Black Forest Cake BI

By mariannefeldman

From Baking Illustrated.
Serves 8 to 10.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For our Black Forest cake recipe, we switched from chocolate butter cake to a chocolate genoise, a French sponge cake made with cocoa powder, and were pleased with its lightness and more temperate chocolate flavor. We found jarred sour cherries, which have a firm texture and bright, tangy taste, a good substitute for hard-to-find fresh sour cherries. For our Black Forest cake recipe we spiked drained jarred sour cherries with a little kirsch (cherry-flavored brandy), then soaked them briefly in their own lightly sweetened reduced juices, and they were ready for layering into the cake; the juices also served as a soaking liquid to moisten and add flavor to the cake layers during assembly.

Do not overbeat the stabilized whipped cream. Beat the cream just until soft peaks begin to form. The movement of the metal spatula when filling and frosting the cake with the cream will cause the cream to thicken and stiffen further. Also, be sure to add the cream and cornstarch mixture when it has cooled to room temperature.

Ingredients

• BLACK FOREST CAKE
• INGREDIENTS
• Cherry Filling and Decoration
• 2 cups jarred sour cherries in light syrup , drained, 1 cup syrup reserved (or high-quality canned sour cherries, drained)
• 1/2 cup kirsch or other cherry-flavored liqueur
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
• Whipped Cream Filling and Frosting
• 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 cups heavy cream , chilled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Chocolate Shavings
• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1 recipe Chocolate Génoise , cooled and split into 3 layers (see related recipe - see Genoise Chocolate)

Preparation

Step 1

INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE CHERRIES: Combine the cherries and kirsch in a bowl, cover, and set aside.

2. Bring the reserved cherry juice and the sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture is reduced to ½ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the liquid to the bowl with the reserved cherry mixture, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

3. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: Place the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stirring constantly, slowly add ½ cup of the cream. Bring the cream mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture simmers briefly and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool to room ­temperature.

4. Chill a nonreactive, deep bowl and the beaters of a standing mixer in the freezer for at least 20 minutes. (If the freezer is too crowded to accommodate the bowl, place the beaters in the bowl, fill it with ice water, and chill on the counter. When the bowl and beaters are well chilled, dump out the ice water and dry thoroughly.)

5. Add the remaining 2½ cups cream and vanilla to the chilled bowl and beat on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the beaters leave a trail, about 30 seconds. Slowly add the cooled cornstarch mixture and continue beating until the cream is smooth, thick, and forms soft peaks, 30 to 60 seconds. If necessary, finish beating with a whisk to adjust consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 8 hours.

6. FOR THE CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS: Use a paring knife to scrape chocolate shavings from the block of chocolate. Transfer to a plate with a frosting spatula and set aside in a cool, dry place.

7. TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using a slotted spoon, remove 8 cherries from the syrup and reserve for the garnish. Remove the remaining cherries from the syrup with the slotted spoon, transfer to a cutting board, and slice in half. Set aside.

8. Place a cardboard round in the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Invert the top layer of cake onto the cardboard round. Using a pastry brush, brush about ¼ cup of the cherry syrup over the cake layer. Using an offset spatula, spread ½ cup of the whipped cream over the cake. Dot the whipped cream with half of the sliced cherries. Brush another ¼ cup of the syrup over the middle cake layer and invert this layer over the filled layer, pressing down gently. Brush the middle layer with another ¼ cup of the syrup. Spread another ½ cup of the whipped cream over the cake. Dot the whipped cream with the remaining sliced cherries. Brush the remaining cherry syrup over the final cake layer and invert the layer onto the cake, again pressing down gently. Remove the springform ring and lift the cake and cardboard round off the pan bottom. Using an offset spatula, coat the sides and top of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate the cake for a minimum of 2 hours before serving, or up to 24 hours.

9. When ready to serve, coat the sides of the cake with the chocolate shavings by using the frosting spatula to lift the shavings and gently touch them to the sides of the cake, reserving about ½ cup of the shavings for the top of the cake. Evenly space 8 piles of chocolate shavings (1 tablespoon each) around the top perimeter of the cake. Top each pile of chocolate shavings with a reserved cherry. Serve.