Shana’s Black Forest Cake

Notes for Preparation:

1. For best results, prepare the chocolate and vanilla-flavored whipped cream several hours before filling and covering the cake. Keep chilled. 

   Chill 2 bowls and wire whisk for whipping the cream in the freezer for 30 min. (If you live in a very cold climate or are working in air-conditioned spaces, this is not required).
2. Also, keep the whipping cream chilled till time to whip. (Never freeze whipping cream).

3. When it is time to whip the cream: Place the bowl in an ice bath/bed, and add the cream.

For Vanilla Whipped Cream:

1. The vanilla whipped cream is used to frost the sides and top of the cake. To allow for a smoother finish that does not melt as easily, we will make a stabilized whipped cream using gelatin):
2. In a cup, combine gelatin and cold water. Stir and let stand until thickened.
3. Microwave just until the gelatin dissolves (about 30 s -1 m) OR melt on low heat in a saucepan.
4. Cool for 3 minutes.
5. Then, mix in ½ cup of the chilled cream and allow to cool off COMPLETELY in the fridge; about 5 minutes (do not allow to set into jelly).
6. Take out the cold mixing bowl and whisk from the freezer. To this, add the remaining chilled cream + the icing sugar and Whip until slightly thick. (Start on slow speed).
7. While slowly beating, add the Gelatin-Cream mixture (start on low speed slowly increasing to prevent kitchen splatter!)
8. Whip at high speed until stiff. (Once soft peaks start forming you will need to watch carefully. Do not walk away! You might even want to whisk by hand to finish off. Stop when you achieve the correct consistency OR you will make butter not whipped cream!!!) Refrigerate till ready to use.

For lightly flavored Chocolate Whipped Cream:

1. ( No need for gelatin in the chocolate whipped cream as it is used between the layers and around the bottom edge of the cake. Chilling the whipped cream will stiffen it sufficiently).
2. Add 2 cups chilled whipped cream into a chilled bowl.
3. Whisk till soft peaks. Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla powder. Whisk briefly.
4. Taste and add sugar if needed. Continue to whisk till stiff. At this point, stop whisking or you’ll end up making butter. Cover the bowl of whipped cream with saran wrap and place in the fridge to chill along with the vanilla whipped cream.

For the super soft and light chocolate sponge cake:

Prep:

1. Take out the eggs from the refrigerator, separate white from the yolks. Make sure there’s no trace of yellow in the white. Cover and allow to come down to room temperature. (Note that there are 2 extra whites than yolks).
2. Put the 1 cup sugar for the sponge cake in a food processor and process for 30 seconds – 1 minute to create a fine granulated sugar – a must for our light-textured sponge cake.
3. Sieve the Cake flour, Cocoa Powder, and salt together repeatedly – 3 times. First sieve into a wide bowl. Then drop onto waxed lunch paper or parchment paper and use this paper to easily drop the flour back into the sieve easily. and repeat this process twice. Set aside.
4. Mix the oil, juice-water solution, and vanilla extract in a cup and set aside, allowing to bring to room temperature. Set aside.

Bake The Cake:

1. Preheat the oven now to 350°F / 180ºc.
2. Bowl #1: Use a large bowl with a hand mixer with the wire whisk attachment (or whisk attachment of your mixer). Make sure there is absolutely no residue from the previous cooking on the bowl or whisk. It should be sterile and dry for best results. Beat the Egg Whites till foamy. Add the creme of tartar. Continue beating till soft peaks form and then watch it till stiff peaks occur. (Do not overbeat).
3. Bowl #2: Beat the Egg yolks with the fine granulated sugar that we had set aside, using a handheld beater Or whisk attachment of Processor Or Mixer. Whisk until a very Pale Yellow color is achieved and it creates temporary ribbon like streaks when lifted and dropped back.
4. Give the oil-juice mixture that we set aside a good stir. Add this to the Yolk Mixture. Stir to incorporate.
5. Now add the thrice sifted flour-coco into this yolk/oil mixture, a little at a time till all the flour is evenly incorporated.
6. Lastly, add the whipped egg white and fold into the flour batter. This should be done with a plastic spatula or whisk, folding in the egg white quite quickly without over mixing, this is (IMPORTANT). Also, make sure there is no thick yolk-coco mixture stuck at the bottom of the bowl. Fold in gently but quickly till all the egg white is used. (A few white lines are okay but there should be no thick bits of yellow in the batter).
7. Divide & Pour into 2 UN-GREASED, 8 -9 ” aluminum cake pans equally. Pat gently on countertop, move from side to side, and pat again to remove air bubbles.
8. Bake 30-35 minutes or till the center is set. Remove from oven and INVERT onto elevated Wire racks. (This will prevent the cake from sinking and help to cool off the cakes from the bottom; a good way to elevate is to place the wire racks on top of kitchen colanders or baskets).
9. Once the cakes are cooled completely use a sharp knife to go around the edge of the pans to release the cake onto flat plates. Slice each cake into two using a broad serrated knife or cake leveler. (I find the plastic serrated cake knife you get along with birthday cakes works well for this purpose too).

Decorate the Black Forest Cake:

1. Add the chopped glace cherries into the chocolate whipped cream ( reserve some chocolate whipped cream for piping around the bottom of the cake). Stir to mix.
2. Apply an even layer of choco-cherry whipped cream over each layer of cake.
3. (Some like to brush rum/ kirsch or sugar syrup over the cake layers before frosting. Trust me… this cake is so moist, it doesn’t need it).
4. Once three layers of the chocolate sponge are covered with choco-cherry whipped cream, place the final sponge on top.
5. Frost all around and on top of the cake with the stabilized vanilla (White) whipped cream. Get it as smooth as possible, but it doesn’t need to be perfect. (The cake gets completely covered in chocolate shavings).
6. Place back in the fridge till the surface is set before decorating.
7. Put the remaining white whipped cream and reserved chocolate whipped cream in separate piping bags and set in the fridge as well.
8. Take the chilled cake out and gently apply chocolate shavings all around the sides first.
9. Pipe vanilla whipped cream swirls all around the top edge of the cake. They should be fluffy enough to plop a cherry on top.
10. Fill the center of the cake with more chocolate shavings.
11. Pipe a little vanilla swirl on the center. Decorate all the piped swirls with a cherry on top. I used fresh cherries around the edge andthe glaced cherries in the center.
12. Pipe around the bottom edge of the cake with chocolate whipped cream.
13. Chill till ready to serve.
14. The leftover cake keeps well up to 2 days, in tightly covered Tupperware.