black forest cake ala Red Ribbon

Filipinos love black forest cake and if there's a version that elicits moans and groans from anyone who takes a bite, that would be the one they sell at Red Ribbon Bakeshop.  This mouth-watering liquor-moistened chocolate cake, brimming with cherries, cream and generous strips of chocolate shavings is no doubt Red Ribbon's most popular and best-selling cake. 

I am one of those people who embrace and adore this cake, surrendering myself to its lusciousness while i pause and reflect, ponder and wonder about how different yet delightful it tastes.  Even by doing so it has never occurred to me, after all this time, to ask about the origin of its name.  Having said that I have a confession to make:  for the past 2 decades that i have been enjoying this cake, i actually believed that it is simply called black forest because of the chocolate shavings that resemble tree branches. haha.

A couple of weeks ago I researched on this cake to satisfy my curiosity and here's what i found out:  It is a dessert known as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte that originated from the Black Forest area in southwest Germany.  It is named after the specialty liquor of that region, known as Schwarzwälder Kirsch(wasser) and distilled from tart cherries. With its distinctive cherry pit flavor and alcoholic content, this ingredient gives the cake its unique flavour. 

The dessert has many versions, some without alcohol and others substituting kirsch with rum or other liquors.  Since i am only interested in Red Ribbon's version, i searched the internet and luckily stumbled upon a recipe from LtDan'sKitchen.com.  I followed his cherry filling and cream frosting recipes. Thank you so much Dan!

For the chocolate cake, i simply followed the recipe posted on the back label of Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder.  I couldn't find cherry liqueur or kirschwasser so i grabbed a bottle of Kahlua rum and coffee liqueur instead.

The result is a delicious cake just like i imagined it: sweet and chocolatey with that strong but not overpowering cherry taste and a surprising kick coming from the rum balanced by the bittersweet chocolate shavings (you can use semi-sweet if you like).   It was fun to assemble too and the cherries on top really made it look so pretty and tempting.

My only complaint is that the whipped cream frosting is not sweet enough for my taste but then it's just a matter of personal preference.  Next time i plan to add a little more confectioner's sugar to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Believe it or not i had it for breakfast today... perfect with my french-pressed coffee.  From now on i'll never look at a black forest cake the same way again.  :)

Cake: (Hershey's perfectly chocolate cake or use your favorite chocolate cake recipe)

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. 
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely preferably in the refrigerator so it will firm up a bit. 
 
I usually bake my cake layers a day or two before using them and while still hot, cover/seal them with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.  It takes only about 15 minutes to thaw them.

 

Cherry Filling: (recipe from LtDan'sKitchen.com)

• 1 bottle (24-30 oz) of maraschino cherries
• ½ cup syrup from the maraschino bottle
• ¼ cup rum, brandy or coffee liqueur + 4 tbsp extra for drizzling (i used Kahlua rum & coffee liquer)
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch 

1. Reserve about 16 cherries for garnishing and slice the rest into halves.
2. Simmer the sliced cherries and ½ cup cherry syrup from the bottle over low heat. Add the liqueur.
3. Dissolve the cornstarch in about 2 tbsp of water and add into the cherry filling. Let the syrup thicken. Make sure that the syrup coats the back of the spoon when lifted.
4. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

Whipped Cream frosting: (also from LtDan's Kitchen or you can use your favorite whipped cream frosting)

• 4 cups of chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1 packet unflavored gelatin (dissolved in ¼ cup hot water)
• ¼ cup of confectioner’s sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla

1. Chill the cream in the fridge for at least a day.
2. In a cold metal bowl (freeze metal bowl and beaters for about 10 minutes before using it), beat the cream at medium speed and slowly drizzle in gelatin. Increase the speed to medium high and gradually add in the sugar. Continue beating until the stiff peak stage. Add the vanilla and combine to mix.
3. Keep the frosting in the fridge unless you are ready to use it. It is best to make the whipped cream prior to frosting the cake.

Assembly:

(Note:  It is best to cool the cake in the refrigerator until it firms up before doing this or thaw for about 15 minutes if frozen)

1. In a large cake dish, lay one cake layer and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of liqueur. Spread a third of the cherry filling and top with about a fifth of the whipped cream frosting.
2. Lay the second layer of cake and do the same as above.
3. Drizzle the top layer with 1 tbsp of liqueur.
4. Cover the cake with a crumb coat and let it rest in the fridge for about an hour. Add the final frosting and pipe rosettes of the cream filling on top of the cake and garnish with chocolate curls (semisweet or bittersweet). Top rosettes with the reserved cherries. Let the cake rest in the fridge in a cake box for about 6 hours before serving.

