Incredible Black Forest Cake
A 3-layer Black Forest Cake laced with Kirsch and layers filled with sweetened whipped cream and cherries, topped with a dark chocolate ganache. This cake is an incredible showstopper!
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge
- 230 g dark chocolate 70% cocoa
- 170 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 350 g light brown soft sugar
- 3 large eggs separated
- 370 g plain flour sifted
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- .5 tsp salt
- 500 ml milk semi or full fat is fine
Filling
- 500 g jar of cherries in Kirsch
- 500 ml double cream
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
Ganache
- 100 ml double cream
- 100 g dark chocolate 70% cocoa
Decoration
- 1 small handful fresh cherries
- 1 small handful fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/ 160ºC Fan/ Gas 4/350ºF. Line the bottom of 3 20cm (8 inch) springform baking tins with baking paper.
- Melt the dark chocolate in short 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring each time. Set aside to cool.
- Cream the butter and sugar until lighter in colour and smooth.
- Beat the egg yolks until they've doubled in volume.
- Gradually add the egg yolks to the creamed butter and sugar, beating well.
- Add the cooled chocolate and beat well to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Add a third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat well, then add a third of the milk and beat. Repeat adding a third at a time with the remaining flour and milk.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks then fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Fold very gently so you don't knock the air out of the mixture!
- Divide the mixture evenly between your tins. Bake for 28 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool before filling.
Filling
- Whisk the double cream and icing sugar until it's softly whipped.
- Place one of the sponges on a cake board or serving plate and spread over one third of the whipped cream. Add half of the Kirsch soaked cherries on top of the whipped cream. Repeat for the second layer. Add the final cake layer on top.
Ganache
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put it into a heatproof bowl.
- Add the cream to a small saucepan set over a medium heat. Take the pan off the heat just before it reaches boiling point and pour the cream over the top of the chocolate. Leave it to sit for a few minutes.
- Beat the cream and chocolate together until you have a smooth, glossy, pourable dark chocolate ganache. Leave it to cool for a few minutes.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and use a palette knife to spread it over the top. Don't worry if some drips down the sides of the cake.
- To decorate, add a small handful of fresh cherries and blackberries on top of the cake.
Video
Notes
- If you can't find cherries in Kirsch you can substitute for the same weight of fresh cherries, tinned cherries or cherry pie filling. I do not recommend you use frozen cherries.
- An alternative to Kirsch would be any cherry based liquor or brandy.
- For a non-alcoholic cake you can sue cherry juice.
- Icing sugar is the equivalent of powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar in the US
- Double cream is the equivalent of heavy cream or whipping cream in the US (look for cream with a high fat content above 40%)
- Cream whips easier when it is cold straight from the fridge.
- You can bake this recipe in 2 x 8 inch tins and then slice the baked cakes in half (although you will end up with 4 layers so you will have to adjust the amount of filling in between each layer.)
- Storage: As this cake has fresh cream it needs to be refrigerated. It will keep for 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. You can freeze the baked chocolate sponges for up to 3 months but a decorated cake will not freeze well.