Awesome Black Forest Cake

by- Kim Robison

Cake-

Add in order

½ C shortening

2/3 C cocoa

2 C Sugar

1 C hot water

1 C buttermilk

2 C flour

2 t baking soda

½ t salt

1 t vanilla

2 lg eggs

Bake in 2- 8” round cake pans at 350 for 30-35 min. Let cakes cool for 5 min and remove from pans. Let cool 10 min and then wrap in plastic wrap. Let cool then refrigerate or freeze.

Cherry Filling

2- 15oz Bing cherries

1 t almond extract

2 T cornstarch

Simmer until thick, let cool

Chocolate Cream filling

1 C cream

1 C Semi sweet chocolate chips

Warm on stove, do not boil. Remove from heat and stir until chocolate is all melted. Refrigerate until chilled and then whip until thick.

Whipping cream:

Whip 3 C cream and sweeten to taste (~¾ C Sugar)

Assembly:

Slice cakes in two. Place the first half down

¼ of the plain whipped cream & ½ of the cherries

2n d ½ of cake (you should probably insert a few toothpicks at this point)

Chocolate whipped cream

3rd ½ of cake

¼ of the plain whipped cream and ½ of cherries

4th of the cake (you should probably insert a few toothpicks at this point)

Frost with remaining whipping cream

Sprinkle with chocolate shaved rolls. Refrigerate!

15 pts for 1/16th of the cake and 20 pst for 1/12th

Variation for Michelle’s Birthday cake by:Marion McClellan

For Michelle’s birthday cake, I made the cakes for the black forest cake. I trippled the chocolate cream filing and put it in between all of the layers. For the frosting I made a chocolate version of the a red velvet cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet Cake Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 - 8 ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 C cocoa (½ in the cream cheese mixture and ½ in the whipping cream)

Cream Cheese Frosting: In your food processor, or with a hand mixer, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and process until smooth. Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl. Then, in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. With a large spatula, gently but quickly fold a little of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream, in two stages. If the frosting is not thick enough to spread, cover and place in the refrigerator for an hour, or until it is firm enough to spread.

I frosted the cakes and then made another batch of ganache to pour over the refrigerated frosted cake. (1 C semisweet chocolate chips, ½ C cream, 2 T butter). I let it drizzle down the sides.