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Chef Don's
Favorite Dessert Recipes
Black Forest Cake
Yield: 1 Cake
For the Cake:
1/2 cup Milk
8 large Eggs
2 tsp. plus 2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, warm
the milk and 2 teaspoons of the butter together over medium-low heat.
With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whip, beat the eggs and 1 cup
of the sugar on medium-high speed in a large mixing bowl until the
mixture is pale yellow, thick, and tripled in volume, about 8 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, beat in the warm milk mixture. Sift the
flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a small mixing bowl. Add
half the flour mixture to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly until
smooth. Repeat with the other half. Add the vanilla and mix gently.
Grease 2 8" round pans with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour the cake
batter into the pan, spreading it evenly. Bake until the cake springs
back when touched, about 15 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes, then
gently flip it out onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Let cool
completely.
For the filling:
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
1 1/4 cups Kirshwasser
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
2 (15-ounce) cans Dark Sweet Pitted Cherries in heavy syrup
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over
medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and cook
for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Stir in 1
cup of the kirsch and stir to mix. In another saucepan over medium
heat, bring the cherries to a boil in their syrup. In a small bowl,
dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup kirsch and add to the
cherry mixture. Whisk until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from
the heat and cool completely.
Assemble the cake:
Using a serrated knife, carefully cut each cake horizontally in half to
make 4 layers. Brush the tops of all the layers with equal amounts of
the sugar syrup. (You will not need all of the syrup.) Let the liquid
soak into the layers for about 30 minutes. Place the bottom layer on a
large cake plate. Spread 1 cup of the filling evenly over this layer,
then top with a second layer of cake. Spread 1 cup of the filling
evenly over it. Repeat the same process with the third layer and
another cup of the filling. Top with the fourth layer.
For the Frosting and Garnish:
1 lb. Confectioners' Sugar
1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 stick Butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Boiling Water
1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
2 tsp. Sugar
3 oz. Semisweet Chocolate, shaved
To Finish: Sift together the confectioners' sugar
and cocoa powder into a medium size bowl. Add the butter and mix with
an electric mixer until incorporated. Add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and
the boiling water and mix until smooth. Let cool. Combine the cream,
the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and the sugar in a medium-size
mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form.
Ice the sides and top of the cake evenly with the chocolate frosting.
Spoon the whipped cream over the top of the cake and sprinkle with the
chocolate shavings. Serve.
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