If you check the date, in addition to being “something on a stick day”, today is Weed Appreciation Day and Black Forest Cake Day. Now I know what you are thinking – it’s a good thing today involves cake cause we gotta do something to satisfy the munchies on weed appreciation day. Right? Uh, wrong. Today is a day for appreciating a different kind of weed, as in the stuff we are always trying to keep out of our gardens.
When Hubby has killed the dandelions in our yard, I tell him he’s killing tomorrow’s salad. He thought I was kidding until I showed him that you can buy dandelion salad in the produce section of our local markets. Thus far, I haven’t been able to convince my guys to knowingly eat weeds. Of course, these are the same guys that wanted to rid our garden of my beautiful arugula. Shush, we won’t tell them it’s really a cultivated weed I’ve been putting in their salads. While I might not always get my guys to come along on a healthy adventure, I know I can tempt them with something sweet.
There is absolutely nothing traditional about my Black Forest Cake other than it’s a chocolate cake with cherries and whipped cream. Traditionally, a Black Forest Cake is made using a Chocolate Sponge Cake. Mine comes from a box of Devil’s Food Cake. Traditionally a Black Forest Cake utilizes sour cherries and includes Kirschwasser, a clear spirit made from the sour cherries. In Germany, the law mandates that Kirschwasser must be present in the cake to be called a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Schwarzwald or Black Forest, is a region in southeastern Germany. Although cooking with cherries was all the rage by the end of the 1800s, any mention of a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte did not appear in print in until sometime around 1934. At that time it was mainly associated with Berlin despite the fact that it was available from high-class confectioners in other German, Austrian and Swiss cities. By 1949, it was one of the better known German Cakes. Unlike the famous German’s Chocolate Cake, the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte or Black Forest Cake is truly the product of German creativity.
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte – Black Forest Cake
The Devil’s in the Cake
1 Box Devil’s Food Cake
3 large Eggs
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Water
The Cherries and Syrup
1 (15-oz) can dark Sweet Cherries in heavy syrup
2 tablespoons Raspberry or Cherry-flavored Liqueur
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
The Whipped Cream Frosting
1/2 cup granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons Cornstarch
6 cups cold Heavy Cream
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
To Finish and Assemble
1 (4-oz) piece Semisweet Chocolate
12 fresh Cherries with stems
2 tablespoons Raspberry or Cherry-flavored Liqueur
For the Cake:
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Coat two 9-inch pans with cake release (or lightly buttered, then sprinkle with flour). Make sure the bottom and sides of the pans have been prepared. Set pans aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs with the oil until pale and foamy. Empty cake mix into the bowl. Add water and beat for 30 seconds on low, then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes.
Divide batter evenly between the pans. Tap pans to allow any air trapped in the batter to escape.
Bake in the heated oven for about 22 to 25 minutes. The cake is done when a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on the racks before assembling.
For the Cherries and Syrup:
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a small saucepan and pour the cherries and their syrup into the strainer to drain. Cut the cherries in half and place them in a medium bowl.
Bring the syrup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the liquor and lemon juice.
Add 2 tablespoons of the syrup to the reserved cherries and stir to combine; set aside. Set aside the remaining syrup until ready to assemble the cake, letting it cool completely, about 30 minutes.
To Make the Whipped Cream Frosting:
Place the sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. While stirring constantly, pour in 1 1/2 cups of the cream. Place the pan over medium heat and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil (the mixture will be lumpy, but it’ll smooth out). Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
When the cornstarch-cream mixture has cooled, pour 2 1/4 cups of the cold cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until tracks begin to show in the cream, about 2 minutes. With the mixer still on, slowly add half of the cornstarch-cream mixture (about 3/4 cup) and continue whisking until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with the remaining 2 1/4 cups of cream and remaining half of the cornstarch-cream mixture. Place in the bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake
To Finish and Assemble:
While the cakes and whipped cream are cooling, place the cut a small “x” in the bottom of the fresh cherries. Place cherries in a bowl with the Liqueur and let marinate. When ready to use, pat dry before placing on the cake.
When the cakes are cool, use a serrated knife to trim a thin layer from the top of each to expose the interior; discard the scraps and set the cakes aside. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the tops of the cakes, going about halfway through the layers.
Place 1 cake cut-side up on a cake stand or serving plate. Use a pastry brush to brush half of the reserved cherry syrup (about 1/4 cup) over the cake. Spread 2 cups of the whipped cream evenly over top of that, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Using a slotted spoon, evenly scatter all of the reserved cherries over the whipped cream, leaving any syrup in the bowl. Leaving a 3/4-inch border, dollop 2 cups of the whipped cream over the cherries and spread it into an even layer to enclose the cherries.
Place the second cake cut-side up on top of the whipped cream and press down gently. Brush the top cake with the remaining half of the syrup.
Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. (If desired, you can reserve up to 2 cups of the whipped cream for piping decorations on the top or base of the cake.)
Line a work surface with a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Holding the solid piece of semisweet chocolate with a paper towel in one hand, use a vegetable peeler to shave the chocolate onto the paper. Using your hands, press the chocolate shavings into the sides of the cake in an even layer. Evenly place the cherries around the top border of the cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day. If refrigerated, let the cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
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