Eggless Black Forest Cake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 1 cake
Ingredients
For the brandied burgundy cherries
  • 1 cup pitted cherries
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • About ¼ cup Kirsch
For the chocolate cake
  • 2¾ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar minus 2 tbsp
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup boiling water mixed with 1 tsp of instant coffee powder
  • ½ cup oil plus ¼ cup melted butter
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 cup warm milk, let stand to make buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
For the real old fashioned whipped cream
  • 750ml heavy cream
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1½ tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp sugar, (can add more, if desired)
Instructions
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.
  2. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon to a pint jar and add the kirsch or brandy.
  3. 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.
  4. Cover tightly and swirl to mix. Add enough liqueur to reach almost to the top of the jar.
  5. Brandied cherries are flavorful after only 12 hours but the longer they stand, the more mellow they become.
For the chocolate cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C
  2. Prepare your cake pans by greasing them and line the bottoms with parchment paper. While 2 9 inch cake pans work, for a taller cake I use 7 inch cake pans.
  3. In a bowl whisk the dry ingredients. I like to sift the dry ingredients at least twice to aerate the flour well.
  4. Make a well in the center and add the oil, melted butter, vanilla, buttermilk.
  5. Combine well.
  6. Pour in the boiling water mixed with coffee, while constantly stirring the batter. Mix well.
  7. Divide the batter between the cake pans.
  8. Bake until a tester comes out clean. In my oven it takes about 20-25 minutes for the cake layers to bake. The baking time also depend on the size of the cake pan. The batter in the 9 inch cake pans will bake quicker, so a keep an eye after the 15 minute mark. Over baking chocolate cake can result in a dry cake.
  9. Let the cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a skewer or knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Invert on wire rack. Let cool completely. Once cool, you can wrap them in cling wrap and refrigerate (or even freeze the cakes) till ready to use. Working with colder cakes make layering easier.
For the old fashioned 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. Cut the cherries in half, and keep aside.
  2. Reserve 2 cups whipped cream for the top of the cake and the rosettes.
  3. Split the chocolate layers horizontally to get 4 layers.
  4. Place 1 cake layer in the bottom of the serving platter, or cake board. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the reserved cherry syrup. I use about 4 tbsp syrup per side, a total of 8 tbsp per layer (this is for the 7 inch cake layers). For the bottom layer, I only soak the top side with syrup, and leave the bottom layer as is.
  5. Top with ⅓ of the remaining whipped cream. Poke the cherries into the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining 3 layers. (Before placing the cake layer, soak the bottom side with the cherry syrup. Once the layer is resting on the top, soak the top side with syrup as well, before adding the whipped cream and cherries)
  6. 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.
  7. Cover the sides with grated dark chocolate. Pipe rosettes on top, sprinkle chocolate flakes in the center, and place cherries on the rosettes.
  8. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours for all the flavors to develop.
Recipe by The Novice Housewife at https://novicehousewife.com/2020/06/27/eggless-black-forest-cake/