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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 10 |
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I wanted to make a Black Forest Cake that would keep for a week or so, so frosting it with whipped cream was out. I used a cake recipe from Cooks Illustrated, the frosting from MysticRiver's recipe here, and added the cherry pie filling and a whipped cream garnish. Read more . I multiplied both by 1.5 to make three layers. My co-workers have been LOVING this birthday treat. Ingredients:
cake |
3/4 cup cocoa powder |
1 tablespoon instant coffee or instant espresso |
1-1/2 cups boiling water |
1 tablespoon vanilla extract |
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened |
1-3/4 cups, plus 1 tablespoon sugar |
3 large eggs, at room temperature |
1-3/4 cups, plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour |
3/4 teaspoon baking soda |
3/4 teaspoon salt |
frosting |
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) butter, cut in 12 pieces |
1 cup cocoa powder |
4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted |
1/2 cup sour cream |
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract |
1 can cherry pie filing |
whipped cream to garnish |
Directions:
1. Cake:
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Grease three 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. Cover pan bottoms with parchment or wax paper, cut to size. Grease paper, then dust with flour, tapping out excess.
4. Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl. Add boiling water and mix until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then stir in vanilla.
5. Beat butter with electric mixer, at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
6. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients to batter, followed immediately by about 1/3 of the cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost incorporated. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer to low speed, beat until batter looks satiny, 15-20 seconds.
7. Divide batter evenly among pans. Spread batter to sides and smooth top. Bake until cakes feel firm in center when lightly pressed and toothpick comes out clean, or with just a crumb or two adhering, 25-30 minutes.
8. Transfer pans to wire racks, cool for 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of each pan, invert cakes onto racks, and peel off paper. Re-invert cakes onto additional racks so tops are up. Cool completely.
9. Frosting:
10. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat or melt it in a large glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 45 seconds.
11. Place the melted butter in a large mixing bowl and add the cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth.
12. Add the confectioners' sugar alternately with the sour cream, blending with an electric mixer on low speed for to 11/2 minutes, or until incorporated.
13. Stop the machine and add the vanilla. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more.
14. Place one layer of the cake on a plate. Frost the top with about 1/4 cup of frosting, then put 1/3 of the can of pie filling (about 2/3 cup) on the frosting to within 1/2 inch of edge of cake.
15. Top with another cake layer, frosting and pie filling.
16. Top with last layer of cake, then frost the top and sides of the cake. Build up the frosting around the outer edge of the top layer and fill in the middle with the last of the cherry pie filling.
17. Either add whipped cream in a ring around the top cherries, top each cut slice with it.
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