Mr N is partial to anything with chocolate, and particularly Black Forest Cake. For his birthday this year I attempted (again) to bake him "the ultimate chocolate and cherry cake". It's been a six year process, but I think I might have finally cracked it.
This Dark Chocolate Cherry cake is stunning. Yummy, densely chocolately and with a hint of cherries. It tastes even better the next day. I couldn't find any fresh cherries so I decorated with white choc dipped strawberries which I think worked really well. If there's one criticism... I might cut back on the cinnamon next time as it was a bit too strong. And the base is very delicate. I cut the bottom layer too thin meaning breakage. That said, nothing a bit of ganache won't fix!
Recipe from Swedish cooking magazine Allt om Mat:
Dark Chocolate Cake with Cherries
175 g butter, softened
300 ml sugar
4 eggs
200 ml full fat milk
200 ml plain flour
100 ml cocoa powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
Chocolate filling
400 g dark chocolate (70%)
250 g butter
100 ml icing sugar
200 ml cherry jam
Method:
1. Turn the oven to 175 degrees. Using a 24 cm springform attach baking paper to bottom, butter sides.
2. Beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Separate eggs and put eggwhites in separate bowl. Add egg yolks one at a time to butter and sugar mixtures and then milk. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients then add to batter.
3. Whip eggwhites until stiff peaks form. Fold carefully into batter.
4. Pour into prepared tin. Bake in lower part of oven for 50 minutes. Let cake cool in pan.
Filling:
1. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan. Sift icing sugar into mixture and stir until dissolved. Put aside 300 ml of filling to ice the cake. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Cut cake in three. Spread chocolate filling on one cake. Put second cake on top and spread with cherry jam. Put third cake on top and pour the preserved icing on top and onto sides.
3. Decorate with cherries or chocolate dipped strawberries.
4. Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes. Let it stand in room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
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I must send u my beetroot and dark chocolat cake with frosting of dark chocolat creme fraich och icing suger. I baked and took it to work better them than me (lots of calories) I also baked zucchini cup cakes. They also got them at work.
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