This beautifully luscious black forest cake accompanied us to a friends New Years Eve gathering. A dark rich sponge topped with beautiful summer fruits, it is a truly spectacular way to celebrate the end of a very packed year. While I’m not a fan of the rigidity of resolutions, I like to reflect on the year just been with a glass of bubbles, cake and dear friends. I like to think on the year just been and what I’d like to achieve in the year ahead.
So I made a wee list of what I’d like to do more of in 2020. What are your goals and challenges you’d like to overcome?
- Fruit and vegetables
- Shared meals with friends and family
- Local travel
- Moving the body more
But back to the cake. Deep and rich, it’s a heavenly sponge made heady with dark chocolate. There are four parts to a black forest cake. The largest part is the double layers of chocolate sponge cake. Number two features bright and delicious fruit – cherries are traditional but freshly chopped summer plums that have been marinated in spices and a little sugar also work well. Then there’s the layers of whipped cream and finally a chocolate ganache; I like to use 50% cocoa solids as anything richer overwhelms the flavours but it still gives a lovely depth. Whittakers have a beautiful chocolate but please use the best you can afford. And finally, the fruit.
Traditionally this German cake uses cherries. Sweet summer fresh cherries, pitted and drizzled with jam. I adore the Barkers Morello Cherry Jam. High in fruit, low in sugar and very big on flavour. However, I’ve also made this cake with just picked plums off the tree in the backyard. Stoned and roughly chopped, they add a slightly different take on the tradition. Whichever fruit you use, be sure to keep the beautiful ones to layer on top of the cake for decoration.
Ingredients
- 175gm butter
- 200gm dark chocolate
- 300gm plain flour
- 375gm sugar
- 25gm cocoa
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2x eggs
- 200gm buttermilk
- 500ml cream
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp cherry jam
- 150gm fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
Instructions
Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line the base of two cake tins and put aside. In a double boiler, place the butter and 75grams of the chocolate in a bowl over bubbling water. Gently heat the chocolate slowly, stirring until completely melted and combined.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda with a pinch of salt. Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk and add to the large bowl. Scrape in the chocolate and butter mixture as well. Add 100ml boiling water and mix together with an electric beater until the cake batter is smooth.
Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25 mins. Swapping the tins round after 20 mins if they’re on different shelves. To test they are done, prick with a skewer and check that it comes out clean. Leave aside to cool.
In a small pan, add 200ml of the cream and the rest of the chocolate. Gently heat so the chocolate melts and combines with the cream. This needs to be spreadable so make sure it's combined but not runny. Whisk together the remaining cream and icing sugar until softly whipped. In a small bowl, combine the jam and cherries.
Smear both cakes with the whipped cream, top with some of the jammy cherries and sandwich together. Top the cakes with the chocolate cream and some more of the cherries. Serve with friends, laughter and a glass of bubbles.
