Black Forest Cake is an English name given to a German Dessert. The very popular Black Forest cake originated from Germany. Black forest cake is a favorite without any country difference. This cake is simple yet delicious and looks absolutely gorgeous.

     Black forest cake is basically layers of chocolate cake put together with whipped cream frosting and some times filled with sour cherries between layers and garnished with cherries. A perfect colourful cake for all occasions.


Black Forest Cake


INGREDIENTS:

For the Cake:
Sugar, powdered- 1½ cups
*All purpose Flour (or) Self Raising Flour- 1 ¼ cups
Cocoa powder-  cup
Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
*Baking Soda- 1 teaspoon (avoid if you are using self raising flour)
Salt- ½ teaspoon
Eggs-2
Milk- 1/2 cup
Oil- ½ cup
Vanilla Extract- 2 teaspoons
Boiling hot water- ½ cup

For Frosting:
Whipping cream- 1 ½ cup (350 ml)
Icing sugar/ powdered sugar- 3 tablespoons
Chocolate, grated/ Chocolate Vermicelli- ½  cup (150 grams)
Cherries in sugar syrup/ Dark sour cherries- 10-12


PROCEDURE:
  • Preheat the oven to 180oC.
  • Grease and flour or line the baking pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
  • Sift and stir together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
  • In another bowl, add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil; beat well using whisk or electric beater.
  • Add the above dry ingredients a cup at a time and mix (fold/ beat) well. Stir in the boiling water. (batter will be thin)
  • Pour the batter equally into the prepared cake tins.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes until the wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  • Cool the cake for 10 minutes. Unmould the cake by running a knife over the sides and cool completely.

For Whipped Cream Frosting:
  • Chill the whisk, bowl and the whipping cream for 15-30 minutes.(Click here to view in detail)
  • Whip the cream till soft peaks. Then add sugar a tablespoon at a time and whip till you get stiff peaks.
  • Cover the cream with cling film and refrigerate until you use it.
  • Grate the chocolate using carrot grater or scrape using a knife by keeping chocolate bar on surface and hold with both hands and scrape towards knife facing your side. Refrigerate till you use it.
Assembling the cake:
  • Take a hard board and draw 20 cm diameter line and cut the board and cover with aluminium foil and cut the foil to approximately 22 cm diameter. Fold the excess 2 cm on opposite side and stick with a tape.
  • Using a pastry brush remove the crumbs sticking to the cake.
  • Keep a teaspoon of icing on the board and keep the first cake.
  • Apply 2-3 tablespoon full icing and spread evenly over the cake leaving 1 cm border. Keep the second cake and slightly press with hand together. Apply icing on top of second cake.
  • Crumb coat (applying a thin layer of icing to seals the crumbs) the cake using a palate knife or icing spatula and allow to set the icing on fridge for 15 minutes.
  • Then spread a thick layer of icing over the cake.
  • Keep the cake base over a newspaper sheet to collect the fallen chocolate shavings. Take grated chocolate in your hand and stick on the side by slowly rotating the cake.
  • Insert the star nozzle and fill the icing on the piping bag 90o angle and keep the icing on the cake in a circular manner over the top of the cake. (Click here to view how to prepare Icing and Piping bag)
  • Keep cherries in syrup over the circular icing on top of the cake.
  • Take grated chocolate in spoon and spread at the middle of the cake.
  • Keep cherries at the center also if you like.
  • Refrigerate the cake for 15- 30 minutes. Cut the cake and serve!!!
  • Note: You can replace Whipped cream frosting with Butter Cream Frosting.