Black Forest Cake

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine based on the recipe of Juergen Temme, Culinary Institute of America

Show: Dinner: ImpossibleEpisode: Infiltrating the CIA

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (4)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(4)

Cook Time:
1 hr 10 min
Level:
Difficult
Yield:
2 (6-inch) round 3 layer cakes, 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 1 hr 0 min
Inactive Prep: 1 hr 30 min
Cook: 1 hr 10 min
Total:: 3 hr 40 min

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Ingredients

For the cake:

5 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon bread flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon pastry flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon oil

For the syrup:

2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups water
4 teaspoons cherry brandy
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the cherry filling:

1 quart fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup cherry brandy

For the Pastry Cream:

1 1/3 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup sugar, divided
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the whipped cream topping for frosting:

1 pint heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
Chocolate shavings for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the cake:

Heat a skillet full of water to a bare simmer. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whip eggs on high speed for 5 minutes. To the eggs add sugar, salt and vanilla and combine. Set the bowl into the hot water bath to heat the mixture to between 110 and 120 degrees F. Stabilize the mixture by whipping on medium speed for 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile sift together the bread flour, the cocoa powder, and the pastry flour. Prepare the baking pans by greasing 2 (6-inch) diameter round pans and dusting with flour.

Gradually fold the sifted dry ingredients into the egg mixture by hand. Slowly pour in the oil while folding. Fill the pans approximately 2/3 full with the batter and place immediately in the oven. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. (The surface of the cake should spring back when touched.) Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then remove to wire racks to let cool completely.

For the syrup:

Combine the sugar, water, cherry brandy, and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat stirring only until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is hot. Cover and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover and let cool.

For the cherry filling:

Place cherries in a small saucepot and add brandy, stirring to coat cherries. Heat over medium low heat until most of liquid evaporates, then remove from heat and let cool.

For the pastry cream:

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the milk then combine the rest of the milk with half the sugar and bring to a gentle boil. In a small bowl whisk the 2 tablespoons of reserved milk into the cornstarch to create a slurry. Add the other half of the sugar and then the eggs to the slurry and whisk to completely combine. Temper the egg mixture with the boiling milk. (This is done by spooning some of the milk into the egg mixture to equalize temperatures without cooking the eggs.) Return all liquids to the pot and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook for 1 minute. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Pour into a large pan, put plastic wrap directly on the surface, and allow to cool.

Slice each of the cake rounds (horizontally) into 3 (1/2-inch) thick layers using a long thin knife or taut wire. Place the layers onto baking sheets (which have a rim) and pour cherry syrup over the layers, allowing them to soak.

For the cream topping:

Whip the heavy cream and sugar with an electric mixer to a medium peak.

Assemble the cakes by spreading a layer of the pastry cream on the bottom layer, then placing brandied cherries on top. Place a second layer on top of cherries and repeat. Top with final layer of cake. (Each cake will have 3 layers.) Frost top layer of cake with whipped cream topping and garnish with cherries and chocolate shavings.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Black Forest Cake
ashley bryan, TX 09-30-2009
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The cake is a lie
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I don't know if i'm the only one but this looks exactly like the famous cake out of the game Portal
recipe Black Forest Cake
Lahla Montebello, CA 09-28-2009
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Some helpful hints
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I'm giving this recipe just 3 stars for now because I haven't really tried making this cake yet. Hopefully I can bake it... this coming holiday season. It looks so good. I think it is very appropriate to serve during a Christmas dinner. My main purpose for writing this review is to WARN any1 who is interested to make this cake that IT IS NOT for the unseasoned baker. If you notice, it is indicated on the LEVEL that it is DIFFICULT. For those who are wondering, the cake used for this recipe is a Chocolate Sponge which is NOT made with a baking soda or powder to make it rise, but rather a WARM FOAMING METHOD is used in whipping the eggs to achieve maximum volume. And so as NOT to make the cake tough, the dry ingredients is folded to the egg mixture by hand TO AVOID OVERMIXING. Overmixing will activate too much gluten in the bread flour which has a high gluten level. Too much activated gluten will result to a TOUGH cake. So BE VERY CAREFUL in folding the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. 'Hope these informations will be helpful in resulting to a successful baking.Read more
recipe Black Forest Cake
sonja killeen, TX 09-27-2009
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cake
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

They (the chefs, bakers whatever) can bake this time and again.Once you've has the real thing in Germany....nothing can... compare NOTHING!!!! they just do not have the proper flour or ingredients here....sorry!!! Read more
recipe Black Forest Cake
Przemek Waukegan, IL 06-15-2008
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Not bad, needs little tweeking
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I've done this recipe twice already. I'm a pastry Chief who works outside the "sweet" bussiness, but occasionally I like to... chalange myself. Additioanlly, last year I visited Black Forest in Germany and I had to try this cake then. The ones over there seemd to be tall with minimal layering (keep that in mind). The cream recipe is designed to make it from prime indigrients, therefore it's hard to do. If you follow this way, make sure to use quality butter. It's what makes the whole cream. Otherwise, you can substitute with store bought vanilla creams in powder (add only milk). The sponge cake - remember when adding flower, to be FOLDING with your spatula, scraper, not using you mixer. I feel like it could use little more cocoa for darker color. The syrup receipe is too much in qty - make half or 3/4 of it. When laying the top layer, whip cream, I would mix it with gelatine first. It would be sturdier and longer lasting. Don't skimp on cherries, you want lots od them. And please, don't use the pie fillings - it's too liquid and sweet. Enjoy!Read more
recipe Black Forest Cake
Anonymous 12-29-2007
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There there
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

For the last reviewer, I think you did not master the technique of making the sponge cake. Sponge cake can fall and have... rubbery texture because of overmixing if you mix the flour in your mixer.Read more
recipe Black Forest Cake
Anonymous 07-27-2007
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What?
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

I followed this recipe to the "T". First of all, why isn't there any baking soda or powder in it? The cakes didn't rise at... all and were hard as a rock! When I got them sliced there were strange textures throughout the middle of the cake, like little rubbery spots (and I used my Artisan Stand Mixer to mix, so I know I did it right). The "pastry cream" turned out very gelatonous, gooey and not very sweet. I didn't even use it. The cherries, however were fabulous and I will definitely make them again for all sorts of things. I had to make 2 batches of this recipe to fill both cake pans, and for anyone who wants to try this recipe, please do yourself a favor and pit/cook your cherry mixture the day before! It took forever for the liquid to reduce and forever to cool. This recipe, from start to finish consumed my entire day, about 9 hours because of having to make 2 batches, and then with the whole cooling time... Don't waste your time. I ended up making a duncan hines chocolate cake instead and used the cherries and whipped cream. It was fabulous.Read more