Black Forest Gateau

I'm posting this well in advance of the weekend so you can use the week days to gather the ingredients. Because you will very much want to make this when you have a spare hour or two.

I never really knew what was going on with a Black Forest gateau. It sounded like a very dated 70s dessert to me, something you bought in the frozen section for a Sunday roast dessert. I don’ t really know where I got that impression from.

Because it’s basically a super chocolatey cake with booze and cherries and cream. It’s like a darker/autumnal version of a Victoria Sponge. The Germans do know what they’re at when it comes to chocolate, so I thought I would give it a go for my annual Eurovision party. Germany, represent!

I’ve basically gone with my favourite chocolate cake recipe for the sponge and altered it with the flavours of the Black Forest. Traditionally, the Germans love a stiff drink, so kirsch is the booze of choice. I didn’t have any of that, and I didn’t want to blow anyone’s head off, so I decided to substitute in what I had. Ginjinha is a sour cherry drink which is common in Lisbon, with lots of little places selling shots of it for a euro. It’s sweeter and less alcoholic than kirsch so it seemed like a nice introduction to the boozy cake.

If you’re doing a dry thing or making it for kids and don’t want to add booze, just substitute in more cherry juice.

You could also make this as a yummy set of cupcakes, I had leftovers of everything and so it was easy to whip up a couple..

Ingredients for the Cake

• 400g plain flour
• 250g caster sugar
• 100g light brown muscovado sugar
• 50g cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 125ml buttermilk
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 175g butter, melted and cooled
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 250ml cold water
• 2 tbsp juice from canned cherries
• 4 tbsp cherry liqueur  - kirsch (classic), Ginjinha (what I had)

To Assemble:

• Can of cherries
• 100g cherry jam
• 500ml double cream
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 100g dark chocolate

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line 3 cake tins.

Mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, leavening agents, and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.

In another large bowl, whisk together the butter and oil until blended. Then whisk in the water.

Add 1/3 the dry ingredients and mix briefly until blended.

Add in half the eggy mixture and whisk again until mixed.

Add another third of the dry ingredients and mix again, then the rest of the eggy mixture, then finally the rest of the dry ingredients.

Pour into the prepared tins and place in the oven.

Bake for 40 minutes, check after 35. They are done when a tester knife comes out clean.

Put the cakes on a wire cooling rack and prick with a chopstick or skewer.

Mix together the cherry juice and liqueur, and drizzle over the top of the still warm sponges, and then allow to cool fully.

When you’re ready to assemble, begin with the gananche. Heat 150ml of the cream in a pan until just below the simmering point. Break the chocolate up into little bits and pour over the cream. Let sit for a few minutes and then stir until all melted and mixed together. Set aside to harden slightly.

Mix the drained canned cherries with the jam.

Whip the remaining cream with the icing sugar until stiff.

Gather all of your sponges and bowls of filling together and get cracking!

To assemble, spread a thin layer of cream on the bottom cake, and pipe a creamy border around the outside. Tumble just under a half of the jammy cherries inside the cream border. Place the second layer on top and repeat.

Place the final layer on top and pipe a pretty cream border. Flood the centre with the chocolate ganache. Leave a little well in the centre and tumble the few leftover jammy cherries.

Scatter over some chocolatey sprinkles and serve!  

*bonus, I had batter left over so I made a few cupcakes: