I am not very fond of cakes but I am a big fan of black forest cake. I wanted to bake it last year itself but could not make it. This time I decided to bake this delicious black forest cake for New Year. It was very delicious and just melted in our mouth. The cake is prepared with the combination of chocolate cake, whipped cream and cherries. I have made it easier by dividing the recipe into 4 sections – Making of the cake, preparing the cherries, preparing the whipped cream and finally assembling the cake. Today let us learn how to make black forest cake with step wise pictures following this easy recipe.
Black Forest Cake
Prep Time : 30 mins (excluding assembling time)
Cook Time : 25 mins
Serves: 8 big slices
Recipe Category: Cakes
Recipe Cuisine: International
Author: Padhu Sankar
Recipe adapted from Joyofbaking
Serves: 8 big slices
Recipe Category: Cakes
Recipe Cuisine: International
Author: Padhu Sankar
Recipe adapted from Joyofbaking
Ingredients needed
For the Chocolate Genoise/Cake
Cake Flour – 1/2 cup (60 grams) (Refer notes below)
Unsweetend Cocoa powder – 1/3 cup (30 grams)
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Egg – 4 large
Granulated white sugar – 2/3 cup (135 grams)
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
Unsalted butter (melted lukewarm) – 3 tbsp (42 grams)
Whipped Cream Frosting
Whipped Cream powder – 3 packets (150 grams)
Cold water – 18 tbsp (6 tbsp for one 50 gram packet)
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Cherries
Canned Cherries – 1 cup
Cherry syrup – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
For decoration
Cherries
Dark chocolate shavings
Others
9 inch * 2 inch pan
Preparation
Grease and flour the baking pan. Line it with parchment paper or wax paper.
Keep all the ingredients ready.
Preheat the oven at 180 degree C (350 degree F).
Preparation of cake
Sift together cake flour, salt and cocoa powder and keep it aside.
Break eggs into a bowl, add granulated white sugar and whisk it well.
Bring water to boil in a vessel and then simmer. Double boil the egg + sugar mixture over the vessel of simmering water, whisking constantly. Continue until the egg + sugar mixture is lukewarm (about 3-5 minutes). If you do not stir continously, you will end up with scrambled eggs, so stir continuously. Make sure the egg mixture is lukewarm.
Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Beat on high speed using an electric beater for approximately 5 minutes until the mixture is thick.
The batter should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon-like pattern and should slowly mix with the rest of the batter. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
The egg mixture is now thick and soft. Now we are going to add the flour mixture in 3 additions.
Sift about 1/3 cup of the flour mixture into the above egg + sugar mixture. (1st addition)
Using a wire whisk or rubber spatula, mix the flour with the egg mixture gently using big strokes.
Sift another 1/3 cup of the flour into the egg mixture and fold in gently. (2nd addition)
Sift the rest of the flour into the egg mixture and fold in gently with a spatula. (3rd addition)
Melt butter. Butter should be lukewarm.
Butter and the batter are kept ready below.
Add 1 cup of the batter to the butter (to lighten it) and mix well.
Now gently fold the above mixture with the rest of batter. Now our chocolate genoise batter is ready.
Pour it into the parchment lined baking pan and tap it for the batter to settle evenly.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or the cake just leaves the sides of the pan.
Preparing the cherries
While the cake is baking, we will prepare the cherries. I have used Premium Dara Red cherries.
Drain the cherries. Reserve the liquid. This is the cherry syrup. Discard the seeds and the stalk of the cherries and chop it. Keep it aside. Reserve some cherries with the stalk for final decoration. Our cherries are also ready.
Let us check the cake now – The cake is done.
The cake has left the sides of the pan as you can see in the picture below. Cool on a wire rack before removing it from the pan.
Once it has cooled, invert it on a plate, remove the parchment paper gently, turn over the cake and set it aside.
Preparation of the whipping cream
I used three 50 gram packets of Blue Bird whipped cream powder. If you use any other brand, follow the instructions on the packet. Before preparing the whipping cream, chill the bowl and the whisk in the refrigerator for 10 mins.
Place the chilled bowl in which you are going to prepare the whipped cream over a bowl of ice cold water.
Add the whipped cream powder into the chilled bowl.
Add 18 tbsp of ice cold water and mix well.
Beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer for 3 minutes at high speed just until stiff peaks. Do not over beat as it might turn into butter.
Fold in vanilla essence. Add 1 tbsp (or as per your taste) of powdered sugar to the whipped cream, if required. Now our whipped cream is ready. Refrigerate until use.
Assembling the black forest cake
Using a sharp knife, cut the cake horizontally into 2 layers. Turn over the top layer and place it on a plate or a cake board or cake stand on which you are going to assemble the cake. Now, the top of the cake becomes the bottom.
Brush or spoon 1/4 cup of the cherry liquid (the liquid we reserved from the cherry tin) all over the cake.
Take 3/4 – 1 cup of the whipped cream and spread it on the moistened cake.
Spread the whipped cream evenly on top of the cake. Now place the chopped cherries evenly over the whipped cream.
Moisten the second layer of cake (cut part) using a brush or a spoon with 1/4 cup of the liquid reserved from the cherry container (cherry syrup).
Then place it over the cherries with the moistened side down. Gently press the cake for it to be compact. Now spoon or brush 2 tbsp of liquid (cherry syrup) on top of the cake.
Spread the chilled whipped cream to cover the top and sides of the cake evenly as seen in the picture below.
Now place the rest of the chilled whipped cream into an icing bag or container and pipe rounds or rosettes on top of the cake and place a whole cherry over each one.
Decorate it with chocolate shavings.(refer notes section)
Cover and refrigerate the cake for several hours or overnight. The cake can be enjoyed after that. Cake should be stored only in the refrigerator.
Do try this Black Forest Cake for New Year and enjoy with your family and friends.
Note – In case the whipped cream has softened while decorating the cake, you can refrigerate it for sometime and then use it.
Cake flour – One cup sifted cake flour (100 grams) can be substituted with 3/4 cup (85 grams) sifted all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch. We have used only 60 grams of this cake flour for making this chocolate genoise/cake.
Chocolate Shavings – Keep the chocolate bar outside the refrigerator for half an hour. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the chocolate to get chocolates shavings and keep it in the refrigerator for it to harden. Decorate cake with it.
Storage and Shelf life – Cake should be stored in the refrigerator and it keeps well for 2 days.
I wish all my readers a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year. Thank you for all the support and encouragement.
Happy New Year 2016 !!
Padhuskitchen Wishes you all a very Happy New Year!
If you found this post useful, I would really love it, if you pin it or share it with your Facebook fans or Twitter followers or Google+ circles today. All it takes is a simple click on the “pin it” “like,” “share,” “tweet,” or Google+ buttons below the post. Thank you!
Wow the cake looks so yummy.happy new year
Happy new year.lovely cake!!!!!!!!!cud u pls tell me d size of ur oven in which u baked d cake????
Thank you Rupa. I am using Morphy Richards OTG oven 18 ltrs.
Thank You for the wonderful cake. Happy New Year….
Thank u
Happy new year Padhu
Happy New Year Padhu!Here's to a New Year full of new adventures and new beginnings. Wishing you a Happy, HEALTHY and prosperous New Year!
Cake looks very tempting. Happy new year Padhu
Lovely cake 🙂 neat and perfectly explained, not only this but all your recipes:) whenever I Google for a recipe, I Google it with the name of the recipe followed by padhuskitchen 🙂
Can u teL anu replacemnt for eggs .as m a vegetarian but this cake looks so tempting and delicious that i am dying to try it..
Richa – you make any eggless chocolate sponge cake and follow the same method as above.
Hi I'm yr great fan.. love your recipes. . Shall I use Amul fresh cream instead of whipping cream?
Hi padhu.. your cake looks soooo yummyyy… Wanna try it… Can you plz tell me the tray size… If am doubling the ingredients to get more layers what all should i care about.. Plz reply
Unknown – Thank you for liking my recipes. You should whip amul fresh cream. you will find videos on the net on how to whip amul cream. My method of using whipped cream powder is much easier.
Arhitha – Thank you. I have written the cake pan size in the ingredient list. 9 inch cake pan. Follow the same method and procedure which doubling also.
Mam, my cake (not this cake)is not getting browned in the bottom and sides. My oven is ifb. How to Brown sides and bottom.
Hi padhu.. Made blackforest for my son's b'day party… Turned excellent… Thank you so much for the recipe…
Hi padhu
Can we skip the double boiling of egg mixture step
Follow the recipe as such for best results.
Hi can I half the recipe ? Please let me know. Thankyou
Don't, follow the recipe as such and do not half the recipe. I have made only with less quantity. The cake was so thin that I had to cut it very carefully.
dear padhu,
why are we not adding baking pwd in this cake?
Hi Padhu,
Can we use 6 * 2 inch pan for baking this cake
Use a 9 inch pan. No need for baking powder for this cake. The cake (chocolate genoise) will be super soft as we are adding 4 eggs.
padhu your recipe is too good…n tried it for my did daughter birthday n it came out too good n everyone loved it…I have already tried most of your recipes n this time its so perfect.. do keep updating… thank you
Hai padhu…i have a doubt regarding fresh cakes…while v cook the basic cake its pale yellow in color but when v bought fresh cakes from shop it looks white and more soft like a bread..how can v make that type of cake?please help me with ur answer….
I had tried ur raagi biscuits and it become very good.. Thank you
Glad to know that the ragi biscuits turned out well. Regarding your doubt – I am not sure but may be, they might add food additive, chemicals etc. Also when using wheat flour, the cake will be dense.
Hi Padhu,
ours is also Morphy Richards,after preheating the otg, when the cake batter is placed for baking is there any temperature we need to set. Because our cake got burned slightly.
You must keep it in the middle rack. Same temperature only 180 degree C
Hi 🙂
Is cornstarch same as cornflour?
Corn flour is finely ground cornmeal. Both are by products of maize.
Can u plz tell me any replacement for eggs??? Thnk u
Padhu, Made your moist chocolate cake and dressed it up with cherries and whipped cream given in this recipe. Turned out to be a super soft and yummy cake made richer by whipped cream. 🙂 Thank you for all the baking recipes you share with us.
I don't have cornstarch can I use cornflour instead
Hi Padhu,
Tried this cake today. Not sure why the cake turned out to be little harder. Followed all of the instructions and measurements. Other than the hardness, the taste was very good.
I want to add my picture of the black forest cake but not sure how to do it since i dont see an option to add attachments
Send me to padhuskitchen facebook or email me to [email protected]