Finished dish photo of Minimalist Black Forest Cake

Minimalist Black Forest Cake

Another simple cake---Black Forest Cake, which can be said to be the epitome of simplicity and deliciousness. Making a Black Forest Cake doesn’t require any professional skills—even if you can't smoothen the whipped cream, that’s fine. However, its appearance and taste are impeccable. Therefore, Black Forest Cake has appeared on the blog more than once. But if you think chocolate chiffon cake or sponge cake are still your weak points, this time we simplify it with a lazy approach: a cake base that doesn’t even need whipping. The Black Forest Cake created in this way can probably be called the "Minimalist Version". Servings: One 6-inch round cake Middle rack of the oven, 175°C, about 30 minutes

Ingredients

Flour120g
Cocoa Powder25g
Butter135g
Granulated Sugar120g
Eggs3 (about 50g each, without shells)
Baking Powder4g
Baking Soda1g
Vanilla Extract1/2 tsp
Dairy Whipping Cream200ml
Canned Black CherriesHalf a can
Chocolate Shavings60g
Granulated Sugar30g
Granulated Sugar65g
Water75g
Rum1 tbsp (15ml)

Steps

1

Prepare the cake batter following the method for Chocolate Cheesecake Sponge (http://www.xiachufang.com/recipe/21477/), pour the batter into a 6-inch round cake mold, and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool, then unmold.

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2

Once cooled, trim the top of the cake to level it, then slice it horizontally into three layers.

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3

Whip 200ml of dairy cream with 30g of granulated sugar using a hand mixer.

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4

Whip the cream to the consistency shown in the picture. It should be fairly stiff and hold its shape with clear patterns.

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5

Place one cake layer on a decorating turntable and brush it lightly with rum syrup using a pastry brush.

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6

Spread on a layer of whipped cream using a spatula.

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7

Drain canned black cherries, halve them, and arrange them on the cream. Cover the cherries with another layer of whipped cream.

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8

Place the second cake layer on top.

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9

Repeat the process (brush with rum syrup, spread cream, add cherries, spread cream) and then place the third cake layer on top, brushing it with rum syrup.

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10

Cover the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream.

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11

Press chocolate shavings onto the sides of the cake using a rubber spatula.

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12

Pipe a ring of cream flowers around the edge of the cake's top using a piping bag and nozzle. Pile the remaining black cherries in the center.

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Cooking Tips

1. Black Forest Cake is a famous German cake. It is a cream cake incorporating cherry juice and cherry liquor. The "Black Forest" cake introduced here mimics the traditional appearance but uses a very simple madeleine cake batter as the base. Both the ingredients and decorating process are straightforward, making it a "minimalist version". 2. Use whipped dairy cream for the decoration. Cream whips more easily after being refrigerated for 12 hours. When whipping, stop once the cream forms patterns. Over-whipping may cause the cream to resemble tofu curds. 3. If you don’t use dairy whipping cream, you can substitute with plant-based whipping cream, which is made from plant oils and is similar in properties. Plant-based cream usually contains sugar and doesn’t require additional sugar for whipping (not recommended as they contain unhealthy trans fats). 4. For a more refined result, divide the prepared batter into three portions and bake them separately as three thin layers (each taking about 8 minutes). This method yields better results.