Black Forest Gateau

Some recipes are just too good not to share, and this is one of them. This Black Forest Gateau was made for a dinner party I threw for some friends last night. It was such a hit that my siblings, who are usually only mildly interested in my baked goods, actually squabbled over the left overs.

Black Forest has long been my favourite type of layer cake. And what's not to like? Cherries soaked in kirsch (or some other liquer), sandwiched between layers of intensely chocolatey sponge cake, and the whole thing smothered with freshly whipped cream. The contrast of textures and flavours - plump, juicy cherries against soft, yielding cake, the dulcet creaminess of the fresh cream against the bite from the alcohol - makes a well-made Black Forest a true pleasure to eat.

The key, as always, is to use the best base ingredients possible. In this case, the chocolate cake involved copious amounts of insanely expensive Ecuadorian cacao powder. A slight overkill? Perhaps. But these were very good friends that were coming over, and I like feeding the people I love the real deal in edibles. And also because this was the only cocoa powder I had lying around. Just avoid the nasty cheap stuff that doesn't even smell like chocolate (which, embarrassingly, I have used before in thriftier times) and you should be fine.

Just so you don't end up broke by the time you're done making this cake, you can cut some corners when it comes to the cherries and opt for fresh ones soaked in a liqueur of your choice instead of going out of your way to acquire maraschino cherries. I know it's not traditional, and some people would argue that it's not Black Forest unless it's soaked in kirsch (a cherry liqueur), but as long as it tastes good, right? I myself used a mixture of vodka, schnapps and rum. Add the amount to taste. Drain the cherries when you're ready to assemble the cake, but don't throw away the liquid! You'll need that for brushing onto your cake layers.

A nicely assembled layer cake is a thing of beauty, but it takes a bit of fussing around with levelling the cake layers, and applying a crumb-coat (as seen in the picture above). Since this was to be served amongst friends, I didn't go nutso on the decorating. Just a bit of piping, and going around the edge with a comb tool. You can see bits of the cake showing through the cream frosting, but I quite like the effect.

For the cake itself, I consulted my beloved copy of Rose Levy Beranbaum's Rose's Heavenly Cakes and went with the chocolate cake recipe used in her German chocolate cake. True to her word, this chocolate cake does indeed remain soft when chilled in the fridge, but has enough structural integrity to lend itself well to carving. The texture is a thing to marvel at - fudgy, almost like mudcake, yet the recipe requires only cocoa powder, not melted chocolate. I think I've found a winner in this recipe, and can see it becoming my default choice for future birthday cake bases.

Recipe for Black Forest Gateau

Makes two cake layers, around 23cm (9 inch) in diameter

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake:

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (66 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup (118g) boiling water

1/2 cup (108g) canola oil

4 large eggs, separated, plus 2 whites

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup (75g) cake flour

2/3 cup (75g) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (300g) caster sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the liqueur-soaked cherries

Around 30 medium-sized sweet cherries

5 tablespoons liqueur of your choice

For the whipped cream filling and frosting

600ml thickened cream, suitable for whipping, chilled

6 tablespoons confectioner's (icing) sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For decorating

6 medium-sized cherries, with stem attached

Chocolate block at room temperature

Method

1. A day before baking the cakes, remove the stones from the cherries. (I used a specialty cherry de-stoner which allowed me to keep the cherries whole, but you can also cut the cherries in half and pry the stones out that way.) Douse the destoned cherries with the liqueur and toss everything around. Place in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge overnight.

To make the cakes:

2. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Place the baking rack close to the bottom of the oven. Grease two round cake pans, both 22cm in diameter and 8cm high.

3. Mix the cocoa powder with the boiling water in a bowl until a smooth paste forms. Cover with cling film to prevent the mixture from drying out. Set aside to cool slightly. Add in the oil and egg yolks to the paste, and beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it becomes the consistency of a soft buttercream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the vanilla. Beat for another 30 seconds.

4. In another bowl, whisk together the cake and all-purpose flours, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add half of this dry mixture to the cocoa mixture from step 3. Beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add in the rest of the dry mixture and beat on low speed until everything is moistened. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Turn down mixer speed to low, and add in the egg whites. Gradually raise speed back up to medium, and beat until mixture resembles a thick soup. Scrape half the batter into one pan and the rest in the other. 

5. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Take out of oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan, before unmolding and letting the cakes cool completely on cooling racks.

To make the whipped cream filling/frosting:

6. Pour the chilled thickened cream into a a bowl which has been chilled in the fridge. Add vanilla extract and sifted icing sugar. Beat with a whisk or electric beaters until soft peaks form.

To assemble the cake:

7. Drain the liqueur-soaked cherries, reserving the liquid. Set aside.

8. Divide the whipped cream into two portions. One portion will be used to fill and crumb-coat the cake, and the other for decoration.

9. Using a cake-leveller, (or just a serrated knife if you've got a good eye and steady hand), slice off the domed tops of the cake layers. Brush the bottom layer with the liquid from the cherries, then top with a layer of cream, the cherries, and another layer of cream. Brush the other cake layer with the cherry liquid, then place on top of the filling, brushed-side down. Brush the very top of the cake with some more cherry liquid.

10. Using a spatula, crumb-coat the cake with whipped cream. Chill the crumb-coated cake in the fridge for at least four hours, before using the remaining cream to decorate the outside of the cake. Complete the decorating with the chocolate curls (made by scraping the chocolate block with a potato peeler) and fresh cherries-with-stems-attached.

