeling very well at the time, he wasn’t in the mood of eating a cake. So I postponed it for a few days and made the cake layers in Saturday. Decorated the cake on Sunday and we’re able to eat it right then. His birthday was special this year because he turned the golden year and since we decided till next year to really enjoy a special celebration, I decided to bake him a cake good enough to eat this year 
Something I’ve actually never tried before, typical of me, always wait until the good time to have a disaster. But this is no disaster cake though.
This in fact is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. The chocolate layer cakes are moist, partly due to the syrup, but I think sour-cream based cake (also know as Devil’s Food Layer Cake here in this recipe) is moister than others, for example sponge or genoise cake. The choice of using Devil’s Food layer cake may be different than other Black Forest cake recipes but I like this choice very much. The sweetness is just right, both in the cake and in the frosting. I wouldn’t use too bitter of a chocolate shaving next time because I thought it kinda takes the attention away from the cake. Now, the frosting uses a cooked cornstarch, sugar and heavy cream method which I’ve never done before, but it certainly helps the whipped cream frosting to stand tall for a few days. I know the use of gelatin in the whipped cream frosting but it seems that the cornstarch method works as well. I couldn’t taste any cooked cornstarch associated with the method in the frosting. No other complaints registered in my mind anymore.
So try away and get away with a slice of the cake!
BLACK FOREST CAKE
Makes 9-inch three-layered cake
Cherries and syrup:
2 cups jarred sour cherries in light syrup, drained with 1 cup syrup reserved
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup kirsch or other cherry flavored liqueur
Whipped cream frosting:
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 cups heavy cream, chilled
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 recipe Devil’s Food Layer Cake, baked and cooled, but unfrosted, recipe below
Chocolate shaving (see note), for serving
FOR THE CHERRIES AND SYRUP: Reserve 8 of the prettiest cherries for garnish in a small bowl. Slice the remaining cherries in half and place in a medium bowl. Simmer the reserved cherry syrup and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until mixture is thickened and measure about 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the kirsch.
Toss 1 tbsp of the syrup with the cherries reserved for garnish. Toss 3 tbsp more syrup with the halved cherries. Poke the top of the cake layers thoroughly with a wooden skewer and brush with the remaining syrup.
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: Whisk the sugar and the cornstarch together in a small saucepan and slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickened,2-3 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, whip the remaining 2 1/2 cups cream and the vanilla together with an electric mixer on low speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to whip the mixture until it begins to thickened, about 30 seconds. Slowly add the cooled cornstarch mixture and continue to whip until the mixture forms soft peak, 1-3 minutes.
Line the edges of a cake platter with strip of parchment paper to keep the platter clean while you assemble the cake. Place one of the cake layers on the platter. Spread 1/2 cup of the whipped cream over the top, right to the edge of the cake, then cover with half of the sliced cherries. Repeat with another cake layer, 1/2 cup more whipped cream, and the remaining sliced cherries. Place the remaining cake layer on top and press lightly to adhere. Frost the cake with the remaining whipped cream.
Refrigerate the cake until it absorbs the soaking syrup, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before serving, let the cake sit at room temperature, 30-60 minutes, then gently press the chocolate shavings into the sides of the cake. Evenly space 8 small pile of chocolate shavings around the top of the cake and top each with a cherry. Remove the parchment strip from the platter before serving.
NOTE: Be sure to buy jarred or canned cherries packed in syrup, not water. You will need about 7 ounces of chocolate for the shavings to decorate the sides and top of the cake. Letting the cake to sit at least 2 hours before serving allows the soaking syrup to sink in and the flavors to meld; however in a pinch, you could serve it right away.
DEVIL’S FOOD LAYER CAKE
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups boiling water
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tsp instant espresso or instant coffee
10 tbsp (11/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 3 9-inch round cake pan, then dust with cocoa powder and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the boiling water, chocolate, 1/2 cup of the cocoa powder, and instant espresso together until smooth.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until incorporated.
Reduced the speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the chocolate mixture. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture and the remaining chocolate mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.
