Black Forest Cake - Tips?

[raintyger]

A friend is coming in Sept. Their birthday is late August, so we agreed that we'd celebrate it when they come. I'm planning on making Black Forest Cake, but the recipes I've come across seem a bit complicated. Does anybody have tips on how to make the cake come out right?

 

[AbbysMom]

I'm going to tag Pam because I think she regularly makes them.

Winchester

 

[Columbine]

I've made one a couple of times. The recipe I used was a whisked sponge base - where the instructions say to beat the eggs and sugar until pale and thick. This takes a lot of beating (or it did with my hand held electric whisk anyway ). The mix needs to be really pale before you add the flour. If you under-beat, the cake just won't rise enough. The rest is pretty straightforward (assuming you don't mind a slightly rustic finish :lol3: ). As long as you get the sponge right, you should be fine

 

[jcat]

I use this very simple (vegan) recipe for a really moist chocolate cake: Crazy Cake Make sure you grease and flour the layer pans. Let the cake cool completely, then put whipped cream and pitted whole or halved cherries between the two layers. My mother-in-law soaks the cherries over night in high-proof rum, then lets them drain before using them. "Ice" the cake with whipped cream and decorate with cherries and bittersweet chocolate shavings.

The alternative and easier way of doing it is to simply mix (sweet or black) cherries in the batter and bake in a greased and floured oblong pan, then ice with whipped cream and decorate with cherries and chocolate. That way you can serve directly from the pan.

 

[denice]

I have only made one once, I first had it in Germany and loved it.   I used the recipe from Joy of Baking http://www.joyofbaking.com/BlackForestCake.html   The cake itself is a little time consuming and temperamental because of getting the eggs right.  Other than that it wasn't difficult.  This recipe has you heat the egg and sugar over a double boiler while whisking until lukewarm then finish whipping off the heat.  I  don't know the reason for the heating but it does take a lot of time.  From what I  understand from then  on when adding the dry ingredients you have to be careful to just lightly fold.

Of course I think you could make a good chocolate cake like the one above and then do the rest of the recipe as far as filling, cherries  and 'frosting'.  I know it wouldn't be authentic but it would still be good.  Just don't use cherry pie filling. 

 

[Winchester]

I'm going to tag Pam because I think she regularly makes them.

@Winchester

No. Uh-uh. Sorry. I've made two in my life. They turned out well, BUT they are a pain to make. At least I thought so.

If you can hold on til I get home, I'll look for my recipe and my notes. 

FWIW, I agree with Denice.....stay away from the canned pie filling.

 

[raintyger]

Thanks, everyone!

Funny thing, I opened up the Pillsbury cookbook and they had Black Forest Cake...made with cherry pie filling!

 

[natalie_ca]

All I do to make a black forest cake is this:

1. bake a devil's food chocolate cake. Once it's cook, cut each cake into 2 slices (torting)
http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/02/what-is-torting-a-cake/

2. put cherry pie filling between each layer.  As much as you like. Finish with cake on the top

3. Once you have finished filling and stacking the cake, it's time to add whipped cream!

4. Add whipped cream to the sides and about 1 inch around the top of the cake.

5. Fill the top of the cake with cherry pie filling.

6.  Grate some chocolate and press it gently into the sides of the cake. Sprinkle a bit on top.  Add chocolate curls (use a peeler on chocolate) to the top if you want.  Add some fresh cherries as decoration on the whipped cream on top, or just drizzle with a bit of cherry juice.

Instant black forest cake.  You can do the same with cupcakes

 

[Columbine]

I think a classic black forest cake is meant to be a little less sweet. That's why it's better to avoid pie filling...it depends how authentic you feel like being

Kirsch is a 'must' in my book...it needs to be a little boozy too

 

[Winchester]

OK.....I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com a while back. It's also in a Best of All-Recipes cookbook. Notice that it does not call for kirsch. I really don't like kirsch much at all....sorry. I'm not one for liquor in baked goods, for the most part. But that's just me. There are recipes that call for soaking fresh cherries overnight in kirsch. I just don't like kirsch. I don't like using cherry pie filling either for this cake as I think it makes it way too sweet. I don't really like canned pie filling period, to be honest.

The reason I thought it was a bit of a pain to make is because you are supposed to cut each cake layer in half to make a total of four layers. I can't do that. I just can't, not without making an incredible mess. So whenever I have a recipe that says to do this, what I do is:

A.  Get Dear Richard to halve the cake layers (he's actually pretty good at it. It's called PATIENCE and I don't have any.)

OR

B.  Just use the layers the way they are. So you have two layers instead of four. Works for me.

I am not a cake decorator, so I always have trouble piping icing or whipped cream on a cake and having it look gorgeous. You can see why I've only made a Black Forest Cherry Cake twice. Tell me to make a Sachertorte, though, and I can whip one up quickly. If somebody else halves the cake layers, that is.

BLACK FOREST CHERRY CAKE

2-1/8 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 (20 ounce) cans pitted sour cherries

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

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 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 pastry 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.

 

[margecat]

 
No. Uh-uh. Sorry. I've made two in my life. They turned out well, BUT they are a pain to make. At least I thought so.

If you can hold on til I get home, I'll look for my recipe and my notes. 

FWIW, I agree with Denice.....stay away from the canned pie filling.

