Black Forest Muffin Cakes Recipes

BLACK FOREST CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• To make the chocolate cake: Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Generously butter two 8-inch cake pans that are at least 2-inches high, and dust with cocoa powder, tapping the ramekins slightly to remove any excess.
• In a large bowl, place flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Mix until combined. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, oil, vanilla, buttermilk, and water (pour the water slowly so it won't cook the eggs). Whisk until smooth. Add egg mixture into flour mixture and mix until smooth. Don't overbeat - batter will be lumpy at first, but mix gently and eventually stir with a whisk just until smooth. The batter will be thin and liquid. That's ok.
• Scrape batter into prepared pans. Bake cakes for 30-35 minutes (depending on your oven - this might take longer), or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before unmolding, then let cakes cool completely on a wire rack. I recommend wrapping the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze them for several hours before cutting them. Cut each cake layer in half horizontally.
• To make the syrup: place drained cherries in a medium bowl, and add to the bowl ¼ cup Kirsch and ½ cup cherry juice from can. Leave to soak at room temperature for 30 minutes or more, then drain cherries in a sieve over a bowl, keeping both the cherries and syrup. Add more cherry juice to the syrup to get 3/4 cup syrup (you won't need the rest of the juice, discard it or save for another use). This will be the soaking syrup for the cake layers.
• To make the whipped cream: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Read more about making perfect whipped cream here.
• Assembly: Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate and brush with 1/3 of the cherry syrup. Cover top with a thick layer of whipped cream frosting (about 1 cup) and top with 1/3 of the cherries. Repeat twice more with remaining layers and top with the last cake layer (there's no need to soak the top layer with syrup). Frost the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream. If you want, reserve some of the whipped cream, about 1½ cups, for decorating the top. Use a pastry bag with a large flower tip, and pipe rounds around the top. Top with whole cherries. Cover the sides and top with chocolate shavings, if desired. Store cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days.

BLACK FOREST MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C. (If using, thaw the frozen cherries). Line a 12- hole muffin tin with paper cases.
• Using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until the mixture looks pale and creamy.
• Add eggs - one at a time - beating well after each addition.
• Fold through combined sifted flours, cocoa and baking powder.
• Fold through the cherries (retain 12 for decorating) and spoon the dough into the paper cases.
• Bake for 20-25min until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the tin and cool on a rack.
• Once completely cooled, poke a few small holes in the top of each muffin and drizzle with the Kirsch. The decorate the tops with whipped cream, a cherry and shavings of dark chocolate.

BLACK FOREST CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
• Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in milk. Add flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; beat until batter is smooth.
• Pour batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each liner about half-full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 25 minutes.
• Cut tops off the cooled cupcakes. Remove a small amount of the center of each cupcake. Fill the centers with a small dab of black cherry jam. Put the tops back on, covering the jam.
• Combine heavy cream, sucralose sweetener, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. Place in the refrigerator until chilled.
• Place whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a round or star tip. Frost each cupcake with a swirl of whipped cream. Top each one with a maraschino cherry and grated chocolate.

BLACK FOREST CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with oil and line the bottom of each with parchment paper.
• To prepare the cake, in a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. Add the buttermilk and 1 cup vegetable oil, and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract, then whisk to combine.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, then whisk to combine. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cakes to a rack to cool for about 20 minutes, then flip the cakes out onto the rack and let them cool completely. Flip the cakes again, so the domed portion is on top, and trim a bit of the dome off each cake to flatten the top. Carefully cut each layer in half horizontally, creating four layers.
• While the cake cools, prepare the cherry jam: In a small saucepan, combine the cherries and sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the cherries down with a wooden spoon or potato masher, until the fruit has released its juice, about 6 minutes.
• Pass the cherry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the syrup in a medium bowl and setting aside the cooked cherries. Measure out 1/2 cup/120 milliliters of the syrup. (If you have more, store the rest in the refrigerator for another use). Transfer 1 tablespoon syrup from the 1/2 cup to small bowl, then stir the Kirsch into remaining syrup; set aside to cool completely.
• Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch to the reserved 1 tablespoon cherry syrup in the small bowl; whisk to combine. Transfer it to the saucepan, add the cooked cherries and cook over medium, stirring, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool completely. (You should have about 1 1/4 cups/300 milliliters jam.)
• Prepare the whipped cream: In a small saucepan, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch and 1 cup heavy cream. Bring that mixture to a low boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thickened to the consistency of thin pudding, reducing heat as necessary to avoid scorching, about 2 minutes. Transfer cream mixture to a large bowl to cool completely.
• Assemble the cake: Whisk the cream mixture to loosen it, then add the remaining 3 cups heavy cream. Using an electric mixer on medium, beat the mixture until you have medium-stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Set one cake layer on a serving plate, cut-side up. Brush it with some of the cherry-Kirsch syrup, spread about 1 cup whipped cream over the top, then 1/3 of the cherry jam. Swirl the jam and the cream together a bit to spread it out evenly. Repeat this process two more times and top it with the last cake layer, cut-side down. Then cover the entire cake with a thin layer of whipped cream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• To finish, frost the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Prepare the chocolate curls: Warm the chocolate bar in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, then use a vegetable peeler to create curled chocolate shavings. Press the chocolate shavings onto the sides of the cake and over a 1-inch of the border on top. Top with the 8 cherries. Store leftovers, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.