Every time we cook, we weave a story. Most of the times, mixed in with the ingredients are memories of the food we grew up eating. Often, we want to cook a dish just like mom does, or make something just like we had eaten somewhere. Food evokes emotion.
How else do you explain the pleasure at inhaling the aromas of a baking bread, the smoky goodness of ‘tadka’ from a kitchen, the desire to eat pakode when it rains or sip a ginger tea? It’s all etched in the memory and comes back at the slightest triggers.
It is the little memories that matter and when they are associated with food, we can’t help but try and recreate the magic once more and make new memories, So someone else can look back and smile at this moment.
Picture this – pillow soft sponge layers of chocolate cake, filled with cherries and cream, fluffy white exterior adorned with curls of luscious dark chocolate and bright red cherries on top. Yes, the very black forest cake we grew up to love and love to eat. Enjoying that during the college days at the “Cakes-n-bakes” or the “Cream-n-Crust” or whatever that bakery was strategically next to the Hallmark card shop in your city.
I am not sure about how much profitable business the Hallmark card shops enjoy these days but I am sure someone somewhere is enjoying a slice of the black forest pastry and making memories. Just like we would be because we have the much loved cake on the menu today. Does it matter that the cake has German/ Swiss origins? I think not.
Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
- The recipe is from "desserts" by Rosemary Wilkinson.
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- for the filling
- 1/4 cup cherry brandy
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 TBs confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 pound jar pitted red cherries drained
- to decorate
- grated chocolate
- chocolate shavings
- chocolate curls
- fresh / or drained red cherries
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350*F
- Grease three 8inch sandwich cake pans and line the bottom of each with waxed paper.
- whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla in a large bowl, until thick and pale.
- sift the flour and cocoa over the mixture and gently fold in. stir in the melted butter.
- divide the mixture among the pans, smoothing them level.
- Bake for 15 - 18 minutes [ here you need to determine the time according to your own ovens and the altitude of the place u live at]. the cakes should be raised and springy to touch and u can always do the toothpick test.
- let the cakes cool in the pans after u take them out of the oven for about 7-10 minutes. Then turn them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prick each layer all over with a skewer or fork , then sprinkle the cherry brandy.
- whip the cream in a bowl until it starts to thicken, then beat in the confectioners sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture begins to hold its shape.
- If you are using fresh cherries, cook them in half a cup of water and 1/2 cup sugar about 10 min or until they are a tender.
- To assemble the cake, spread one layer of the cake with a thick layer of cream and top with 1/3rd of cherries.
- place the second cake on top and repeat the process with it.
- Top with the final cake and spread the remaining cream all over the cake. Press grated chocolate on the sides, decorate with cherries and chocolate curls on top.
* Republished on Sep 18,2012 with new photos.
*This Article and Photos were first published in “Chak De India”
Comments 18
Love this Recipe, Also Like Black Forest Cake.
Wow, you have beautifully decorated this post. I really appreciate it very much. People like you also exist in the world. Who share everything. And there are some people who do not share anything with anyone. I wish today’s youth wrote your kind post, thank you very much.
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Makes me yearn for some fresh cherries; this is gorgeous but of course exactly what I expect…you’ve set the bar mighty high! Now I want some of that schoolyard chicken. You know what I’m talkin about. 🙂
Hi Ansh 🙂 Mouth-watering image goes well with the tempting words..you have written is so beautifully 🙂
It is so good to visit your website..(I got redirected from your blog at blogspot)
Regards,
Megha.. 🙂
Loved the way you have written this post 🙂 .. mouth-watering image of this cake goes pretty well with your tempting words..
So, good visiting this space..(I got redirected from your blogspot blog)
Regards,
Megha 🙂
That looks absolutely stunning! Well done, Ansh.
Author
Thank you!! 🙂 It’s my daughter’s favorite cake.
Thank you 🙂
Looks yummy…
Thanks Ansh for sharing this recipe…..This is just the perfect recipe and no one can make a mistake while making the cake…….Everyone just loved it When I made it for my husband’s Bday…….I am going to try your other recipes too. Keep posting the delicacies so that it would be a good guidance for us.
Author
Thanks Padma. I am most happy to share my recipes with my friends. So where is my share of the cake ??
Is there a non-alcoholic alternative for cherry brandy? 🙂
Author
This is a useful link I found for substitutions.
Enjoy
super cool
Looks awesome I made a black forest cake with devil’s food sponge cake… will try it from scratch…:)
Hey Puja, you are welcome!
Except for the cherry brandy , you will get everything else in a grocery store. For the cherry brandy you may have to go to a liquor store.
lovely!!!!!!!
thnks a lot Anshie for sharing this recipe.
U dont knw but i hv been longing to get this recipe…..love ya for sharing this recipe wid me.Wil def. try it out soon and wil let u knw the results…;-))
just a quick question though-r the ingredients easily available like in shoprite?