chocolate cherry

Impress your guests with this chocolate cherry layered cream cake - a revamped version of a retro classic.

Black Forest gateau

salted butter,

bar dark chocolate

plain flour

golden caster sugar

cocoa

tsp bicarbonate of soda

eggs

buttermilk or natural yoghurt

morello cherry jam

tbsp kirsch (or more juice from a can if you want it to be non-alcoholic)

500 milliliters tub double cream

tbsp icing sugar

cherries

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of 3 x 20cm cake tins. Boil the kettle. Put the butter and 75g chocolate broken into chunks in a small pan and gently heat, stirring, until completely melted.

Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk or yogurt together. Scrape the melted chocolate mixture and egg mixture into the dry ingredients, add 100ml boiling water and whizz briefly with an electric whisk until the cake batter is lump free.

Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25 mins, swapping the tins round after 20 mins if they’re on different shelves. To test they're done, push in a skewer and check that it comes out clean.

Prick the cakes a few times with a skewer. Mix together the 2 tbsp reserved cherry juice and the kirsch (or more juice) and drizzle over the cakes. Cool the cakes.

Mix together the remaining drained cherries and jam. Tip 200ml of the cream into a small pan and heat until just below simmering point. Chop the remaining chocolate and put in a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot cream and stir until melted. Set aside until spreadable.

When the cakes are cool whisk the remaining cream and the icing sugar together until softly whipped. Spread over two of the cakes, then spoon over the jammy cherries. Stack the cakes together. Spread the chocolate cream over the third cake and sit on top of the other cakes. Pile the fresh cherries in and around the cake and serve

A delightfully festive yule log, packed with delicious chocolate, cherry and kirsch flavours!

Black Forest Yule Log

+ 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour

g (3 tbsp) cocoa powder

eggs,

150 g (¾ cup) caster sugar

0.5 tsp baking powder

0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

salt

65 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

vanilla

tbsp kirsch

150 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) dark chocolate

tbsp morello cherry conserve

220 ml (¾ cup + 3 tbsp) double (heavy) cream, cold

icing sugar

kirsch

275 g (2 cup + 2 tbsp) dark chocolate, broken into chunks

265 ml (1 cup + 2 tbsp) double (heavy) cream

white chocolate

holly leaves

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Lightly brush a 13”x9” swiss roll tin with melted butter, line the base of the tin with parchment paper, then brush lightly again to stick the paper down evenly. Set aside.

Into a small bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa.

Place the eggs, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk at a medium-low speed for 3 minutes to combine and dissolve the sugar. The mixture will have fine bubbles throughout.

Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until thickened and pale with fine, foamy bubbles, around 5 minutes of beating time.

Increase the speed again to high and whisk the eggs mixture until pale and doubled in size, another 5 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium low and drizzle in the melted butter and vanilla, mixing together. Immediately reduce the speed to low and add in the sifted flour and cocoa powder, mixing until nearly combined. Turn the mixer off, detach the whisk attachment and use it to finish folding the flour in by hand, to avoid losing too much air from the mixture.

Carefully pour the mixture evenly over the pan, then gently tip the pan to spread the cake mixture out across the pan. Use an offset spatula to help, if required.

Gently drop the pan twice on your worktop to help level the mixture. Bake until puffed and firm to the touch, but still soft enough to hold a shallow impression when gently poked, about 12 minutes.

Immediately after removing the baked cake from the oven, place on a cooling rack and cover tightly with some foil, crimping around the sides to seal. This keeps the cake moist whilst cooling, so it will roll more smoothly and not crack. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 30-60 minutes.

For the cake

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate. You can do this either using a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts. Stir until smooth and shiny with no lumps of unmelted chocolate.

Spread the chocolate out over the prepared parchment paper to a few millimetres thickness. Using an offset spatula or spoon, create texture and ruffles in the chocolate, to resemble the bark of a tree.

Place in the fridge for the chocolate to firm up and set.

For the chocolate bark

Place the cream and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until you reach the soft peak stage.

Tip in the kirsch and mix in, adding more according to your taste.

For the filling

Once the cake is cool, remove from the tin and place on a clean worktop, parchment side down. I like to place a clean tea towel under the parchment to stop it sliding around whilst I’m filling and rolling it. Brush the cake generously all over with the kirsch.

Gently spread the cherry conserve over the cake, leaving a border of around 1cm all round the edges of the cake.

Spread the whipped kirsch cream over the conserve, again leaving the border around the edge of the cake as before.

Starting from a shorter end of the cake, roll it up fairly tightly, removing the parchment paper from the bottom as you go. I keep the last bit of parchment on, and use it to wrap the whole cake up once rolled so I can make sure it’s a firm roll. Place the cake roll in the fridge whilst making the ganache.

To assemble the cake

Place the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until steaming and the edges are starting to bubble. Pour the hot cream into the bowl with the chocolate, pushing to immerse the chocolate into the hot cream. Leave to stand for a few minutes, then stir to combine. If the chocolate has not completely melted, pop it into the microwave for a few seconds to heat some more and stir until melted together and velvety smooth. Pop in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

Once the ganache has cooled sufficiently (it should still be soft but not firm), beat using an electric whisk until light and slightly paler.

For the whipped ganache

Remove the cake from the fridge and unroll from the parchment. It should have firmed and be easier to handle. Place on your serving plate.

