Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
½ cup (110 g) butter, softened
1+¼ cup (275 g) sugar
2 eggs
1+¼ cup (140 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (1.8 dl) buttermilk
Ingredients for filling
¼ cup Kirshwasser (Kirsch/cherry brandy), optional
2 cans (14 oz or 400 g) cherry pie filling or pitted cherries
3 cups (7.2 dl) heavy whipping cream, chilled
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Milk chocolate curls or shavings, for garnish
Maraschino cherries or sweet cherries, for garnish, optional.
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).
- Line a 9 inch (23 cm) cake pan with greaseproof or other non-stick paper.
- With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter with sugar until white and fluffy.
- Add one egg at a time, mix well between each egg.
- Add sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and buttermilk, and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Transfer to a cake pan and bake at 350 degrees just until set in the middle, approximately 45-60 minutes. A wooden pick inserted in center should come out with just a few moist crumbs on it. Do not over-bake!
- When cake is cool, use a long serrated knife to cut the cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. It is easier to cut if kept in a refrigerator for a few hours before cutting.
Filling
- Drain cherry pie filling in a colander to remove most of the thickened juices.
- Beat the whipping cream with confectioners’ sugar until it thickens.
- Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate; refrigerate until the cake is assembled.
Assembling
- Sprinkle each layer of the cake with Kirshwasser.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
- Spread about one fifth of the whipped cream on the layer, and strew half of the cherries on top of the whipped cream.
- Add the second cake layer.
- Spread one fifth of the whipped cream on the second layer and the remaining cherries on top.
- Add the third cake layer.
- Spread one fifth of the whipped cream on top and one fifth on the sides. Gently press chocolate curls on the sides and/or on top of the cake.
Flourless Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup (220 g) sugar
5 oz (140 g) almond flour (2 cups almond meal or finely ground almonds)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).
- Grease 6 large muffin tins or cups, or 12 normal muffin tins.
- In a bowl beat the eggs with sugar for 3-5 minutes using an electric mixer.
- Add the vegetable oil and mix well.
- Add almond flour, cocoa powder, vanilla and baking powder, and mix gently.
- Bake at 350 degrees until a until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 35 minutes.
The Chocolate Muffins may be served hot or at room temperature.
Easy Brownies made with cocoa
Ingredients
¾ cup butter (170 g)
1+½ cup sugar (330 g)
2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
¾ cup all-purpose flour (85 g)
½ cup coco powder (50 g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt (optional)
3 oz (100 g) chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).
- Line a 13 x 9 in (33 x 23 cm) cake tin with grease proof or other non-stick paper and grease the tin. Melt the butter.
- Beat eggs with sugar, and add vanilla, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt (optional) and melted butter.
- Add chopped nuts.
- Bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Cool the cake. Dust with powdered sugar or glace with your favorite chocolate frosting.
Frosting with chocolate, icing sugar, butter and egg
3 tablespoons (40 g) butter
3 ½ oz (100 g) dark semi-sweet chocolate (40-45% cocoa)
1 egg (salmonella free)
3 ½ oz (100 g) icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
Method
1. Melt butter and chopped chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Beat the egg with icing sugar and mix with the chocolate and butter mixture.
