Blackforest Cake dressed in White

This is specially baked for my cousin Jennifer's baby Bernice full month celebration. Since it's for kids, I omitted the liqueur in the chocolate sponge and chocolate mousse layer. If it's for adults, the sponge cake and mousse layer will be drenced with liqueur. It can be kirsch, rum or brandy. Sounds intoxicating?I took the sponge cake recipe and kirsh-flavoured whipped cream recipe from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The chocolate whipped cream recipe is from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme.

The cake is filled with lots of dark cherries and dressed in snowy fresh cream with lots of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. It looked so beautiful and so different from the conventional blackforest cake I grow up with. This is definitely a keeper for me. Does anybody want a slice?

Brandied cherry syrup:

1 can (450g) of pitted bing cherries in heavy syrup
2 tbsp (25g) sugar
¼ cup (56g) of kirsch, rum or cognac

1. In a colander suspended over a deep bowl, drain the cherries for 30min.
2. Reserve ½ cup syrup. There will be about 1½ cup cherries.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the syrup and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
4. Add the cherries and simmer, covered, 1 minute.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. Transfer the cherries with a slotted spoon to a pint jar and add the kirsch, cognac or rum.
7. Boil the syrup until reduced to ¼ cup and pour over the cherries.
8. Cover tightly and swirl to mix.

** If planning to store longer than 3 months, add enough liqueur to reach almost to the top of the jar. Cool, cover tightly, and refrigerate.

Sponge Cake:
1 recipe of chocolate genoise without syrup

Chocolate whipped cream:
350g heavy cream
12 sugar
65g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Bring the cream and sugar to a full boil in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Pull the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate, mixing energetically with a rubber spatula so that the chocolate is completely blended into the cream. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl (choose one that is large enough for whipping the cream), cover, and chill for at least 5 hours, or overnight.
2. Just before you are ready to use the cream, place the bowl of cream in a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water.
3. Using a whisk, whip the cream until it is almost firm. Go easy – the cream will whip quickly. The consistency you are looking for is one that is firm enough to spread but soft enough to fill light and creamy in your mouth.

Kirsch-Flavoured cream:
21g powdered sugar
2 tsp powdered gelatin
350g heavy cream
¾ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp kirsch or rum


** Make this cream just before you are ready to use it.

1. In a small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar and gelatin. Gradually stir in ¼ cup of the cream.
2. Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly. It will thicken slightly.
3. Scrap the mixture into a small bowl and allow it to cool just to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla extract and kirsch or rum.
4. In a chilled mixing bowl, whip the remaining cream just until traces of the beater marks begin to show. Add the cooled gelatin mixture in a steady stream, beating constantly. Whip just until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.


To assemble
1. Add another 1 tbsp of liqueur and 1 tbsp of water to the brandied cherry syrup. Mix well.
2. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon. Drain and keep aside.
3. Trim the top, bottom and sides of the cake.
4. Slice the cake into 3 even layers.
5. Place the first layer onto a cardboard round.
6. Brush it with 2 tbsp of the brandied cherry syrup.
7. Using a metal offset spatula, spread a layer (about 1 cm) of the kirsch-flavoured whipped cream on the cake layer. Scatter half of the drained cherries evenly over the whipped cream.
8. Finish this layer by spreading about 1 cm of the kirsch-flavoured whipped cream over it.
9. Place the middle layer of the cake next.
10. Brush the cake with 2 tbsp of the brandied cherry syrup.
11. Using a metal offset spatula, spread half of the chocolate whipped cream on the cake layer. Scatter the remaining cherries over the chocolate whipped cream.
12. Finish this layer by spreading the remaining chocolate whipped cream over it.
13. Place the last layer of the cake next.
14. Brush it with 2 tbsp of the brandied cherry syrup.
15. Using a straight metal spatula, spread the kirsch-flavoured whipped cream round the sides of the cake evenly.
16. Using a metal offset spatula, spread the remaining whipped cream evenly on the top layer.
17. Decorate the top as you wish, with fruits, cherries, chocolate curls or piped rosettes.
18. Refrigerate the cake.