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The most delicious Black Forest Cake is Greek!
Black Forest Cake…after you make this recipe, though, you're going to change the name to “Heaven in your Mouth Cake”! It has so many different and intense flavors blended together that makes it the perfect dessert for any occasion and any time or day.
This is Eleftheria Karakatsina speaking, Zēlos' Marketing Director, and a rescue dog mom that moved from Greece to Boston almost two years ago. Anyone who has lived or has visited Greece knows well how beautiful, magical, and unique this country is and how much it can be missed when someone is no longer there. What I love the most about Greece is its hidden corners, villages, forests, mountains, and islands that are not touristy or crowded, and you can enjoy its mesmerizing nature and also meet the locals who are always ready to welcome you in their houses and treat you like their child. This is how Mrs. Soula treated me when I visited her pastry shop/home in Meteora. She even let me help her make the best Black Forest Cake I had ever tasted.
Today, a few years later, I still make this recipe, having twisted it a little bit in a healthier way. And I couldn’t find a better opportunity to make that delicious cake than my husband’s birthday, which was on February 1st. Maria also made this recipe for her birthday, February 4th, and everyone that tasted it was left speechless! Kudos Maria! (Funny story: my birthday is on February 6th, so I think we should make this a Black Forest Week!).
Due to a big snowstorm we just had in Boston, I couldn’t get my favorite sour cherry spoon sweet (vyssino) that I always use in this recipe (and in many many more) to top my Black Forest Cake, so I had to use store-bought sour cherries....trust me the difference is huuuuge so try to make this with real vyssino!
Make that Black Forest Cake and get ready to lose your mind!
Ingredients for the Greek Black Forest cake
1 cup all purpose flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup Tragano Greek Organics extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs (room temp.)
1 cup Greek yogurt (room temp.)
1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
1/2 cup warm coffee
3 tsp vanilla extract
Ingredients for the syrup, frosting & topping
1/4 cup cognac or brandy
2 large jars (380gr each) Citrus Handmade Sour Cherry Spoon Sweet (Vyssino)
3 cups cold heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Dark chocolate peels
The Cake
Preheat your oven to 320˚F.
Grease 3 cake pans (9’’ each) and line the bottoms with parchment.
In a bowl, put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa. Whisk them and leave aside.
In another bowl, put the oil, sugar, eggs, yogurt, buttermilk and vanilla (all at room temperature). Mix the ingredients for 2-3 minutes until they are well-blended.
Add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients. Add the warm coffee and mix the batter for a few seconds until you no longer see the flour.
Divide the batter evenly between your three pans and bake in the preheated oven around 22’- 25΄, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and carefully remove the parchment to allow them to cool completely.
The Syrup
Drain the sour cherries in a colander, transferring the syrup to a small pan. Stir in the cognac and warm on low heat for a few minutes. Put aside.
Slice in half ⅔ of the cherries and keep the other ⅓ whole. Put them aside.
The Frosting
Put the cold heavy cream in a cold mixer.
Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar and mix on medium speed for about 3 to 4 minutes until the cream turns into a fluffy whipped cream.
Putting it all together
Place first cake layer on a cake stand and brush the surface with 1/3 of the syrup.
Then spread 5-6 tbsp of the cream and top with 1/2 of the chopped cherries and some dark chocolate shavings.
Place the second sponge cake on top and then repeat the process - brush the surface with 1/3 of the syrup, spread 5-6tbsp of the cream and top with 1/2 of the chopped cherries and some of the chocolate shavings.
Place the third sponge cake on the top and brush with the rest of the syrup. Cover the entire cake with the rest of the cream and place your whole cherries on top. Sprinkle the rest of the dark chocolate shavings all over the cake.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Καλή απόλαυση (=Enjoy!)
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Zelos Authentic Greek Artisan
November 29, 2022
A whole, fully-decorated Black Forest Cake does not freeze well, but feel free to bake the individual sponge cake layers in advance. Allow them to cool on a wire rack, then wrap them in a two-ply layer of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Hope this helps 😊