Black Forest Cake

The festive season is almost underway, and I am SUPER EXCITED about those little pigs in blankets and crispy roast potatoes. However, there is only ever one dessert for me at Christmas, and that's a Black Forest Cake.

Makes 12 Servings

15 Minutes Preparation Time

40 Minutes Cooking Time

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

275g Caster Sugar

100g Softened Unsalted Butter

50g Cocoa Powder

100ml Hot Water

3 Eggs

175g Self Raising Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

100g Milk Chocolate

200g Softened Unsalted Butter

400g Icing Sugar

2/3tbs Milk

WHIPPED CREAM

200ml Double Cream

1tsp Vanilla Essence

OTHER

4tbs Cherry Jam

Fresh Cherries

A chunk of Chocolate for Grating

METHOD

- Preheat the oven to 180c.

- Now, in a bowl cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer or beat with a wooden spoon.

- Once combined, add the water to the cocoa powder and mix. Then pour into the butter mixture.

- Slowly mix in the three, eggs one at a time.

- Then a tablespoon at a time add the baking powder and flour and mix to combine.

- Using a little butter, grease the cake tin. I use two small 15cm cake tins which means the cake is taller, but you can use a wider cake tin.

- Split the mixture in half and bake in the two tins. I bake for 35 minutes but if you use a larger cake tin it may take slightly less time. Check the cake after 25 minutes by using a skewer to check if the centre is cooked.

- Once baked, remove and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, slice the cakes in half. Leaving you with four cake slices.

- Now, make the chocolate buttercream, Firstly you want to melt the chocolate using a microwave or bain marie method (see tip). Once melted, add to a bowl with the butter and icing sugar and cream together. You can add the milk if the buttercream is too thick.

- Lastly, whisk the double cream and vanilla until it forms lovely peaks.

- Now, the fun of assembling the cake. In the same cake tin that you cooked the cake, add a layer of cling film. It should come up the sides of the cake tin.

- Add the bottom layer of the cake, followed by half of the chocolate buttercream. Then add a second layer of cake. Now add two tablespoons of the cherry jam and spread across the cake. Followed by a layer of the whipped cream. Then repeat this again with the next two layers.

- Top with fresh cherries and a grating of chocolate.