My Favorite Black Forest Cake

I made a German-themed dinner which culminated in Black Forest Cake for dessert.  I baked this cake at my sister’s house and didn’t have access to all the tools in my kitchen.  I was aiming for the “naked” cake look and almost achieved it.  There are a few spots that were heavy handed with the whipped cream frosting and I would’ve preferred bigger chocolate curls...but not too shabby for an impromptu attempt.  Callebaut cocoa is the secret ingredient that made the cake really tasty!

The recipe I used is from this blog post; I only had 6” cake pans which yielded taller cake layers.  I didn't have kirsch and substituted that with the juice from the jar of Morello cherries sold at Trader Joe’s.

CAKE

• 1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 c cake flour
• 2 c sugar
• 2 c buttermilk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1/4 c semisweet or dark chocolate chips
• 4 large eggs

FILLING and FROSTING

• 3 c heavy whipping cream
• 12 oz jar Morello (sour) cherries
• 1 1/2 T cherry liquor kirsch
• 1/2 c powdered sugar
• 2 T cherry juice (from the jar)
• 6 oz grated dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease two 9" round cake pans with butter or nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, and eggs. Gradually beat the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix just until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
5. Bake the cakes until a tester comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto wire cooling racks to cool completely. 

   
   

To fill and decorate the cake:

1. Remove the cherries from the syrup and set aside both the cherries and syrup.
2. Make the whipped cream. Place the whipping cream in a large bowl and use either the whisk attachment on your stand mixer or a hand mixer to beat. Start at low speed, then work your way up to high, adding the powdered sugar. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, then stop and set aside. 
3. Use a long serrated knife or cake leveler to cut each  Place the first layer on a cake board or plate and brush a coating of cherry syrup (or kirsch) over the surface. Spread about a 1/3" layer of whipping cream onto the cake and top with 1/3 of the cherries. Repeat with the remaining layers.
4. Use the rest of the whipped cream to coat the sides and top of the cake. Decorate with the grated chocolate. Refrigerate the cake until you're ready to serve. Since this cake uses a whipped topping, it is best served the day it is assembled since the frosting will gradually deflate.