Early Blackforest Cake

This was done quite a while back when I was just beginning to get the hang of baking. This post is dedicated to a friend who tried it and have been wanting to make one on her own. Hopefully this will guide you ;). And bear in mind that I didn't know anything about baking to start off with, from turning the oven on and using it to making sure the cream sticks to the cake!

Ingredients

Note: This is for two 9" round cake tins. If you're baking one layer per night, I suggest halving the ingredients

• 265 g all-purpose flour
• 400 g white sugar
• 65 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 7 g baking powder
• 3 g baking soda
• 5 g salt
• 3 eggs
• 235 ml milk
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 15 ml vanilla extract
  

Whipped Cream

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 3 Tbsp. cherry brandy or water (1 tbsp brandy, 2 tbsp water)
• 3 cups (690g/750ml) heavy cream / whip cream
• 1-1/2 (345g/375ml) cups powdered sugar (I use 200g instead)
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Garnishes

• 1 can (17 ounces) pitted cherries, drained, juice reserved (I got a can ready made)
• Tbsp. cherry brandy (optional)
• Grated semisweet chocolate
• Maraschino Cherries / normal cherries for decoration

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch, round, cake pans; cover bottoms with waxed paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen edges, and remove to racks to cool completely.

Making the whip cream

1. To prepare whipped cream, in a saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over brandy (or water if used). Let stand until softened, 5 minutes. Stir 1/3 cup of cream into gelatin mixture. Heat over low heat until gelatin is dissolved.
   
2. Transfer to a large bowl. Pour in the remaining cream. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
3. Beat cream mixture at medium speed until soft peaks form. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla.
   

Making the filling

1. To prepare filling, in a small saucepan, boil reserved juice until reduced by half. Add1 tbsp brandy. (I just place the brandy in the can of ready made cherries I bought)
2. Spread with 1/4 of the whipped cream. Sprinkle the middle layer with as much cherry filling as you can; press in gently. You can add any leftovers to the top layer or you can have a breaktime dessert...
   
3. Frost top and sides of cake with some whipped cream. Normally this is done in 2 stages; one is the crumb layer, where you coat a light layer of whip cream around the cake to 'prep' it fo the proper layer. This is done so that you don't have the hassle of coating the next layer as the crumbs are stuck to the cake. Refrigerate for 5-10mins or so.
4. Coat the second layer all around the cake. Spoon remaining whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Press grated chocolate onto sides of cake. Pipe rosettes over cake. Top each rosette with a cherry. Store in fridge.