Black Forest Cherry Cake
American Cakes - Black Forest Cake Recipe and History from food Historian Gil Marks. Chocolate Layer Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting and "Drunken" Cherries.
- Prep time
- 1 hr 10 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 pound bottled or canned pitted sour cherries - Morello or Montmorency cherries (or poached and pitted fresh cherries)
- 1/4 cup cherry juice or dry red wine (or any combination)
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup kirsch
- 1 cup butter
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 12 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4-6 tablespoons sugar (more or less to taste)
- 8-12 glace cherries or drained maraschino cherries (optional)
- chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
To prepare the cherries: In a small saucepan, stir the cherry juice and sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.
- 2
Remove from the heat and pour over the cherries. Stir in the kirsch and let macerate at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for at least 4 hours. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F for a convection oven). Grease three 9-inch springform or other round cake pans, line with parchment paper or wax paper, grease again, and dust with flour.
- 3
In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
- 4
Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add the dry ingredients, the milk and vanilla into the butter and sugar mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
- 5
Add the boiling water and beat for one minute. The mixture will look shiny, loose and well combined.
- 6
Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, tilting to level the surface. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
- 7
Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges with a sharp knife and invert onto wire racks. Remove the paper, invert the cake, and let cool completely, at least 1 hour.
- 8
To make the whipped cream: In the bowl of stand mixer, whip the cream to soft peaks. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Gently mix in mascarpone until well combined.
- 9
To assemble: Place a cake layer on a serving platter. Generously brush or sprinkle with the cherry soaking liquid.
- 10
Spread with one-fourth of the whipped cream.
- 11
Then arrange half of the marinated cherries in the whipped cream.
- 12
Sprinkle a second cake layer with about 1 tablespoon soaking liquid, carefully invert over the bottom layer, and sprinkle the top with about 1 tablespoon soaking liquid. Spread with one-third of the remaining whipped cream and arrange the remaining marinated cherries over top. Sprinkle the remaining cake layer with about 1 tablespoon soaking liquid, invert over the cake, and sprinkle the top with about 1 tablespoon soaking liquid. Frost the top of the cake with a thinner layer of whipped cream.
- 13
Frost the sides of the cake.
- 14
Spoon any remaining whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe rosettes around the top edge of the cake or drop dollops of the cream with a spoon.
- 15
If using, top each rosette with a glace cherry. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chocolate shavings, if desired. This cake is best served on the day it is assembled.