Black Forest Cake
Make a classic Black Forest cake with three layers of chocolate sponge, cherry syrup, whipped cream, and cherries for a dramatic German-inspired dessert.
Prep
: 10
Total
: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups caster sugar superfine sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder unsweetened regular cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup plain flour all-purpose flour
- 150 g unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 670 g pitted morello cherries in syrup drained
- 1/3 cup kirsch or cherry liqueur optional; replace with cherry juice
- 1/2 cup caster sugar for the syrup
- 4 tsp cornflour cornstarch
- 4 cups thickened cream heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup soft icing sugar powdered sugar
- 100 g dark chocolate bittersweet chocolate
- 12 maraschino or fresh cherries for decorating
Instructions
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F, or 160°C fan. Grease and line three 20 cm/8-inch cake pans.
- Sift the cocoa and flour together.
- Beat the eggs for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the sugar over 45 seconds, then add vanilla.
- Beat for 7 minutes, until pale and tripled in volume.
- Fold in the dry ingredients gently, followed by the cooled melted butter.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake about 20 minutes, until the centers spring back. Cool completely.
- Drain the cherries and reserve their juice. Simmer the juice, liqueur if using, sugar and cornflour until glossy and thick. Cool.
- Whip the cream with vanilla and icing sugar to firm peaks.
- Trim the sponges if needed. Brush with syrup, spread with cream, and add cherries between layers. Stack and cover with cream.
- Finish with grated chocolate and cherries. Chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.