AuthorSteve Nubie
As you might suspect from the name, Black Forest cake has its origins in the Black Forest of Germany. There are various opinions about the origin of the recipe, but some believe the preponderance of cherry trees in the Black Forest was a motivating factor in the development of this recipe.
On a fundamental level, this recipe has 3 primary components. There is the cake itself which is a batter made with cocoa powder, flour and sugar and some other ingredients. Another component is whipped cream which is spread across the layers of the cake; the top and sides. Finally, there are the cherries. A cherry syrup is made and whole cherries top the cake frosting on top. Sour, canned cherries are the traditional cherries used but Maraschino cherries work as a topping.
Your bread machine can make this recipe easier as you prepare the batter. If you have a setting for a batter bread or cake bread that will work fine. You could also use a pasta dough or pizza dough setting. Because this is a cake bread there is a standard caution. Many settings on a bread machine assume a yeast bread as opposed to a cake made with baking powder and baking soda. Cakes don’t require a rising cycle and the rising cycle can compromise the texture and taste. It’s easy to make the batter in your bread machine but make sure the batter doesn‘t go into a rising cycle or baking. The cake is ultimately baked in a conventional oven.
The whipped cream filling and topping is made in a chilled bowl either using a whisk, hand mixer or counter top mixer. The cherries and cherry juice are cooked in a saucepan with other ingredients like sugar and corn starch to make it sweet and thick. We’ll go through detailed ingredients, directions and photos.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch, round, cake pans and cover the bottoms with waxed paper.
Put all of the ingredients in the bread pan of the bread machine in the order indicated in the ingredients section above. You’re not going to finish the cake in the bread machine, you’re just going to make the batter. Choose a setting that does not have a rising or baking cycle like a pizza dough setting or pasta dough setting. If you have a cake bread setting or basic dough setting you can use that, but you must stop the machine and pour out the batter into the cake pans before the rising or baking cycles begin.
Put the cake pans into the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the cakes to make sure the center is still not wet. If the toothpick emerges dry – you’re done. Otherwise bake for another 10 minutes. Remove the cake pans from the oven and let cool and rest on a wire rack.
Drain the cherries while reserving a 1/2 cup of canned cherry juice. The sour cherries are for the sauce and the Maraschino cherries are to decorate the top of the cake.
Combine reserved juice, ¾ of the sour 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 in the refrigerator before using.
While the cherry sauce is cooling, make the whipped cream filling and topping.
Combine whipping cream and confectioner's sugar in a chilled medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.
Using a long, serrated knife like a bread knife- cut off the rounded crown on both of the cake layers. You’ll later crush these into crumbs with your hands and press against the whipped cream frosting on the sides of the cake. This will also allow you to have two flat layers: The bottom of the top layer laying on top of the bottom cake layer with the crown removed. This makes it easier to frost and add the cherry filling both between the layers and on top.
Reserve 1 ½ cups of frosting for decorating the cake. Gently brush loose crumbs of the top and sides with a pastry brush.
Place a cake layer on a cake plate and spread ¾ cup of the frosting on top of the layer. Follow this with a topping of ¾ cup of cherry topping. Place the second layer on top of the bottom layer. Repeat the cycle of frosting and cherry sauce on the top.
Frost the side of the cake with the reserved 1 ½ cups of frosting. Crumble the crumbs from the two crowns you cut off previously and gently pat into the frosting on the side of the cake. If you still have frosting leftover you can put it into a pastry bag and pipe the top, ridge of the cake with the remaining frosting. Add the Maraschino cherries to the top as decoration.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This will make it easier to slice. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch, round, cake pans and cover the bottoms with waxed paper.
Put all of the ingredients in the bread pan of the bread machine in the order indicated in the ingredients section above. You’re not going to finish the cake in the bread machine, you’re just going to make the batter. Choose a setting that does not have a rising or baking cycle like a pizza dough setting or pasta dough setting. If you have a cake bread setting or basic dough setting you can use that, but you must stop the machine and pour out the batter into the cake pans before the rising or baking cycles begin.
Put the cake pans into the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the cakes to make sure the center is still not wet. If the toothpick emerges dry – you’re done. Otherwise bake for another 10 minutes. Remove the cake pans from the oven and let cool and rest on a wire rack.
Drain the cherries while reserving a 1/2 cup of canned cherry juice. The sour cherries are for the sauce and the Maraschino cherries are to decorate the top of the cake.
Combine reserved juice, ¾ of the sour 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 in the refrigerator before using.
While the cherry sauce is cooling, make the whipped cream filling and topping.
Combine whipping cream and confectioner's sugar in a chilled medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.
Using a long, serrated knife like a bread knife- cut off the rounded crown on both of the cake layers. You’ll later crush these into crumbs with your hands and press against the whipped cream frosting on the sides of the cake. This will also allow you to have two flat layers: The bottom of the top layer laying on top of the bottom cake layer with the crown removed. This makes it easier to frost and add the cherry filling both between the layers and on top.
Reserve 1 ½ cups of frosting for decorating the cake. Gently brush loose crumbs of the top and sides with a pastry brush.
Place a cake layer on a cake plate and spread ¾ cup of the frosting on top of the layer. Follow this with a topping of ¾ cup of cherry topping. Place the second layer on top of the bottom layer. Repeat the cycle of frosting and cherry sauce on the top.
Frost the side of the cake with the reserved 1 ½ cups of frosting. Crumble the crumbs from the two crowns you cut off previously and gently pat into the frosting on the side of the cake. If you still have frosting leftover you can put it into a pastry bag and pipe the top, ridge of the cake with the remaining frosting. Add the Maraschino cherries to the top as decoration.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This will make it easier to slice. Refrigerate any leftovers.