Anakin Skywalker cake

My son who recently turned 4 is crazy about Star Wars. He is so into it he calls himself Anakin. He knows each and every character and everyday he works on his lightsaber skills. He can also play Lego Star Wars III: Clone Wars in Xbox recommended for anyone over age 10.  When i watch him play, it really amazes me how he figures it out and sometimes when he plays with kids much older than him, he complains that it takes so long for the other kids to complete the level.  His birthday wish is  the Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga game which we got him day after his jump party.

So for his 4th birthday party with friends at daycare, i made him an Anakin Skywalker/Star Wars cake. It's a simple 2-layer 9-inch round chocolate cake with chocolate filling and vanilla frosting which i colored sky blue. I baked the cakes the night before and let them cool overnight. The following day I finished stacking, crumb-coating and decorating about an hour before we left the house. 

Using a star tip, i made rosettes around the top of the cake and shells at the bottom.  I then decorated the side and the rosettes with colorful jumbo stars.   To sort of elevate the Anakin Skywalker figure, I used a cupcake placed upside down, frosted and sprinkled it with small stars.  I glued a straw to Anakin's right leg, inserted it to the cake to stabilize the figure and with my colorful decorating icing gel i wrote "Happy 4th Birthday Racrac!"  

My little Jedi loved his cake! When he woke up and saw me decorating he said "wow... i love it!" and during the party he wouldn't let any of his friends touch his cake! It's so easy and simple but enough to make my son beam with pride and joy. Tasted yummy too! :) 

By the way, i forgot to put one more accessory which is the Star Wars logo.  It should be right under Anakin in front of the cupcake. The logo is actually the figure stand that comes with the toy. I only realized i forgot it after we got home and i started cleaning up the kitchen.  I found it buried under the spatulas and piping bags! Oh well... ;) 

Happy decorating!

2012 cake project #2: camouflage cake

Yesterday we had a birthday party for Noel, one of our close family friends here in California and also a member of the abtikdabarkads group. He is also my husband's firing buddy so i first thought of making him a rifle target cake but after doing some research realized that it would only look good with fondant.

So i decided to make him a camouflage cake instead and piped the frostings one by one (!) using a small star tip. I wasn't successful in getting the camo pattern and colors right 'coz i got lazy and only had primary colors available but i hope you get the idea hehe.. And surprise, surprise! it's a camouflage cake inside and out! :)

For the cake, i used a white cake recipe, divided the batter into three and colored them with green, dark brown and tan (achieved by adding only a little brown to the white batter). Then i randomly filled three 9-inch round cake pans with spoonfuls of the colorful batter. Here's how they looked before and after i baked them:

After the cakes have completely cooled, i stacked three layers and filled with store-bought rich and creamy chocolate frosting. I applied a thin crumb coat, let it rest in the fridge for about an hour, then took it out again to pipe the camouflage design. I used vanilla frosting colored with green and light brown and the remaining chocolate frosting. Like i said i got lazy and was running out of time so i randomly piped around the cake.

Here's the finished product... Happy 39th Noel! :)

2012 cake project #1: Chocolate Mocha Cake

my first cake project of the year! it's a 3-layer chocolate cake with mocha buttercream filling and frosting topped with dark chocolate-covered coffee beans and wrapped with chocolate lattice. For my friend Shelle who recently rediscovered her love for coffee.

thanks to some useful internet sites out there, i was able to come up with a really pretty cake. except for the chocolate-covered coffee beans, everything else are made from scratch. the chocolate cake recipe is the 'better than sex chocolate cupcakes" which i got from 52 kitchen adventures. While the recipe is for cupcakes which i've tried last year for my halloween treats and loved it, I had no problem using it for the cakes. I just doubled the recipe and filled four (instead of 2) 8-inch round pans. That way, i don't have to use a cake leveler to cut the cakes in half. The best thing about this recipe? the cakes come out flat so no need to use a serrated knife to flatten the top.  I only used 3 layers so the extra cake i kept in the freezer for my husband to enjoy later. 

