Chocolate Cherry Cake 迷霧森林酒漬櫻桃巧克力蛋糕

My favorite cake of the year:

This Chocolate Cherry Cake is pretty much a black forest cake decorated with golden dusted berries wreath instead of chocolate curls.

A must try for dark chocolate cake lovers. Creamy, moist, boozy and chocolaty~

I love the cake so much even without brandied cherries!

Minimized sugar amount and used 70% dark chocolate as the main sweetener/ flavor. Made my own Kirsch cherries so I can control the sugar added. (Store bought ones are just too sweet for me).

First time decorating with piping tips and golden luster dust and cherries was so much fun~ Loved the final sparkling berry wreath look. So pretty and festive! Celebrate anytime!

Size: 3-layer 6” cake

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Cake:

65g cake flour

22g cocoa powder

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

80g milk

50g sugar

40g vegetable oil

Chocolate Cream Frosting:

200 g 70% dark chocolate

320g heavy cream, warmed

300g heavy cream, chilled

2 tbsp brandy from homemade Kirsch Cherries

Kirsch Cherries:

1 lb. Cherries, pitted

Schladerer Kirschwasser or any Brandy

Crystalized sugar (冰糖) or just sugar --- I only put about 3 tbsp as I prefer less sweet. Add more to your liking.

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Decorations:

Blueberries

Blackberries

Edible gold luster dust

Thyme

Instructions:

Kirsch Cherries

1. Sterilize glass jars/containers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Cool and dry completely before using.

2. Rinse cherries then pat dry.

3. Pit and halve the cherries. Tossed with lemon zest and juice.

4. Put a layer of cherries into the glass container, add some sugar, followed by more cherries. Repeat.

5. Fill the container with Schladerer Kirschwasser or any Brandy.

6. Store the container tightly sealed in refrigerator for a week before use.

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 290 degrees F. Line the bottom of three 6” round cake pans with parchment paper.  (I also sprayed the pan with oil)

2. Beat the egg yolks and set aside.

3. Mix together cocoa powder and corn oil in a small bowl with a whisk.

4. Warm up milk in microwave (for 40s) or on stove. The pour into the chocolate bowl. Mix well.

5. Sift in cake flour and mix thoroughly. Add a bit of the flour mixture into the beaten yolks, then pour the yolk mixture back in the chocolate flour mixture. Mix till the batter is smooth. Set aside.

6. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Add sugar in three equal parts. Keep beating until reaching stiff peak.

7. Gently fold the egg white meringue to the flour egg yolk batter in three additions to get an airy, smooth texture without lumps.

8. Divide the batter evenly into three 6” pans. Bang the pan several times on hard counter surface to release air bubbles.

9. Bake at 290°F /140°C for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

10. Cool the cakes on a rack with pans and parchment papers removed.

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

1. Break dark chocolate into small pieces and place in a stainless steel or glass bowl. Heat up some water in a sauce pan until it’s simmer. (Use a pan smaller than the bowl containing the chocolate).

2. Place the chocolate bowl over the top of the pan with simmering water to melt the chocolate. The base of the bowl must not touch the water at any time during the process.

3. When the most chocolate appears to have melted. Remove the bowl from the heat. Let the remaining heat melt the rest of the chocolate. Keep stirring till completely smooth.

4. Warm up 320g heavy cream in microwave or over the stove. Pour ½ into the melted chocolate, mix well then pour in the rest. Stir well.

5. Add the chilled heavy cream and keep whisking till smooth and even texture. Covered with cling wrap and refrigerate for 3+ hours.

6. Use an electric mixer, whip the cold heavy cream in a cold bowl (and over ice – optional) on high speed until stiff peak forms. Store the whipped cream in refrigerator until ready to use.

Assemble the Cake

1. Brush the Kirsch Cherries syrup over cake layers

2. Start by placing a dollop of whipped cream on a cake layer, spread it evenly with spatula.

3. Put a few cherry pieces over the cream. Cover the cherries with more cream, followed by the second layer of cake. Repeat for the third layer.

4. Begin to crumb coat the cake with the frosting. Then place the cake in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.

5. Meantime, rinse and pat dry cherries for decorations. Brush cherries with edible gold luster dust. Set aside.

6. Finish frosting the side and top of the cake with chilled whipped cream.

7. Decorate the cake with desired piping tips, lustered cherries and thyme leaves. Refrigerate for 2+ hours before serving. Enjoy!