If I talk about cooking I love baking so much so that every once a week I bake something sweet because I love desserts and sweets. I need to have something sweet after every meal or every now and then in a day. I munch on to cookies, cupcakes or simple cakes. In this blog I will be sharing with you the recipe of my favorite variant of chocolate cake that is the Black Forest Cake.

 Black Forest Cake is a German chocolate cake. A chocolate sponge cake with whipped cream and cherries filling. It is one of the most famous and preferred variant of chocolate cake in India. It consists of several layers of chocolate cake filled with whipped cream and cherries in between. I had made this cake last month on the order for a birthday party and it turned out to be a hit.

          It takes me two days to make and assemble the cake because I make the cake and whipped cream on the first day and assemble the whole cake the second day. Although the whole cake can be done in one day itself but I prefer to rest the cake and frosting for at least 24 hours.

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes

Cooking Time: 20-30 Minutes

Serves: 06-08 slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: German

Ingredients:

1. For the Cake:

Plain Flour                                                           3 cups

Cocoa Powder                                                    3 tbsp

Sugar Powder                                                     1 cup

Baking Soda                                                        2 tsp

Baking Powder                                                   2 tsp

Salt a pinch

Refined Oil                                                          ½ cup

Eggs                                                                     2

Milk                                                                     1 cup

Vanilla Essence                                                   2 tsp

Sugar free Black coffee                                      1 cup

7” Cake Tins                                                        2

Butter Paper for lining the tins

2. For the filling/ icing/ decoration:

Chilled Whipping Cream                                    500g

Plain Gelatin                                                       2 tsp

Water as required

Powdered Sugar                                                 5 tbsp

Tin Cherries                                                         3 cups

Chocolate Shavings                                            2 cups

Piping Bags                                                         2 Star tip nozzle      

 

Directions:

1. Chocolate Sponge Cake:Take the cake tins, grease them well with the oil and line the base and sides of the cake tins with butter paper. Keep the lined tins aside.
2. Meanwhile take two large kadhai or deep pots with a lid. We’ll be using the kadhai or the deep pot to bake the cakes on the gas stove instead of the oven. Make sure that the pots are large enough for the cake tins to fit in. Add 2 cups of sand/ salt to the pots and spread it on the base of the pot. This will prevent the cake from direct heat and burning. Also put an steel rack over the salt to place the cake tins which will prevent the tins from direct heat from the bottom.
3. Take a jug; pour all the wet ingredients that is the oil, eggs, milk, black coffee and vanilla essence into the jug. Whisk all the wet ingredients together till well incorporated. Keep the mixture aside.
4. Now take a large mixing bowl, to the bowl sieve all the dry ingredients that is the plain flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, baking soda, baking powder and the salt. Letting the dry ingredients through the sieve removes the lumps. Sieve the dry ingredients at least twice.
5. Now take the wet ingredient mixture and pour it into another big mixing bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture into the wet ingredients into three batches. On every batch whisk the ingredients well to get a smooth cake batter. Pour the cake batter into the lined cake tins. Distribute the cake batter equally among the two cake tins. Keep it aside.
6. Now place the kadhai/ pot on the gas stove and pre-heat them on high heat for 5 minutes. Remember to cover the pots with a lid. After heating the pots, place the filled cake tins into the heated pots and cover with the lid. Bake the cake on medium low heat for 30 minutes or till the cake is done. To check this, insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake; if it comes out clean then the cake is done. Remove the cakes from the pot and let them cool completely on a cooling rack.
7. For the frosting: Stabilized Whipped Cream: Take the plain gelatin in a bowl and add 3 tbsp of cold water to it and let it dissolve. When the gelatin dissolves, add another 3 tbsp of boiling water into it and mix well till a clear liquid is obtained. Keep it aside.
8. Take the chilled whipping cream in a bowl and place the bowl over a bigger bowl half filled with ice-cubes. Doing this will keep the whipped cream chilled and a chilled whipping is easy to work with. A chilled whipping cream turns fluffy easily.
9. Start whisking the cream with a hand whisk or an electric beater. If you’re using an electric beater then start at the lowest speed and whisk for at least two minutes then gradually increase the speed till 3.
10. When you notice soft peaks forming, then add the 3 tbsp of powder sugar to the cream and mix well. While beating the cream, add the gelatin mixture to the cream and keep whisking till well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl occasionally and whisk again till you get the soft stiff peaks. As soon as you get the soft and stiff peaks stop beating. You’re stabilized whipped cream is now ready.
11. Cover the bowl of whipped cream with a cling film and put it into the fridge for few hours.
12. Cherry Filling: Take the canned cherries. Keep 8-10 whole cherries aside for decorating the cake. Deseed the remaining cherries and chop them into small pieces.
13. Now take a sauce pan, put the chopped cherries into it with 3 tbsp of powdered sugar. Cook the cherries on medium heat. Also add 1 cup to water to it. Cook the cherries till soft and mushy.
14. After the cherries are cooked, strain the cherries and keep the water out of it to brush the cake sponge. Also keep the cherries aside.
15. Assembling the Cake:Take one piping bag, fill it with the whipped cream, make a cut at the bottom and keep it aside. Take another piping bag, put the star tip nozzle into it and fill the bag half with the whipped cream. We’ll use the first bag to layer and frost the cake whereas the second bag will be used to make whipped cream rosettes to decorate the cake.
16. Take the chocolate sponge cakes. Remove the butter paper from the sides and bottom of the cake. Slice the cakes into two equal halves. This way you’ll get 4 slices of the cake. Take a cake board, apply a spoon of the cream on the centre of the board and place first slice of the chocolate sponge cake.
17. Brush the sponge with the cherry water and take the first bag of the whipped cream. Layer the first cake slice with the cream and spread evenly.  Over the cream layer, spread some of the chopped cherries and put another slice of the cake. Repeat the same process of layering the cake till three slices of cakes are used. In the last layer, place the flattest slice over it. Layering of the cake is done.
18. Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of the cream and spread well using a scraper or a spatula. Doing this will lock the cake crumbs. Keep the cake into the fridge for an hour. After an hour take out the cake and coat the cake again with a thick layer of cream.
19. After coating the cake well, cover the sides and top of the cake with chocolate shavings. Pipe round rosettes over the top of the cake and place a whole cherry over the each cream rosette. Pop the cake into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.