SWISS BLACK FOREST CAKE
 
 
Ingredients
CAKE COMPONENTS
  • 1 recipe Brandied Burgundy Cherries, (recipe follows), well drained and the syrup reserved
  • ¼ cup kirsch or brandy
  • ½ recipe Moist Chocolate Génoise (or if, like me, you want a taller cake then don't half the recipe and use the full recipe)
  • 1 recipe Real Old Fashioned Whipped Cream
  • Fresh cherries and chocolate flakes for decorating
For the Moist Chocolate Genoise
  • 8 oz bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 liquid cup boiling water
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1½ cups sifted cake flour (In case using all-purpose flour, 1¼ cup AP flour and ¼ cup corn flour)
For the brandied burgundy cherries
  • 1 cup pitted cherries
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • About ¼ cup Kirsch
For the real old fashioned whipped cream
  • 3 liquid cups heavy cream
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1½ tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp sugar, (can add more, if desired)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare twp 9-inch by 2-inch cake pans or 9-inch springform pans, greased, bottoms lined with parchment, and then greased and floured.
  2. In a heavy saucepan bring the chocolate and water to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the chocolate thickens to a pudding like consistency. (It will fall from the spoon and pool slightly before disappearing.) Cool completely.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with the whisk beater on high speed for 5 minutes or until triple in volume. (If using a hand beater, it will take about 10 minutes).
  4. Sift ½ the flour over the egg mixture and fold it in gently but rapidly with a slotted skimmer or large rubber spatula until some flour has disappeared. Repeat with the remaining flour until all flour has disappeared. My mom says its better to sift 2-3 tbsp at a time. This ensures that you dont have to mix it too much to incorporate the flour.
  5. Take about 1 cup of the batter and fold it to loosen the mixture and then add it to the rest of the beaten egg-flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate mixture until incorporated.
  6. Pour immediately into the prepared pans (they will be about ⅔ full) and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted in the centers enters as easily as it does when inserted closer to the sides. Avoid opening the oven door before the minimum time or the cakes could fall. (It takes about 25 min in my oven, so check for doneness after 20 minutes)
  7. Loosen the sides and unmold at once onto lightly greased racks. Reinvert to cool. The cake can be kept at room temperature for 2 days, 5 days refrigerated, 2 months frozen.
For the brandied burgundy cherries:
  1. Simmer 1 cup pitted cherries with ¾ cup water in a covered saucepan for ten minutes or until easily pierced with a cake tester. remove the cherries with a slotted spoon to a pint jar and add the kirsch or brandy. Add ½ cup sugar to the liquid in the pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce to ¼ to ⅓ cup and pour over the cherries. Cover tightly and swirl to mix. Add enough liqueur to reach almost to the top of the jar. Brandied cherries are flavorful after only 12 hours but the longer they stand, the more mellow they become.
for the whipped cream:
  1. Refrigerate the mixing bowl and beater for at least 15 minutes.
  2. In a small saucepan melt together ¾ cup cream and the butter, stirring constantly until the butter is fully melted. Pour into a small heatproof measuring cup and cool to room temperature. Add vanilla.
  3. In the chilled mixing bowl beat the remaining cream and sugar just until traces of beater marks begin to show distinctly. Add the butter mixture on low speed in a steady stream, beating constantly. Beat until stiff peaks just form when the beater is raised. (Whipped cream is smoothest when the butter mixture is added gradually.) The whipped cream can be stored 2 to 3 days refrigerated.
For assembling the cake
  1. Split the chocolate génoise horizontally to get 4 layers. Sprinkle each side of the cake layers with the reserved cherry syrup. Cut the cherries in half.
  2. Reserve 2 cups whipped cream for the top of the cake and the rosettes.
  3. Place 1 cake layer in the bottom of the serving platter. Top with ⅓ of the remaining whipped cream. Poke the cherries into the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining 3 layers.
  4. Put about ½ a cup of cream in a piping bag to make rosettes on top if desired. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream. Cover the sides with grated dark chocolate. Pipe rosettes on top, sprinkle chocolate flakes in the center, and place cherries on the rosettes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours for all the flavors to develop.
Recipe by The Novice Housewife at https://novicehousewife.com/2010/12/21/swiss-black-forest-cake/