Christmas is around the corner, Santa Claus is knocking the door and Jingle bells started ringing. This is high time for baking to flourish in full fledged. I can’t also resist my self from this feeling. For long I had a wish to make a Black Forest cake. It is a traditional German dessert known as Schwarzwälder (means Black Forest)Kirschtorte, gets the name after the place where it was originated. We are all familiar with this multilayer chocolate cake filled with whipping cream and cherries. To prepare it I choose to follow the video of “Joyofbaking.com” from youtube. In fact it is my second attempt to bake the black forest cake and both the time I got success after following her video. So without spending many words, may I suggest to go through the recipe of this mouthwatering dessert.

Ingredients to serve 8 to 10 :

1. Butter (unsalted, melted) – 40 gm. (3 tbspoon) + extra for greasing
2. Bottled cherry (dipped into sugar syrup) – 340 gm. (net weight), 185 gm. (after draining)
3. Caster sugar – 200 gm.
4. Cherry brandy – 2 tbspoon (optional) (I didn’t have it, so I skipped)
5. Plain flour – 60 gm. (½ cup)
6. Cocoa powder – 30 gm. (1/3 cup)
7. Baking powder – ¼ teaspoon
8. Egg – 4
9. Vanilla extract – 2 teaspoon
10. Whipping cream or double cream – 600 ml.
11. Plain chocolate (for chocolate shavings) – 100 gm.

Procedure :

Grease and line a 20 cm./8 inch springform cake tin.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.

Put the eggs in a heatproof bowl and beat in 135 gm. (2/3 cup) of the sugar. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and keep whisking until the egg mixture turns lukewarm. Transfer the mixture to a large metal bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until fluffy and creamy.

Then gradually fold in the flour mixture and melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Spoon into the cake tin and bake into a preheated oven at180ºC/350ºF for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile drain the cherries and collect the syrup from it (It will be approx. 150 ml). Add 1½-2 tbspoon of sugar to the syrup and gently boil until sugar is dissolved. Add 1 tbspoon of cherry brandy to it. Also sprinkle remaining 1 tbspoon of brandy over the cherries.

Turn out the cake and cut in half horizontally.

Spread ¾ portion of the syrup over the cut sides of the cake.

To make whipping cream put together the cream and remaining sugar in a large metal bowl. Mix the sugar with the cream and then cover the bowl with a cling film, refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. Also keep your whisk attachment in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat the cream until you get a stiff peak. To decorate the cake put a star tip (I used C4 open star tip) into a piping bag and fill it with 4-5 tbspoon of the whipping cream. Keep it aside.

Spread 2/3 of the remaining whipping cream over one half of the cake. Arrange the cherries over it, reserving few of them for decoration.

Place the other half of the cake on top and press gently. Cover the top and sides with the remaining cream.

To decorate the cake, make little stars around the edges using the piping bag and then place reserved cherries over it.

To make chocolate shavings, scrap the chocolate with a sharp knife. Sprinkle over the middle of the cake and also decorate the sides.

Chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

Note :

1. You can raise the number of cherries according to your taste.
2. Decoration part is completely optional. One can leave the sides bare, instead of covering with cream, to make the layer of cherries visible.
3. Don’t whip the cream for long, otherwise butter will separate from it.
4. It is better to decorate the top of the cake with fresh cherries.
5. One can make more than one layer in this cake.