My brother and sister-in-law recently got back from a 6-month stint in Mexico. Yes, 6 months. Don’t worry, I’ve already hated on them enough for you.
So, we had a family supper last week. My brother has been in carnivore mode trying to make up for his lack of good meat while in Mexico, and wanted to try out a recipe for bratwurst that he had saved, and then my Mama decided we should do an entirely German-themed evening. She would make potato pancakes, my Grandma would make a German salad and I was tasked with dessert.
I instantly thought, “Oh good! I’ve had a recipe for German chocolate cake saved for ages…I’ll finally be able to give it a try!” Wrong. Did you know that there is nothing German about “German chocolate cake? It was actually named after a man whose last name was “German”. Don’t believe me? Read for yourself.
So then I was in a pickle. The supper was on a Friday, and I work full-time during the week. I started looking around, and everything I found was too complicated, until I came across the obvious answer: Black Forest Cake.
My brother (the carnivore) is also a cake nut. I seem to remember him having a thing for Black Forest Cake, but maybe I’m just making it up. Either way – I think this cake was a hit.
I used my basic chocolate cake recipe, which I’ve also used to make Caramel Fudge Skor Cake (yes, it’s as amazing as it sounds). The cherries are then soaked in Kirsch, which is a cherry-flavored liqueur (you can use brandy or the syrup from the cherries if you don’t have Kirsch). I used a piping bag with a 1M tip to pipe the roses on top, but decorate however you want! I didn’t do a good job of getting the sides and top of the cake perfect, and you know what? It was still delicious.
Finally, you will definitely have whipped cream leftover, but is leftover whipped cream ever a bad thing?
Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
- 1 recipe for Fudge Chocolate Cake
- 1 14 ounce can cherries, drained
- 1/3 cup Kirsch or brandy
- 1 L whipping cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- chocolate flakes or curls for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare cake batter as directed. Divide equally between prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cakes to cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely.
- Combine cherries and Kirsch in a bowl and set aside.
- In a chilled bowl, combine whipping cream, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form.
To Assemble:
- Place one layer on a platter. Top with two thirds of the cherries, followed by some whipped cream. Whipped cream should cover the cherries and come almost to the edges of the cake. Top with remaining layer.
- Spread whipped cream around the sides and top. Decorate as desired, using piped whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate.
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