Servings: 10servings (6 x 4 inch four layer cake))
Calories: 425kcal
Author: Marvellina
Inspired by the traditional German black forest gateau/cake, this soft and airy chocolate sponge cake is filled with luscious cream, cherries, and decorated with dark chocolate shards.
Spray the baking pan, 9 x 13 x 1 inch, with non-stick cooking spray or brush some oil and then line with parchment paper on the bottom and the side
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, sugar, and milk until combined. Sift in the cake flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Whisk to mix until combined and no lumps
Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature. Place egg whites in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until foamy on medium speed and then add cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar and whip again for another minute then and 1/3 of the sugar and continue to add sugar until you use it all up. Whip until the egg white develops a stiff peak but with a slight bent on the tip
Fold about 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk batter and use a rubber spatula or whisk to fold or whisk until mix and continue to fold in the next 1/3 until you use up all the meringue and the batter is smooth
Pour the batter into the pan and use a rubber spatula to help to spread evenly. You can use a dough scraper to help you even out the surface too if necessary
Gently tap the baking sheet on your working surface several times to pop any air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 30 minutes and then switch to convection mode (fan mode) and bake for another 3-4 minutes or until the top is golden brown and dry to touch. If you don't have convection mode, bake another 5 minutes and check to make sure the top is golden brown and dry to touch
Prepare whipped cream:
While the cake is baking, chill the bowl and whisk in the fridge. Make sure the heavy cream is really cold too. Put the heavy cream, icing sugar, and cherry syrup in the bowl Whip on medium speed until the cream holds a medium peak. DO NOT whip until stiff. If you overbeat, the cream will turn grainy and dull. Keep it chilled in the fridge
Back to the cake:
Remove the cake from the oven and then lift it out from the pan immediately to a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper from 4 sides. This helps to prevent wrinkles on the surface. Let the cake cools down and no longer warm
Place a new piece of parchment paper, larger than the cake, on top of the cake and flip over to the other side. Peel off the parchment paper
Use a serrated knife to trim about 1/4-inch of the 4 edges. Then cut the cake into 2 pieces. Each piece is about 1 inch thick, so I cut each into half horizontally. So now I have 4 layers of about 1/2-inch thick chocolate cake. Make sure the cake is no longer warm when you spread on the whipped cream
Transfer half of the cream to a piping bag without any nozzle
Assembling:
Smear a bit of the whipped cream on a cake stand or a serving platter. Put the first piece of cake on top. Brush the surface of the cake with syrup from the Maraschino cherry. If you use canned cherry pie filling, pipe the whipped cream on the edge of the cake as a border. Spread some cherry pie filling inside the border and then cover with some heavy cream and stack on the second layer, brush with syrup and repeat the same process until you top the cake with the last cake piece
Cover the sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes
Prepare the chocolate shards:
Put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and put this bowl over a gentle simmering pot of water. Water shouldn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir until chocolate melts, shiny, and smooth.
Spread this melted chocolate on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet, about 2 mm in thickness. Use the back of the spoon or a spatula to spread the chocolate to about 1-inch above the cake. Put this in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to let it set
I recommend wearing gloves as this minimize the heat transfer from our hands to the chocolate. The chocolate won't melt easily this way. Then gently break into long pieces to cover the sides of the cake (as shown in the photos)
Then spread the remaining melted chocolate on a marble or metal surface, about 2 mm thick. Let it set and harden. Use a dough scraper to scrape the chocolate to create the "shaved" chocolate. Alternatively you can also use a grater to shave the chocolate. I recommend wearing gloves so the chocolate won't melt
Decorate:
Use the pieces of chocolate shards you made earlier to cover all four sides of the cake to create that rustic feel and look to the cake
Pipe the remaining whipped cream on the top edges of the cake. Put Maraschino chrerry on top. Fill the center with shaved/grated chocolate. This is just how I decorated it. You can decorate it however you want it. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving