We all love chocolate cake, and I’ve made many for special family events, birthdays, Valentines or charity fundraising. So it’s a great opportunity to bake a special one for a retirement ‘do’ at our local primary school. The person who was retiring was a fervent fan of a football team with black and white colours, so I styled the decoration on the classic black forest gateau.
I got the inspiration at an art exhibition café, where I’d been treated to a slab of this famous cake. Ubiquitous in the 1970s, this chocolate and cherries combo seems to be making a comeback, especially when luscious cherries are in season.
There are so many variations for black forest gateau but I used Grandma Abson’s easy chocolate cake as a basis to make a traybake version. Her ‘secret’ ingredient is to add warmed black treacle to the mixture.
What you need
200g dark brown sugar 200g butter 200g self-raising flour 3 tbsps cocoa powder 3 large eggs 2 tbsps black treacle (slightly warmed) 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ cup milk
How to bake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan, 350°F, Gas Mark 4). Grease and line a tin (approx. 20 x 30 cms/8 x 12 ins).
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Mix the cocoa and flour together.
- Beat the eggs.
- Add alternately to the mixture with the flour and mix gently.
- Add the black treacle and vanilla.
- Add enough milk to give a soft consistency.
Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before making the topping.
Topping
Either:
1 jar black cherries in Kirsch Double cream (small tub) Dark chocolate grated or shaved
Drain the cherries and place the syrup in a small pan. Bring to the boil then simmer to reduce the syrup by approximately a half. With a skewer, poke holes in the top of the traybake and drizzle the syrup over the top of the cake. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Whip the double cream using a whisk until it becomes slightly stiff. Turn the cake out of the tin and pipe or spread the cream on top. Cut the cake into 16 pieces or so, depending on how large a slice you wish. Top with a cherry. Finally sprinkle the grated or shaved chocolate on top.
Or (without the Kirsh and using fresh cherries in season)
Fresh cherries Butter Icing sugar Milk or double cream (small tub)
Make the butter cream by mixing the icing sugar and butter together and adding a little milk to give a soft texture. Pipe or spread the top of the cake with butter cream or fresh cream and decorate with grated or shaved chocolate as you wish.
I went for the second version for the topping. Serve with more cream and a glass of fizz and it’s a proper celebration. It’s a piece of cake, really!
