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.

watermelon baby stroller

Last Saturday we had a surprise baby shower for soon-to-be mommy Mae or whom we fondly call "muffin." Too lazy to bake sugar cookies or cake, I decided to try my hand on making a watermelon baby stroller.  Luckily i found a perfectly-sized watermelon at Safeway: large and oval-shaped.

I drew the cutting lines for the watermelon with a permanent marker the night before the party but carved it an hour before we left the house to maintain its freshness.  I used orange, lemon and grape for the wheels and stuck them to the watermelon using a wooden skewer (toothpick is not enough to hold them together) and i created the handle using the extra piece of watermelon.  I hollowed out the watermelon with a big spoon, sliced them and threw them back on the "stroller" and added red and green grapes and strawberries.  For the baby i grabbed a lemon, drew the outline of the baby's sleeping face and framed it with a chinese cabbage.

And here's the result:

Isn't that pretty?  I just fell in love with that baby sleeping in the stroller.  Marianne and i had fun practice drawing the baby's face on a tissue paper... we were laughing 'coz the first one i drew was smiling too much :)  It was a hit at the party and i was happy too that the fruits i got from the store were sweet and yummy.

If i am to do it again, there are two things i would change to improve it: the handle which should be slanted at the end to make it look more attached to the stroller and the wheels which should have been more upright. 

The shower party was fun especially with all the food everyone contributed and the gifts for baby, the girls doing a great job in decorating, setting up the dessert table and facilitating the games and all the boys who participated in it.  Wish we could do baby showers more often. :)

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!