Cover the top of the cake generously with the soft whipped chocolate ganache. You may not need it all.

Remove the baking tray with the chilled chocolate from the fridge. Break the chocolate into small shards. I use a knife to break it to avoid melting it with the warmth of my hands. Gently press pieces of chocolate all over the ganache, textured side up, to create the “bark” of the log.

Grate some white chocolate over the yule log, then decorate the top with some holly leaves and a few cherries. Enjoy!

Finishing up

These chocolate cherry macarons have a tender, chocolate French macaron shell and are filled with cherry frosting and homemade cherry compote.

Chocolate Cherry Macarons

cherries (fresh

sugar

cornstarch

egg whites (room temperature)

cream of tartar

granulated sugar

almond flour (sifted)

powdered sugar (sifted)

unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)

dark chocolate (melted)

unsalted butter (room temperature)

powdered sugar

cherry compote (cooled)

I recommend making the compote the night before you want to make the macarons so that it has time to fully cool.

Add all of the cherry compote ingredients to a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow the cherries to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened. Transfer the compote to a glass jar and allow to cool to room temperature.

Cherry Compote

Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder into a large bowl and set aside. 

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until they become foamy, then add in the cream of tartar.

Turn the mixer up to medium-high and gradually add in the granulated sugar (make sure to add the sugar in very slowly so that the meringue doesn’t deflate).

Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to the highest setting and whisk until stiff peaks form.

Using a spatula, gently fold in half of the dry ingredient mixture until fully combined. Then gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients. Continue to gently fold the batter until it reaches a “flowing lava” consistency. You should be able to make a “figure 8” with the batter before it breaks. As soon as you reach this consistency, stop mixing! If you over-mix the batter, the macarons won’t rise properly in the oven.

Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Scoop batter into a large piping bag fitted with a round tip. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the silicone mat and pipe 1 inch rounds.

Pick up the baking sheet and drop it onto the counter 3-4 times to help bring any air bubbles to the surface of the macarons. Then use a toothpick to pop any visible air bubbles to make a smooth surface.

Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or until a skin forms on the surface. You should be able to lightly touch the surface without any batter being disturbed.

While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 300°F.

Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 13-15 minutes or when they do not move on their “feet” when touched.

Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. They should easily peel off when fully cooled.

Match up your shells before filling, and then turn one side over. Drizzle the other side with melted chocolate and let dry before filling.

Macarons

In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth.

Add in about 1 tablespoon of the cherry compote, then beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes or until the buttercream is super light and fluffy.

Once the macarons are cooled, pipe the frosting around the edge of the macaron shell. Then add a small scoop of cherry compote in the center (about ½ teaspoon). Then top with the other shell.

Put the assembled chocolate cherry macarons in an airtight container, then place them in the fridge to mature for 12-24 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, for the best taste/texture, let them come up to room temperature for about an hour before eating! [Directly out of the fridge they can sometimes be super hard but at room temperature they&#39;re perfectly soft and tender!]

Cherry Frosting

This Black Forest ice cream cake has a rich, fudgy brownie layer topped with kirsch infused cherry sauce, then a layer of vanilla ice cream. Then finished with dark chocolate ganache and fresh cherries!

Black Forest Ice Cream Cake

water

Kirsch

unsalted butter (melted)

brown sugar

eggs (room temperature)

vanilla extract

cocoa powder

all purpose flour

espresso powder (optional)

chocolate

heavy cream

vanilla ice cream

chocolate shavings

Add the cherries and sugar to a large pot.

Heat over medium heat until the cherries begin to break down and get syrupy.

Dissolve the cornstarch in water, then add to the cherries and stir until the filling thickens. Then stir in the Kirsch.

Remove from the heat and let cool completely to room temperature.

Cherry Sauce

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 6 inch round cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom and sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.

Add in the eggs one at a time and whisk each one until fully incorporated and the batter starts to get lighter in color.

Then add in the Kirsch and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

Fold in the cocoa powder, espresso powder, flour, and salt and mix until the batter is just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake at 350°F for 25-35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out mostly clean.

Remove from the oven and let fully cool in the pan.

Brownie Layer

Once the cake layers are fully frozen, make the ganache.

To make the ganache, add the chopped dark chocolate to a large bowl.

Then place the cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot to the touch but not boiling.

Pour over the chopped chocolate and let sit for about two minutes. Using a spatula, gently mix until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is fully combined and smooth.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes until the ganache is cool to the touch but still pourable.

Chocolate Ganache

For the ice cream layer, line a 6 inch round cake pan with plastic wrap. Add about 3 cups slightly softened vanilla ice cream to the pan and press into an even layer. Cover and let ice cream layer freeze for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better).

After both the brownie layer and cherry compote are cool, spread the cherry filling in an even layer over top of the brownie. Then freeze for 2 hours until set.

To assemble the cake, place the brownie and cherry layer on a serving plate, then top with a frozen ice cream layer.

Remove the cake from the freezer and pour the cooled ganache over the top. Use on offset spatula to gently push some of the edges to create the drip effect.

Place the cake back in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Then top with fresh cherries and chocolate shavings.

Assembly

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Black Forest gateau

Black Forest Yule Log

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Top 4 chocolate cherry recipes from across the web

The most viewed chocolate cherry recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Black Forest gateau

Black Forest Yule Log

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The most viewed chocolate cherry recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine