Best 3 Deconstructed Black Forest Cake Recipes

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Indulge in a deconstructed twist on the classic Black Forest cake, where each element takes center stage. This delightful recipe presents a symphony of flavors and textures that will tantalize your taste buds. From the rich chocolate cake base to the velvety chocolate mousse, tangy cherry compote, and luscious whipped cream, this dessert is a feast for the senses. The article offers three variations to cater to different preferences: a traditional version, a gluten-free option for those with dietary restrictions, and a playful popsicle rendition for a refreshing treat. Get ready to embark on a culinary journey that celebrates the iconic flavors of the Black Forest cake in a modern and creative way.

Here are our top 3 tried and tested recipes!

BLACK FOREST GATEAU



Black Forest gateau image

Impress your guests with this chocolate cherry layered cream cake - a revamped version of a retro classic.

Provided by Sarah Cook

Categories     Afternoon tea, Dessert

Time 1h40m

Number Of Ingredients 14

175g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
200g bar dark chocolate
300g plain flour
375g golden caster sugar
25g cocoa
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 medium eggs
200g buttermilk or natural yoghurt
425g can pitted cherry, 2 tbsp juice reserved, rest drained
100g morello cherry jam
4 tbsp kirsch (or more juice from a can if you want it to be non-alcoholic)
500ml tub double cream
3 tbsp icing sugar
1 small punnet fresh cherries (optional)

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of 3 x 20cm cake tins. Boil the kettle. Put the butter and 75g chocolate broken into chunks in a small pan and gently heat, stirring, until completely melted.
  • Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk or yogurt together. Scrape the melted chocolate mixture and egg mixture into the dry ingredients, add 100ml boiling water and whizz briefly with an electric whisk until the cake batter is lump free.
  • 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're done, push in a skewer and check that it comes out clean.
  • Prick the cakes a few times with a skewer. Mix together the 2 tbsp reserved cherry juice and the kirsch (or more juice) and drizzle over the cakes. Cool the cakes.
  • Mix together the remaining drained cherries and jam. Tip 200ml of the cream into a small pan and heat until just below simmering point. Chop the remaining chocolate and put in a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot cream and stir until melted. Set aside until spreadable.
  • When the cakes are cool whisk the remaining cream and the icing sugar together until softly whipped. Spread over two of the cakes, then spoon over the jammy cherries. Stack the cakes together. Spread the chocolate cream over the third cake and sit on top of the other cakes. Pile the fresh cherries in and around the cake and serve

Nutrition Facts : Calories 859 calories, Fat 48.9 grams fat, SaturatedFat 29.9 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 93.7 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 73.6 grams sugar, Fiber 2.6 grams fiber, Protein 7.2 grams protein, Sodium 0.7 milligram of sodium

BLACK FOREST CAKE I



Black Forest Cake I image

This recipe delivers a classic version of the original Black Forest cake with whipped cream frosting and sour cherries.

Provided by Linda Greer

Categories     Desserts     Fruit Dessert Recipes     Cherry Dessert Recipes

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 16

2 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (20 ounce) cans pitted sour cherries
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups heavy whipping cream
⅓ cup confectioners' sugar

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch, round, cake pans; cover bottoms with waxed paper.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.
  • Bake for 35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen edges, and remove to racks to cool completely.
  • Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Combine reserved juice, cherries, 1 cup sugar and cornstarch in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool before using.
  • Combine whipping cream and confectioner's sugar in a chilled medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.
  • With long serrated knife, split each cake layer horizontally in half. Tear one split layer into crumbs; set aside. Reserve 1 1/2 cups Frosting for decorating cake; set aside. Gently brush loose crumbs off top and side of each cake layer with pasty brush or hands. To assemble, place one cake layer on cake plate. Spread with 1 cup frosting; top with 3/4 cup cherry topping. Top with second cake layer; repeat layers of frosting and cherry topping. Top with third cake layer. Frost side of cake. Pat reserved crumbs onto frosting on side of cake. Spoon reserved frosting into pastry bag fitted with star decorator tip. Pipe around top and bottom edges of cake. Spoon remaining cherry topping onto top of cake.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 661.9 calories, Carbohydrate 86.9 g, Cholesterol 129.6 mg, Fat 33.9 g, Fiber 3.4 g, Protein 7.5 g, SaturatedFat 16 g, Sodium 341.9 mg, Sugar 61.8 g

BLACK FOREST CAKE



Black Forest Cake image

Black forest cake, which originated in the Black Forest region of Germany, is typically made with a light chocolate sponge cake, soaked with cherry syrup and cherry brandy (Kirsch), then layered with whipped cream and cherries. This version swaps the chocolate sponge for a denser, fudgier chocolate cake to delicious effect. But slicing a rich chocolate cake into four thin layers can be a bit tricky. To make the job a little easier, cool them completely before slicing. The cherry jam and syrup can be made in advance.