The mocha buttercream is from sweetpaprika.com. I checked a number of recipes online but some of them used cocoa powder which i think is too much given the fact that i already have a chocolate layer cake. Sweet paprika did not use cocoa powder and the frosting amazingly tasted light and fluffy...just the way i imagined it! Since i am making a 3-layer cake and will be using mocha buttercream both as filling and frosting, i doubled the recipe.

For my favorite part: chocolate lattice. Our friends asked me how i managed to make a lattice around the cake without breaking it? Thanks to Irvin Lin over at eatthelove.com. I stumbled upon his blog while looking for a triple chocolate recipe when i saw that beautiful chocolate lattice and thought i had to make it! It's perfect for covering imperfections on the side of the cake and it's so pretty that people will think you actually slaved for it! Don't get intimidated, i guarantee it's one of the easiest way of decorating a cake.

For the final touch i piped some swirls on top of the cake and at the bottom using a 1M tip and topped each swirl with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans i got from Trader Joe's.   And since it's for a birthday, i wrapped a ribbon around the cake for some added drama :)

Happy 40th Birthday Shelle!!!

Marble Cake

Husband's recurring request: marble cake.  He is not a fan of layered cakes with lots of icings or frostings so a marble cake is, by far, the closest to a fancy cake that he'd crave for.  This is my 3rd attempt and while I admit it's still not perfect, it is hands down wayyyy better than the first two cakes i made in terms of taste, texture and appearance. 
















Not perfect because i'm still not satisfied with how i swirled the vanilla and chocolate together to create the marbled effect.  I want (no, demand!) equal amounts of both on every slice, not just a streak of chocolate.  But it tasted really good, thanks to Martha Stewart's website for the recipe.  I don't have dutch-processed cocoa powder (it's so hard to find one) so i used regular unsweetened cocoa powder instead.

MARBLE CAKE

(Martha Stewart's recipe)

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Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature (if you don't have buttermilk you can easily make one: just mix 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  stir and let sit for 5 minutes then use in any recipe requiring buttermilk.  You can also use white vinegar instead of lemon juice but i haven't tried it yet.)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; set aside. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Set aside 1/3 of the batter.
3. In a bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter; stir until well combined.
4. Spoon batters into the prepared pan in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.
5. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack. Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Share and enjoy!

Brazo de Mercedes

Brazo de Mercedes is a rolled meringue filled with lemon flavored custard and is no doubt one of my all-time favorite cakes.  Just the thought of that rich custard filling and the melts-in-your-mouth soft meringue makes me salivate.  Luckily i don't have to travel a thousand miles to the Philippines to grab one from Goldilocks bakeshop because here in Fremont, we have 2 branches less than 7 miles from our house.

But for the past few days I've been thinking about making my own brazo de mercedes.  I searched online and stumbled upon a recipe from panlasangpinoy.com that guarantees how easy it is to make.  It only requires 6 ingredients which I already have in my pantry and with the step-by-step cooking video, i decided to give it a try.  Here's my not-so-perfect end product:

Taste is perfect; appearance is a big FAIL 'coz my meringue did not rise. 

Obviously, i need to practice more.  For that, i am calling this "brazo de carmela" hehehe  But the taste? YuMmY...!

Give it a try, you might do better than me.

race track cake

To celebrate my son's 2nd birthday i made my first ever fancy cake: a race track cake.  It's a chocolate sheet cake recipe copied from the back of hershey's unsweetened cocoa box frosted with 7-minute white frosting which i colored green. I would have wanted a darker shade of green to mimic grass but instead came up with a lighter one which is still ok.  For the race track i outlined number '2' and flooded it with chocolate fudge frosting topped with crushed oreo chocolate chip cookies to resemble dirt. Then i used white jimmies candy sprinkles (i chose the long ones) to create the track. Sooo easy!

I topped the cake with new cars toys and surrounded the side with oreo cookies to cover the imperfection... they look like tires too, don't you think?  Then i added a California plate with his name on it (the letters i had to stick one by one which explains why they are not perfectly aligned). It was a party just for the three of us and he had fun licking on the oreo cookies, the chocolate frosting and "driving" his cars on the track. He loved it! Talk about eating your cake and playing with it too!

Now, our 2-year old is licensed to drive us crazy! ^_^

Happy Birthday baby!!!