Over the weekend, we went on a mini road trip to visit Hubby's Great Uncle. Everyone in the family simply calls him Uncle. Uncle turned 91 last month, which most definitely warranted a celebration.
My Mother-in-Law asked if I could make a Black Forest Cake, because Uncle is a fan. I had never made one before, but I love an excuse to try new things.
My Mother-in-Law asked if I could make a Black Forest Cake, because Uncle is a fan. I had never made one before, but I love an excuse to try new things.
I used Brown Eyed Baker's Black Forest Cake recipe with a few changes.
For the cake: I threw in a tsp of espresso powder for kicks. Recipe books and television bakers always say coffee or espresso enhances the flavor of a chocolate cake. I had some, so why not?
For the cherries: I bought a bag of fresh cherries (which I sadly can not eat fresh due to allergies.) I pitted them by hand. (It was very difficult to resist licking my fingers.) I had about 18oz after reserving a dozen for the top and a handful for Hubby. I put them in a pot with 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 C water and stirred them around for several minutes. Then I thickened the syrup with a bit of cornstarch. I brushed the syrup on each cooled cake layer before assembling.
I tend to be conservative when adding sugar. If you like things sweet, more sugar would have been fine. Also, at Uncle's I learned what fresh sour cherries look like. If I could get my hands on those, I'm sure that the cherry filling would have had even more pronounced cherry flavor.
For the whipped cream: I doubled the recipe. Also, in an effort to ensure the cake would survive a three hour car ride, I stabilized the whipped cream with gelatin.
For the cake: I threw in a tsp of espresso powder for kicks. Recipe books and television bakers always say coffee or espresso enhances the flavor of a chocolate cake. I had some, so why not?
For the cherries: I bought a bag of fresh cherries (which I sadly can not eat fresh due to allergies.) I pitted them by hand. (It was very difficult to resist licking my fingers.) I had about 18oz after reserving a dozen for the top and a handful for Hubby. I put them in a pot with 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 C water and stirred them around for several minutes. Then I thickened the syrup with a bit of cornstarch. I brushed the syrup on each cooled cake layer before assembling.
I tend to be conservative when adding sugar. If you like things sweet, more sugar would have been fine. Also, at Uncle's I learned what fresh sour cherries look like. If I could get my hands on those, I'm sure that the cherry filling would have had even more pronounced cherry flavor.
For the whipped cream: I doubled the recipe. Also, in an effort to ensure the cake would survive a three hour car ride, I stabilized the whipped cream with gelatin.
It survived!!!!!
The cherry flavor was not especially pronounced. I am sure it would be more pronounced with the canned cherries and/or addition of cherry Kirsch used in Brown Eyed Baker's recipe. However, I really liked the idea of using fresh cherries, and using alcohol didn't make sense for this particular family gathering. If I can find them, I would like to try fresh sour cherries next time. Perhaps soaking the cherries in juice would also help bring out the favor.
Still, the cake was delightful, and everyone gobbled it down. The chocolate cake was wonderful and paired beautifully with the whipped cream frosting.
We were also spoiled with a super tasty Berry Crumble from my Sister-in-Law.
Still, the cake was delightful, and everyone gobbled it down. The chocolate cake was wonderful and paired beautifully with the whipped cream frosting.
We were also spoiled with a super tasty Berry Crumble from my Sister-in-Law.
Topped with ice cream, it was one amazing treat.
Our bellies were full, full full. They were also happy, happy, happy!
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