I grew up with black forest cake. It is a simply delicious chocolate sponge cake with fresh cream, and a home-made cherry marmalade.
I have looked at so many black forest cakes over the years. Done so many research. Some of the recipes are too complicated, the success is low, especially for home bakers. Some are overly simple and boring.
Over the years, I have seen many versions of this cake, and this is mine. I tried to keep its simplicity, but modernize it such that it does not feel dated.Instead of just fresh cream, I made a whipped ganache. And instead of thickening a can of cherries, I made marmalade out of fresh cherries. Kept everything else the same. It is a simpler and more delicious cake in my opinion.
Chocolate Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- 4 medium eggs that has never been in a fridge
- 140 g caster sugar
- 40 g cocoa powder sifted
- 100 g self-raising flour
- A pinch salt
- 40 g melted butter
- 30 ml coffee as strong as you like!
Cherry Marmalade
- 200 g cherries pitted and mashed
- 45 g sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 50 ml water
Chocolate Ganache
- 70 ml cream
- 100 g chocolate
- 10 g salted butter
Glazing Syrup
- 20 ml water
- 20 g sugar
- 10 ml kirsch or brandy or cherry liquer
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat the oven at 180C.
- Line the bottom of a 15-cm cake tin.
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Mix the melted butter and coconut milk together.
- Beat the eggs and sugar until ribbon stage: when you can draw '8' with the batter and it stays for 3 seconds.
- Add the sifted flour and cocoa powder and fold in.
- Before the flours have completely disappeared, fold in the milk and butter mixture.
- Pour the cake batter into the lined cake tin and bake for 45 minutes.
Cherry Marmalade
- Place the mashed cherries, sugar, lemon juice and water and simmer on medium heat until it becomes a jam.
- Add a tablespoon of water to the corn starch and add that into the cherries mixture.
- Remove the marmalade from the heat 10 seconds after it boils.
- Set aside to cool.
Glazing Syrup
- Add sugar to the water and boil until the mixture thickened.
- Add the kirsch or cherry liquer to the mixture.
- Set aside.
Chocolate Ganache
- Place the whipping cream over the stove on low heat.
- When the cream simmers, remove from the stove and add the hot cream to the chocolate.
- Add the butter.
- Set the mixture over a cold water bath to cool, and whip the ganache at the same time, until it is ready to pipe.
Construction
- Cut the cake horizontally to 5 layers.
- Lay the first layer of cake on a board.
- Place some chocolate ganache and some marmalade on top of the cake.
- Stack the next layer of cake. Sprinkle with some glazing syrup.
- Repeat the procedure of adding chocolate ganache and marmalade until the last year is done.
- Decorate the final layer by piping. some marmalade and with some fresh cherries.
- Leave it in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.
