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. 

My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe

When it comes to carrot cakes, the more add-ins, the better. This means crushed pineapple, coconut, raisins AND walnuts.  This year, I made mini carrot cakes for my sister’s birthday, which was the day after Valentine’s.  A group of us went out to dinner and I gave these mini cakes as "favors”.  I lined tiny cake boxes with kraft parchment paper, attached handmade "LOVE" tags using this bundle from The Stamp Market and tied up the boxes with cute colorful baker's twine from Stampin' Up.  This recipe calls for a 13x9 inch pan but it can easily be adapted to other cake pan sizes.  I used 3” cake pans which yielded 4 cakes.

Cake:

2 c all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

3/4 c buttermilk

3/4 c vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/4 c plus 2 tbsp sugar

2 c peeled and grated carrots (about 2 to 3 large carrots)

1-1/2 c sweetened flaked coconut

1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

1 c chopped walnuts

1 c raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting:
12 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 c powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Spray 13x9-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside. 
2. For cake, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
3. Place eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large bowl and mix until smooth.  Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Gently fold in carrots, coconut, pineapple, pecans and raisins.    Pour batter evenly into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed.
4. While the cake cools, for frosting, add cream cheese and butter in large bowl and beat until fluffy.  Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.  Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  
5. Once the cake is cooled, evenly spread frosting over cake.