Black Forest Cake

Is there anything more satisfying than baking a beautiful homemade cake? Black Forest cake is chocolate, cherry and cream extravaganza.

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Is there anything more satisfying than baking a beautiful homemade cake? That too, for a dear one on their birthday.

Black forest cake is a classic German masterpiece. It is essentially layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. Additional whipped cream, flurries of chocolate shavings and lightly sweetened cherries adorn this luscious chocolate cake. Boy, this is German Engineering or what!

The cake is usually made of layers of chocolate cake washed with cherry brandy or cherry syrup and smothered with whipped cream. Gently tucked in the middle of the cream are cherries soaked in syrup. Chocolate shavings are liberally slathered on top and decorated with more cherries.The rich chocolate cake absorbs the liquid and stays moist, cherry filling is sweet yet tart , the simple whipped-cream frosting gilds the edges and wraps everything to create a chocolate, cherry and cream extravaganza

What’s not to like in this cake, the decadent chocolate cake, the cherry filling, the soft and fresh whipped cream or curls of shaved chocolate? One thing is for sure, this is one forest you'll want to get lost in!

Black Forest Cake

Makes - 10 - 12 Servings

Cherry Pie Filling	- 1 cup	Whipped Cream
Cherry Brandy/Cherry Syrup	- 1/4 cup	Heavy Whipping Cream	- 3 cups
Cherries	- 20	Confectioner Sugar	-1/2 cup
		Vanilla Extract	- 2 tsps
Chocolate Shavings
Semi-sweet chocolate	- 1 bar
Butter	- 1 tbsp

To make chocolate cake

Please follow my Chocolate Cake Recipe to make the chocolate cake

Once the cake is done, cool the cake.

To make whipped cream

Combine all the ingredients under Whipped Cream and beat using an electric beater or stand beater until stiff peaks form. It takes around 5 minutes.

To prepare chocolate shavings

Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl using a microwave or double boiler.

Thinly spread the chocolate over a sheet pan and keep in freezer for a minute.

Touch it with your thumb, if the chocolate is still soft, stick it in the freezer for another 1/2 minute and try again.

In my experience, the temperature of the chocolate is the most important factor for curling the chocolate. If it is too hard, it will just flake off. If it is too soft, it will get mushy

Using a knife or an offset spatula, scrape the chocolate to form curls/shavings. Store the curls/shavings in the refrigerator until needed.

To assemble the cake

I’ll warn you assembling the cake gets really messy but the finished product is well worth it!

Cut the cake into two layers using a serrated knife.

For a four layer cake you will have to bake two cakes. Of course, you will need more whipped cream and cherry filling

Brush the cake liberally with cherry brandy or cherry syrup

Spread whipped cream over the cake

Spread half of the cherry pie filling over the whipped cream

Now, place the next layer on the top

Frosting and decorating the cake

Using an offset spatula spread the whipped cream on the sides and top of the cake evenly to seal the cake

Then, using another offset spatula, take some chocolate shavings and gently press it to the sides of the cake. Some of the shaving will fall down in this process, and this is ok

Now, take some whipped cream in a piping bag/ziploc fitted with a star tip

Make rosettes on top of the cake

Place a cherry on each rosette. Dust the center of the cake with chocolate shavings

And voila! Your cake is done. Chill the cake for a while before serving