Shelly's Recipe

BLACK FOREST CAKE

Category: Cakes

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into tablespoons
6 tablespoons water (divided)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup almonds
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (divided)
8 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup flour
6 cinnamon graham crackers, ground into fine crumbs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup kirsch (cherry brandy)
3 cups cold heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 cups (16 ounces) sour cherry jam or preserves
Chocolate curls for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter bottom of 10-inch springform pan and line with parchment cut to fit. Butter parchment.

Melt chocolate and butter with 2 tablespoons water in a double boiler set over slow simmering water, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla.

Grind almonds with 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) sugar in a food processor or blender until fine but not a paste. Transfer to a large bowl, wide enough to allow for the incorporation of beaten whites at a later stage. Add egg yolks, and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale, thick and almost doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Reduce to low speed and beat in chocolate mixture.

In separate bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 6 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until whites are just stiff and peaks stand up when you remove the beaters.

Whisk about 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate batter to lighten it, then gently fold in remaining whites.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, cocoa and salt. Fold into batter in 3 to 4 batches.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, until a wooden skewer tests clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove from pan, invert to remove parchment, then turn right side up on a rack and cool completely.

Combine remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) water and 1/4 cup of the remaining sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in kirsch.

Beat cream with remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until just stiff.

When cake is completely cool, cut it into three layers. Put bottom layer on a serving plate and brush with one-third of the kirsch syrup. Spread half the sour cherry jam or preserves over the layer, then cover with about 1 cup of whipped cream. Top with middle cake layer and repeat steps. Top with third layer, brush with remaining syrup and cover with remaining whipped cream. Garnish, if desired, with chocolate curls.