11. Return to fridge to chill. Take out from the fridge 20 minutes prior to serving.

Mango and Cream Swiss Roll

Despite being on summer break from uni at the moment, I don't have nearly as much time to spend on baking and pastry-making as I would like. Yesterday evening provided a rare opportunity for me to carry out two wishes I've had for a while now: 1) try out my flashy new KitchenAid stand mixer and 2) make a Swiss roll.

I've made a Swiss cake roll only one time previously, around a year ago, and the result was not very good. There were visible lumps of flour in the cake part, and the filling made everything soggy. I am pleased to say that this Swiss roll turned out very well. Due to either a superior recipe for the sponge cake, or the use of gelatine-stabilised whipped cream for the filling, or the assistance I received from my KitchenAid, or a combination of the three, this Mango and Cream Swiss Roll had it all in terms of flavour and looks. Okay, almost had it all in terms of looks. But it tasted great, and when baking for friends and family, flavour trumps appearance, yes?

Before I forget - allow me to show off my KitchenAid! Which I've already formed an emotional attachment to xD Whenever I feel depressed about having to go to work, I look to it as a reminder that only some of the good things in life are for free, lol :D

Apart from a minor incident in which I managed to electrocute myself when I touched the mixer bowl because I'd plugged the KitchenAid into an extension cord socket (which wasn't properly grounded), my first baking project involving the mixer went very smoothly. Prior to this, I've always used a hand mixer to make the meringue base for a sponge cake, whip cream for frosting, mix the batter, etc., and I was so surprised at how much effort I was saving myself by using the stand mixer. In fact, I felt kinda guilty and lazy just standing by the sidelines and watching, while my Yellow Pepper-hued beauty did all the work for me. All I had to do was clean the bowl and the whisk intermittently! And assemble the cake roll, of course.

Now, some key pointers when making the sponge cake sheet: 

• Firstly, make sure you have the correct sized pan for the recipe you're using. I've made the mistake of spreading the batter too thinly before, and I ended up with a toffee-coloured sheet which shattered when I tried to manipulate it into some semblance of a roll. I used the sponge cake recipe I found at What's For Dessert Today!, which was perfect for a 9" x 12" (23 x 30cm) pan. 

• Secondly, roll up your cake fresh out of the oven, being careful not to burn your hands. The reason for this is that, if you allow your cake to cool before trying to roll it up, you'll end up with cracks all over. So roll it up while it's still warm. Without the filling, of course. Keep it rolled up while it cools slightly, then unroll, spread out the filling, roll it back up, and put it in the fridge to chill for a few hours.

• Thirdly (and this is a general tip for all sponge cakes), I find that flour lumps are easily avoided by using the "chiffon method" when making the batter. This is where you mix the flour and other dry ingredients with the egg yolks, whip the egg whites and sugar into a meringue separately, then combine the two. This is in contrast to what I did before, which was to sift in the dry ingredients into the wet. 

I mentioned that I used gelatine-stabilised cream for the filling. This is simply a fancy name for cream whipped after gelatine had been added to it. After chilling for a bit in the fridge, it takes on a mousse-like consistency which is perfect for spreading or piping. The gelatine helps it to hold its shape, and stops the moisture from the cream from leeching into the surrounding cake. 

The whipped cream filling holding its shape, thanks to the addition of gelatine

Next time, I may puree whatever fruit I choose to use and mix it with the cream to form a pretty, uniformly-coloured filling. I do quite like the distinct chunks of mango in this roll, though :D 

Here's the recipe!

Recipe for Mango and Cream Swiss Roll

Adapted from What's For Dessert Today!

Makes one 23cm long swiss roll

Ingredients

For the sponge cake:

4 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites

70g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)

10g corn flour (sifted)

70g all-purpose/plain flour

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

40ml canola oil

40g milk

For the gelatine-stabilised whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream

3 tablespoons confectioner's/icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (again, I used vanilla bean paste)

1 teaspoon powdered gelatine

1 tablespoon cold water

And, of course...:

Flesh of half a large mango, sliced into 5cm sticks

Method

To make the gelatine-stabilised whipped cream (do this first):

1. Combine the cold water and powdered gelatine, stir together, and set aside until the gelatine has absorbed the water to make a goo. Microwave this goo for 15 seconds or until liquid. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine whipping cream, confectioner's/icing sugar, and vanilla extract. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, start whipping the cream. When soft peaks start to form, add in the liquid gelatine mixture. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Do not over-beat or cream will separate and curdle. Transfer into a container, and refrigerate until needed.

To make the sponge cake sheet:

1. Preheat oven at 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a 9" x 12" (23 x 30cm) sheet pan or baking tray with non-stick parchment paper, and place the baking rack towards the middle of the oven, closer to the bottom. 

2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 35g of the caster sugar until light and creamy. Sift in the all-purpose/plain flour, corn flour, and baking soda and whisk until smooth and lumps-free. Add in the vanilla extract, and whisk it in well.

3. In a separate bowl (here's where my KitchenAid came to the rescue), add the cream of tartar to the egg whites, and whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the remaining 35g of caster sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, and beat until stiff peaks form. 

4. Add 1/3 of the beaten egg white mixture from step 3 to the egg yolk mixture from step 2. Stir in with whisk, so that the batter is more liquid. Pour this batter into the remaining egg whites, and fold in gently with a rubber spatula. Be careful as to not deflate the batter.

5. Pour batter into the lined sheet pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Place in oven, and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the surface is a light, golden brown. 

6. Remove from oven, and straight away, cover the top with a pieces of parchment paper and roll up the cake. Allow to cool slightly, for around 5 minutes, then unroll and fill with the whipped cream and mango. Roll back up, wrap with cling wrap, and put in the fridge to chill for a few hours before slicing and serving.