So I’m really obsessed with this book.







Beautifully written- it’s strangely modern and hauntingly poetic at the same time.




The characters are so real, you’ll definitely identify with more than one.




There are forests and dragons and swords and direwolves. Seriously, how can you not love it already?




I’ve always found the name “Black forest” cake very intriguing. When I looked for the origin (secretly hoping for a tale of a dark forest shrouded in mystery and magic), I was a little disappointed to find out it was named after a very normal and non-magical German region.




What does not disappoint however, is this cake.







Indulgent, moist, and creamy- it has magical qualities 🙂







Too bad I can’t have a direwolf. At least I have cake. And that will suffice for now 🙂







Black forest cake
Adapted from: Step-by-step Baking




Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 40 mins
Serves: 10




Ingredients:




85 g butter, melted and cooled, plus a bit extra for greasing
6 eggs
170 g caster sugar
120 g flour, sifted
50 g cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract




For the filling/topping




1X 400g tin of red cherries, including the juice
4 tbsp brandy (use Kirsch if you have it)
600 ml cream
200 g dark chocolate, grated




Method:




For the cake







1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Line a 9-inch round baking tin with parchment paper and grease the base and sides with butter.
2. Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and make it sit on a saucepan filled with water. The base of the bowl should not touch the water. Put the saucepan (with the bowl over it) over a medium flame and as it starts to get warm, begin whisking the egg-sugar mixture until it is pale and thick. Remove from the heat and whisk for another 5 minutes, till it becomes a bit cool.







3. Add the flour and cocoa, spoon by spoon into the egg mixture, folding it in very gently using a spatula. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, fold in the butter and vanilla extract as well.







Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake starts coming away from the sides. Remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4. Once cool, slice the cake horizontally into 2 even layers and place them on separate plates.




For the filling/topping




1. Mix the brandy in the reserved cherry juice. Slowly drizzle this over the 2 separate layers of cake. Do this a little at time: so the liquid is soaked up by the cake before you add more.
2. Pit the cherries and cut them in halves.







Whip the cream to soft peaks. Now it’s time to assemble the cake. Put the first layer down gently on the serving platter and cover the top with cream (all of it save a little) and the cherries (save some of the best cherries for the top of the cake). Top with the second layer of cake.
3. With a knife spread a little bit of cream around the sides and top of the cake and press the grated chocolate all over.







Dot the top of the cake with cherries. Serve!