BLACK FOREST CAKE #desserts #chocolate

Dark Forest Cake is a work of art! This cake has substituting layers of chocolate cake and succulent cherry filling, and chocolate "twigs" total the dark woodland look!

This cake got its beginning, as such huge numbers of my cakes do, in the walkways of a store… for this situation, Cost Plus World Market. While I was glancing through their Christmas candy a month ago, I discovered some lovely polished dim chocolate twigs from Grand Belgian Chocolate, and I realized they required—no, they were DESTINED—to be on a cake. The twigs are around 8" long thus incredibly, lovely. They're sparkling, with little stubs of unpredictably positioned chocolate up and down the length of them so they truly look like rough twigs.

Being an extremely evident individual, I quickly made the jump and comprehended what I should make. Twigs – > trees – > woodland – > dark backwoods cake! There you have it, individuals. The guile functions of a psyche like a steel trap.

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INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE:

• 6 oz butter at room temperature
• 5.25 oz granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
• 5.62 oz brown sugar (3/4 cup)
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 12 fl oz buttermilk (1 1/2 cups), at room temperature
• 8 oz all-purpose flour (2 cups)
• 3 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1 cup)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 3 fl oz pasteurized liquid egg whites
• 12 oz powdered sugar (3 cups)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 12 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING AND DECORATION:

• 2 cups chopped cherries (I used jarred Morello cherries)
• ½ cup cherry preserves (optional)
• 12 oz chocolate twigs (optional)
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

INSTRUCTIONS
TO MAKE THE CAKE:

1. Line four 8-inch cake pans with parchment and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Add the butter and both sugars to the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, and beat well until everything is fully incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, add a quarter of the sifted flour mixture. When the flour streaks have almost all disappeared, add a third of the buttermilk to the mixing bowl. When that’s incorporated, continue to add the drys and wets in an alternating pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
4. When the dry ingredients are nearly incorporated, stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and finish mixing the cake by hand. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, and smooth it into an even layer. Bake the cakes for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the cakes completely before using.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING:

1. Chop the unsweetened chocolate, and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Once the chocolate is melted, let it cool until it is completely room temperature. While it cools, prepare the rest of the frosting.
2. Combine the whites, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix everything together on low speed, until the sugar is moistened and no dry patches remain. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat on medium for 5 minutes.
3. After 5 minutes, turn the mixer to medium-low and start adding the softened room temperature butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides once more. Turn the speed to medium and beat the buttercream for 10 minutes. Finally, add the melted and cooled chocolate. Mix on low speed until the chocolate is completely incorporated.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. To assemble the cake, place one layer on a cake cardboard, and put it on a cake turntable, if you have one. Place some of the chocolate buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a coupler or large round tip. Pipe a circle around the outside edge of the cake layer, and spread a very thin layer of chocolate frosting inside the piped circle of frosting.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the chopped cherries and cherry preserves, if using. Spread a third of this mixture inside the piped circle of frosting, and top with a second cake layer. Repeat the frosting, cherry, and cake process until you have added all 4 cake layers. 
3. Spread a very thin layer of chocolate frosting all over the top and sides of the cake—this is the “crumb coat,” to lock in any stray crumbs from the cake. Refrigerate the cake briefly, for about 30 minutes, so the crumb coat can firm up.
4. Spread a thicker layer of frosting along the top and sides of the cake. Take a metal offset spatula, and holding it flat against the outside edge of the cake, start turning the turntable. Hold the spatula against the frosting, and as the cake goes around, gradually start moving the spatula inward, creating a spiral design in the frosting. 
5. If you’re using the chocolate twigs, press them against the sides of the cake, firmly embedding them in the frosting. Finally, dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder. It will darken as it sits and absorbs moisture from the buttercream, and will match the color of the dark chocolate twigs. Top the cake with a maraschino cherry, if desired.

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