Black Forest Chiffon Cake *

Black Forest Chiffon

Hello!

Look at my pretty cake – isn’t it beautiful?

This was the cake I baked for Christmas lunch: a black forest chiffon cake (black forest in the loosest sense of the word). The cake itself was a chocolate chiffon (but of course), cut into two layers, and then filled with whipped cream and jarred cherries. The outside was coated with more whipped cream.


Black Forest Chiffon

Dare I say it – it was delicious. (Well, it was!)

For decoration, because it was a special occasion and all, I topped the cake with frosted cherries and strawberries. The fruit was simple to do but very effective, and instructions are in the recipe below.

Black Forest Chiffon

There’s not much more to say about this cake and chiffons that I haven’t said before, so can we just look at my pretty pictures?

Black Forest Chiffon

Look, so pretty!

Now go forth and bake a chiffon. Go go.

Black Forest Chiffon Cake *

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: Serves 12

Black Forest Chiffon Cake *

Ingredients

    For the cake
  • 7 eggs, separated (note: if you have large eggs, only use 6)
  • 220g flour
  • 350g caster sugar
  • 80g cocoa powder
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 700g jarred morello cherries, drained
  • For the whipped cream filling and sides
  • 600ml thickened cream
  • 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatine
  • 2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar

Instructions

    For the cake
  1. Preheat oven to 160°C and set aside a large 20cm tube cake tin that has a removable base.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
  3. Whisk together the egg yolks and oil.
  4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk until well combined.
  5. In a separate, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer to stiff peaks.
  6. Using a large metal spoon, fold in a spoonful of the egg whites to the cake mixture to lighten it.
  7. Add the rest of the egg whites to the cake mixture and fold in with your metal spoon until just combined.
  8. Pour the batter into your cake tin and bang it on your work surface a couple of times to bring any large air bubbles to the surface. (Note: if there is a lot of batter, don't add it all to the tin. You only want to fill it to 3/4 full. If you have extra, put them into cupcake liners and make small cakes. Small cupcake sized ones need to be baked for 15 minutes only.)
  9. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  10. Remove from the oven and immediately invert the entire tin and cake upside down until it's cool - you can do this by resting the middle of the tube over a bottle, or (if your cake isn't too tall) by placing it over a high wire rack that will let air circulate underneath.
  11. To release the cake, run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and the tin. You will want to serve the cake upside down as it's prettier that way.
  12. When completely cool, cut cake horizontally into two layers with a serrated knife. Place bottom layer on a serving plate and spread with a thin layer of cream (see instructions for the cream below). Place the well drained cherries on the cream and place the second cake layer on top.
  13. Spread a thin layer of cream over the top and the sides of the cake to just cover. Place it in the fridge for 15 minutes to set.
  14. Once the time has passed, spread the rest of the cream over the top and the sides of the cake to cover.
  15. Store in the fridge.
  16. Decorate with frosted fruit, if desired (instructions below).
  17. For the whipped cream
  18. Sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup of the cream and allow to soften 5 minutes. Stir.
  19. Dissolve gelatin by microwaving for 30 seconds. Stir well and remove from microwave and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes; gelatine must be liquid but not hot when added to cream.
  20. Remove bowl and beaters from refrigerator and pour in cream, sugar, and black sesame powder. Beat together for a few minutes and then add the gelatine mixture.
  21. Beat until stiff peaks form and spread over the cake.
  22. For frosted fruit
  23. Wash the fruit well and ensure that it's thoroughly dried with paper towels. (If the fruit is wet, the sugar will dissolve.)
  24. Lightly whisk an egg white in a bowl with a fork, and use a small pastry brush to lightly brush the fruit with egg white.
  25. Place caster sugar on a plate and roll the fruit in sugar. Set aside to dry.
  26. Use the frosted fruit to decorate the cake, but only place on top just before serving. Don't store the fruit in the fridge otherwise the sugar will melt.
https://www.offthespork.com/2015/01/black-forest-chiffon-cake/