I agree about the canned pie filling. IMHO, it's nasty stuff, with the consistency of baby food. It's easy to make your own from scratch, and far better in appearance and taste. I believe that fruit pie filling should look like fruit--apple slices, peach slices, etc. Black Forest cake should have Kirsch in it. Why waste an expensive ingredient in a sub-standard fruit filling?

For example, here's how I make apple pie filling:

Several Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Water

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

Brown sugar and the same amount of white sugar

Cornstarch

A pat or 2 of butter

Combine apples, a small amount of water (you can add more if needed), sugar and spices in a saucepan, Slowly bring to a low boil. Let simmer about 15 minutes.  In a glass of COLD water, place a tablespoon of the cornstarch; mix. Pour into the apple mix to thicken it. When done, add the butter. This smells WONDERFUL when cooking. You don't get that with canned filling! 

 

[Columbine]

Winchester I guess it shows how much recipes can differ

I've only ever made Black Forest cake as a treat for Dad. He loves kirsch, so it's a non negotiable in this house :lol3:

I agree - splitting the cake is a nightmare. I cheat a little and bake in 2 sandwich pans so I'm only splitting each cake once. For some reason I can't find my recipie :slant: I've not tried it since going gluten free....somehow I don't think a whisked sponge would be too successful without normal cake flour.

 

[Winchester]

@Winchester I guess it shows how much recipes can differ

I've only ever made Black Forest cake as a treat for Dad. He loves kirsch, so it's a non negotiable in this house

I agree - splitting the cake is a nightmare. I cheat a little and bake in 2 sandwich pans so I'm only splitting each cake once. For some reason I can't find my recipie

I've not tried it since going gluten free....somehow I don't think a whisked sponge would be too successful without normal cake flour.

I know! There are all kinds of recipes out there these days for pretty much anything. I'm just not a big fan of alcohol, for the most part, and I really hate it in any kind of baked goods. But if somebody was coming for dinner and I knew they liked kirsch in their Black Forest Cherry Cake, I would certainly buy it and make the cake the way it should be made. (But I probably wouldn't eat any of it)

As for cake flour, you can sub all-purpose flour. Just for every cup of AP flour you use, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour from each cup. That's a pretty good ratio for all-purpose versus cake. I keep cake flour on hand because there are quite a few recipes I have that use it. I also have pastry flour, from King Arthur. Their cake flour and their pastry flour are both really good. Swan makes a really good cake flour and I've used it....it's in our grocery stores, so easier to find.

I use a sponge cake now as a base for my cheesecakes. Some of them are chocolate, some are regular vanilla. Rick seems to like them more so than a regular graham cracker base. (I don't eat cheesecake either, but Rick loves the stuff.)

 

[Columbine]

I know about the all purpose flour trick...its just dad and I have been diagnosed as coeliac since I last made it. Gluten free flour blends react differently. Generally, it's fine for denser cakes, but getting a feather light cake is really hard.

 

[raintyger]

Any tricks to getting the chocolate shavings to stick on the side of the cake?

 

[Winchester]

It's the same for when you're using coconut. Simply take the shavings and gently press them onto the sides. Some will fall off, but you just keep picking them up and pressing them back on.

 

[Kat0121]

 
I use a sponge cake now as a base for my cheesecakes. Some of them are chocolate, some are regular vanilla. Rick seems to like them more so than a regular graham cracker base. (I don't eat cheesecake either, but Rick loves the stuff.)

It's nice to see that someone other than me doesn't like cheesecake. I make a white chocolate one that everyone loves. It was DH's very favorite. Everyone loves it but me. I won't touch it. 

I have made it with a graham cracker crust (I use cinnamon grahams). I have also made it with shortbread cookies or Oreos in place of the grahams. Both were well received also. 

 

[Winchester]

Oh heavens, I hate the stuff! It's a texture thing for me, I think, although I am not fond of cream cheese at all. I make cheesecakes because Rick loves them, but I think they're disgusting. Nice to know I'm not alone! 

 Psst.....I don't like sour cream either. 

 I can cook with it, I can bake with it. But I won't eat a spoon full of the stuff. And I won't eat it on baked potatoes either.

 

[Kat0121]

 
Oh heavens, I hate the stuff! It's a texture thing for me, I think, although I am not fond of cream cheese at all. I make cheesecakes because Rick loves them, but I think they're disgusting. Nice to know I'm not alone! 

 Psst.....I don't like sour cream either. 

 I can cook with it, I can bake with it. But I won't eat a spoon full of the stuff. And I won't eat it on baked potatoes either.

I think for me it's just too much dairy at once. It's like getting smacked in the face with it. I like cream cheese and sour cream but cheesecake.. I'll pass. 

If I'm having something with dairy for dessert, I'd rather have some high quality gelato, frozen custard or ice cream. 

 

[stewball]

Winchester I guess it shows how much recipes can differ

I've only ever made Black Forest cake as a treat for Dad. He loves kirsch, so it's a non negotiable in this house :lol3:

I agree - splitting the cake is a nightmare. I cheat a little and bake in 2 sandwich pans so I'm only splitting each cake once. For some reason I can't find my recipie :slant: I've not tried it since going gluten free....somehow I don't think a whisked sponge would be too successful without normal cake flour.

You're not lazy. Most recipes tell you to use 2 sandwich tins. That's the most sensible way of doing split cakes.