Monday, June 12, 2017

Black forest cake...

black forest cake

I have crossed the milestone of 200 posts on my blog. It turns out that the last post was the 200th post. Today as I'm writing the 201st post I would like to thank everyone who visit my blog, read and try my recipes and shower me with their kind words through messages and comments. Thanks to all my Facebook and Instagram followers, and all the co-bloggers for inspiring and encouraging me.

It is an exciting milestone for me. When I started blogging five years back I never thought of having 200+ recipes on my blog. It was more spontaneous than planned, to note down how I cook at home and to list all the recipes I have learnt and tried over the time. It is all your support and encouragement that helps to me to keep going. So I'm in a celebratory mood and every celebration needs something special, so here is my and my daughter's favorite cake, the Black forest.

Blogging for last five years has helped me learn  more about food and cuisines from different parts of the world and appreciate the art of food photography. So along with the recipe here are some snaps taken while I was making the delicious cake. It's a difficult job to prepare an elaborate cake like Black forest and photograph all the steps, I have tried my best to do so.

I used my KitchenAid stand mixer for making this cake. Frankly speaking the stand mixer makes the work very easy, but one can use an electric hand mixer.

black forest cake


black forest cake


black forest cake


black forest cake


black forest cake


black forest cake


black forest cake


black forest cake


black forest cake


Things needed to make black Forest cake:

(makes a 10 inch double layered cake)

For the cake:
  • Eggs: 5
  • Sugar (granulated): 2/3 cup
  • Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
  • Flour: 1/2 cup
  • Cocoa powder: 1/2 cup
  • Baking powder: 1 tsp
  • Salt : 1 tsp
  • Butter (melted): 3 tbsp
For the whipping cream:
  • Heavy whipping cream: 2 cups
  • Sugar (powdered): 3 tbsp
  • Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Cherries:
  • Cheery: 2 cups + more to garnish*
  • Water: 3 cups
  • Sugar: 3 tbsp
  • Brandy: 1 tbsp**
*Canned cherries can be used instead of fresh cherries.

Others: Chocolate sprinkles or chocolate shaving to garnish

Steps of making Black Forest cake:

1. If using fresh cherries, pit the cherries (keep few cherries whole for garnishing). In a saucepan boil water, sugar and brandy. Add the pitted cherries. Lower the heat and cook for 5-6 mins. Switch off the heat. Let the cherries cool down. Store in a air tight container in the refrigerator.

2. If using canned cherries, drain the cherries from the syrup. Add a tablespoon of brandy to the syrup and mix. Add a tablespoon of brandy with drained cherries and keep aside. Traditionally Kirsch, a cherry brandy is used. Any other fruit brandy or rum can also be used, if Kirsch is not available. Or else one can completely opt out the alcohol and use the syrup of the canned cherries.

3. Pre-heat oven to 375 F or 180 C.

4. Grease and flour a 10 inch round cake pan, line the cake pan with parchment paper.

5. Take a saucepan one third filled with water and let the water boil. In a heat proof bowl take the eggs and sugar. Mix well with a wire whisk. Place the bowl over the saucepan with boiling water and beat the egg and sugar with the wire whisk till the egg mixture feels warm to touch.

6. Transfer the egg mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer and beat the egg with the paddle attachment for 5-6 mins on high speed. The egg mixture will expand and will turn pale yellow in color.

7. Sieve flour, cocoa powder, baking powder to the egg mixture. Do not add the dry ingredients at once. Add one third of the dry ingredients and mix gently with a wire whisk or spatula. Keep mixing till all the dry ingredients are added.

8. Take the butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt it. Add the butter gradually to the cake batter and mix gently with a wire whisk or spatula.

9. Pour the batter in the prepared cake pan and bake at 375 F or 180 C for 25 min.

10. Insert a skewer at the center to check whether the cake is done or not. Take out the cake and let it cool on a wire rack.

11. When the cake is completely cool. Slice the cake into two with a serrated knife.

12. While the cake is cooling down beat the heavy cream with sugar and vanilla extract till soft peaks are formed. I used the stand mixer with wire whip attachment and beat the cream for 4-5 mins on high speed.

13. Drizzle the cherry syrup on both the slices. Add dollops of whipped cream on the first layer. even the cream with a spatula or a pallet knife. Place the other half of the cake on top. Cover the cake with whipped cream. Garnish with cherries and chocolate. I used star nozzle to pipe the whipped cream and homemade chocolate cake sprinkles to decorate the cake.

black forest cake

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