Black Forest Cake - SK Khazana

Ingredients list for Black Forest Cake - SK Khazana

• Dry
• 1 3/4 cups Refined flour (maida)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking soda
• 2 1/4 teaspoons Baking powder
• a pinch Salt
• 2 1/2 cups Powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup Cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Instant coffee powder
• Wet
• 3 Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla essence
• 3/4 cup Melted butter
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Yogurt
• Compote
• 2 cups Cherries pitted
• 1/2 cup Castor sugar (caster sugar)
• 1/2 Lemon
• Chocolate Garnish
• 1 1/2 cups Dark chocolate melted
• Layering
• as required Whipped cream
• 1 cup Dark chocolate
• for garnish Cherries
• for garnish Chocolate shavings

Method

1. Grease the base and sides of two 8 inch round cake tins with butter and place parchment paper on the base. Dust them with cocoa powder. Shake off excess cocoa powder and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven at 150˚C.
3. Sieve together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Sieve powdered sugar and cocoa powder into the same bowl. Add coffee powder and whisk well.
4. For the wet mixture, break eggs into another large bowl and whisk well. Add vanilla essence and whisk well. Add melted butter gradually, whisking continuously till the mixture becomes smooth. Add milk and yogurt and whisk till well combined.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and fold in till you get a smooth lumps free batter. Add ½ cup hot water and whisk well.
6. Pour the batter equally into the prepared cake tins. Keep the tins in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
7. To make the compote, heat a non-stick pan, add fresh cherries, castor sugar and squeeze the juice of ½ lemon and mix well. Cook till the cherries turn pulpy. Take the pan off the heat and set aside to cool down to room temperature.
8. To make chocolate garnish, place a large parchment paper on the worktop. Pour melted dark chocolate on top and spread it evenly with a palate knife to a thin layer. Allow to set for 30 seconds before rolling into a log. Refrigerate till it sets completely.
9. Bring it out of the refrigerator, open the parchment paper, break the chocolate into shards and sprinkle cocoa powder on top and keep it back in the refrigerator.
10. De-mould one cake on a rotating cake stand and peel off the parchment paper. Straighten the cake and trim the top of the cake to level it.
11. Halve the cake horizontally. Repeat the same process with the remaining cake.
12. Take the whipped cream in a piping bag and spread a little whipped cream on a serving plate. Place one half of a cake on it and spread a thick layer of whipped cream evenly.
13. Take some whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe out rosettes along the edge of the cake to create a circle. Spread a portion of the cherry compote in the middle of the circle. Cover with another half of cake.
14. Spread a thick layer of dark chocolate ganache on top evenly and place another half of cake over it. Spread a thick layer of whipped cream evenly on top and pipe out rosettes on the edges to create a circle. Add a portion of the cherry compote in the circle. Place the remaining cake half on top.
15. Cover the cake with whipped cream on top and the sides, spreading it evenly with a palate knife. Refrigerate for 20-25 minutes.
16. For decorating the cake, pipe out rosettes of the whipped cream on top of the cake to form a circle while leaving the centre empty.