Black Forest Cake

I made this cake for my hubby’s birthday. I made frosting at home for the very first time and it came out damn good. This time I was pretty happy with final outcome. The cake was so moist and tasted divine. My efforts paid off when I saw my hubby loved this cake totally.

Ingredients

For sponge sheets

• All purpose flour – 1 and 3/4 cup
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – 3/4 cup
• Baking powder – 2 tsp
• 2 pinches of salt
• Eggs – 4 (at room temperature)
• Milk – ¾ cup
• Unsalted butter – ¾ cup / 170 gm (at room temperature)
• Granulated sugar – 1 cup
• Some cherries (for garnish)

For frosting

• Icing sugar – ¾ cup
• Heavy whipping cream (having more than 30 percent butterfat content) – 2 and ½ cups
• Vanilla powder – 1 and ½ tsp

For sugar syrup

• Chilled water – ½ cup
• Icing sugar – ¼ cup

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 190 degrees C) and grease the cake tin with little bit of butter.

• Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder together and keep it aside.
• In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar well until it forms crumbly texture.
• Break eggs and add milk. Whisk this mixture nicely until it turns smooth and frothy.
• Now start adding little dry ingredients at a time and keep mixing.

• Mix well and pour this batter in a greased tin and bake for 35-40 minutes. Insert a tooth pick in a cake; if it comes out clean, your cake is done. Otherwise cook little longer.

• Place it on cooling rack and allow it to cool down completely. Till the time get ready with frosting and chocolate shavings.
• While making frosting make sure bowl and hand whisk or whisk attachment (if using electric whisk) are absolutely chilled. Place them in a refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
• In a chilled bowl, mix heavy whipping cream, icing sugar and vanilla powder. Whisk until mixture thickens.

• To check consistency of frosting, lift cream with any spatula; if it doesn't fall off, then it’s done. If you over whip the cream, you will have hard time spreading it on cake. So stop whipping when you see soft peaks.

• Now remove upper crust of the cake and cut into 3 even sized sheets.
• Make sugar syrup by mixing icing sugar in water. Sprinkle all over the sheets to make them little moist. You may use any other syrup you like.
• Now it’s time to assemble the cake. Take upper layer of the cake and place it inverted facing upper side down, so that you get smoother surface to work upon.

• Spread frosting evenly and make a thick layer. Place another sheet and follow the same procedure.
• When you place final sheet, spread frosting to cover all sides as well.

• Now decorate the way you like. I have thrown some chocolate shavings on sides and placed some in the middle of cake. Then I made some design with the help of piping bag. Finally place some cherries and you are done.

• Chill the cake in a refrigerator for some time before serving.