Provided by Samantha Seneviratne

Categories     cakes, dessert

Time 2h

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

1 cup/240 milliliters vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pans
1 1/2 cups/140 grams Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups/360 milliliters boiling water
1 cup/240 milliliters buttermilk
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups/330 grams packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups/385 grams all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups (about 20 ounces/600 grams) fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 to 2 tablespoons Kirsch
1/3 cup/40 grams confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 cups/960 milliliters heavy cream
6 ounces/170 grams bittersweet chocolate, shaved into curls
8 fresh or frozen whole dark sweet cherries, pitted

Steps:

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with oil and line the bottom of each with parchment paper.
  • To prepare the cake, in a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. Add the buttermilk and 1 cup vegetable oil, and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract, then whisk to combine.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, then whisk to combine. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cakes to a rack to cool for about 20 minutes, then flip the cakes out onto the rack and let them cool completely. Flip the cakes again, so the domed portion is on top, and trim a bit of the dome off each cake to flatten the top. Carefully cut each layer in half horizontally, creating four layers.
  • While the cake cools, prepare the cherry jam: In a small saucepan, combine the cherries and sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the cherries down with a wooden spoon or potato masher, until the fruit has released its juice, about 6 minutes.
  • Pass the cherry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the syrup in a medium bowl and setting aside the cooked cherries. Measure out 1/2 cup/120 milliliters of the syrup. (If you have more, store the rest in the refrigerator for another use). Transfer 1 tablespoon syrup from the 1/2 cup to small bowl, then stir the Kirsch into remaining syrup; set aside to cool completely.
  • Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch to the reserved 1 tablespoon cherry syrup in the small bowl; whisk to combine. Transfer it to the saucepan, add the cooked cherries and cook over medium, stirring, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool completely. (You should have about 1 1/4 cups/300 milliliters jam.)
  • Prepare the whipped cream: In a small saucepan, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch and 1 cup heavy cream. Bring that mixture to a low boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thickened to the consistency of thin pudding, reducing heat as necessary to avoid scorching, about 2 minutes. Transfer cream mixture to a large bowl to cool completely.
  • Assemble the cake: Whisk the cream mixture to loosen it, then add the remaining 3 cups heavy cream. Using an electric mixer on medium, beat the mixture until you have medium-stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Set one cake layer on a serving plate, cut-side up. Brush it with some of the cherry-Kirsch syrup, spread about 1 cup whipped cream over the top, then 1/3 of the cherry jam. Swirl the jam and the cream together a bit to spread it out evenly. Repeat this process two more times and top it with the last cake layer, cut-side down. Then cover the entire cake with a thin layer of whipped cream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • To finish, frost the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Prepare the chocolate curls: Warm the chocolate bar in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, then use a vegetable peeler to create curled chocolate shavings. Press the chocolate shavings onto the sides of the cake and over a 1-inch of the border on top. Top with the 8 cherries. Store leftovers, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tips:

  • For the chocolate cake layer, use a high-quality cocoa powder to ensure a rich chocolate flavor.
  • Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature before beginning the cake batter. This will help the ingredients emulsify properly and result in a smooth, even batter.
  • Do not overmix the cake batter. Overmixing can result in a tough, dry cake.
  • For the cherry compote, use fresh or frozen cherries. If using frozen cherries, thaw them completely before using.
  • To make the whipped cream, use heavy cream that is at least 35% fat. This will ensure that the whipped cream is thick and fluffy.
  • If you are using a piping bag to decorate the cake, make sure to use a star tip. This will help you create beautiful swirls of whipped cream.

Conclusion:

This deconstructed black forest cake is a delicious and impressive dessert that is perfect for any special occasion. With its layers of chocolate cake, cherry compote, and whipped cream, this cake is sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it. So next time you are looking for a special dessert, give this deconstructed black forest cake a try. You won't be disappointed!

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