Give the batter the final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, smooth the tops, and gently tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 15-20 minutes, rotating and switching the pans halfway thorough baking
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Runs a small knife around the edge of the cakes, then flip them out onto the wire racks. Peel off parchment paper, flip the cakes side up, let cool completely before frosting, about 2 hours.Source: adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
Happy belated birthday for yr hubby Liz. Wadooh gw nyerah deh kalo bikin kue, kalo makannya mau,hehehe…kue elu cakep amat!
thanks ya Ros…heheh…mending beli kalo gitu buat elo ya? bikin kue emang ribet banget, step by step nya banyak
Comment by Roossy Tirta — June 2, 2009 @ 9:35 pm
yummy…yummy…..
Trish
make one for you tummy…
Comment by patricia — June 2, 2009 @ 11:26 pm
umm yes please! gosh what i would do for a slice right now…
if I could, I would
thanks for stopping by Kim…
Comment by kim — June 3, 2009 @ 2:03 am
this looks lovely—what a generous birthday gift for your husband!
thanks! he and his tummy really appreciated this gift
Comment by Blue Jean Gourmet — June 3, 2009 @ 8:29 am
Glad that you are recovering from your recent accident. By the way, where do you buy your sour cherries from?
thank you for your attention Lee Ping, you’re a good friend. most grocery store sell sour cherries in either glass jar or canned. hopefully this will help you find it!
Comment by lee ping — June 3, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
I LOVE that book! This recipe looks darn good!
oh yeah…I’m thinking of buying it now!
Comment by howtoeatacupcake — June 4, 2009 @ 10:35 am
Happy birthday to your hubby, darling!
That cake is fabulous, Liz – just so you know, my b-day is in November, ok?
oh thank you so much Pat, you’re such a doll!
I will remember it, just send me the payment first okay!
Comment by Patricia Scarpin — June 4, 2009 @ 1:04 pm
looks so good! i definitely want to try it!!
go ahead, that’s why I wrote the recipe!
Comment by FOOD IS LUV — June 4, 2009 @ 11:37 pm
Gorgeous! I love me some chocolate cake. This looks so elegant. Your photos are amazing. I’m sure the flavors are great too.
thank you Amy, for stopping by and left a nice comment!
Comment by StreamingGourmet (Amy Wilson) — June 5, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
That cake looks absolutely delicious!!
Thanks for sharing
you’re welcome!
Comment by Iva — June 5, 2009 @ 11:53 pm
Wow, I will love to have this as my birthday cake!
he he….I hope it’s coming soon!
Comment by Mrs Ergül — June 6, 2009 @ 10:12 pm
My husband would love this! I may have to try to make it for his birthday.
oh goody…I’m sure your husband will love this so much, Lynn!
Comment by Mrs. L — June 7, 2009 @ 11:16 am
So, my mom’s birthday is this weekend, and I wanna make this for her because Black Forest is her favorite. But she’s used to having it done the traditional way. How much sweeter is this cake than the old school Black Forest?
I believe this cake is less sweeter than the old school, at least according to my taste. I don’t like too sweet of a cake, so I usually tell in my post if the recipe is too sweet or not. I hope you’ll make this for your mom & she’ll love it!
Comment by ChrispyBakes — June 11, 2009 @ 5:22 am
yummy…sounds delicious..mouthwatering photos…i wanna try it…right away i’m gonna get the ingredients from www.myethnicworld.com and try it.
i hope you’ll like the cake!
Comment by Dawn Smith — June 11, 2009 @ 9:50 am
Oh, this looks lovely! The boyfriend has been asking for black forest cake for a while. I’ll have to give this a try.
i hope you do, you’ll make him happy
Comment by Naomi — June 14, 2009 @ 5:29 am
This used to be one of my favorite cakes, but I haven’t had it in years. Now I’m going to have to invest some energy into finding sour cherries in syrup!
i haven’t tasted this for a long time either! i was glad i made it because now it has become my favorite cake to make again & again.
Comment by Mari — June 18, 2009 @ 10:12 am
that looks so good i think u did a good job
thank you!
Comment by myranda matthews — October 7, 2009 @ 6:42 am