Description
This Naked Black Forest Cake with Cherries is rich, soft, and just a little rustic in the best way. It’s one of those cakes that looks effortless but tastes like you fussed all afternoon.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the cake
- 140 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 100 ml vegetable oil
- 140 ml buttermilk
- 100 ml coffee made with 1 tsp espresso powder, warm, not hot
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 250 g light muscovado sugar
- 250 g plain flour
- 5 ml bicarbonate of soda
- 10 ml baking powder
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1.25 ml salt
To decorate
- Fresh cream, whipped to soft peaks
- Cherries, fresh or drained if using jarred
- Chocolate, shaved or grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Grease and line two 20 cm sandwich tins with parchment. Don’t skip the lining; this cake is quite soft and can stick.
- In a small pan, melt the 140 g unsalted butter gently. Take it off the heat and let it cool slightly so it doesn’t scramble the eggs later.
- Whisk the 100 ml vegetable oil, 140 ml buttermilk, 100 ml coffee, 2 large eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla extract into the melted butter until smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 250 g light muscovado sugar, 250 g plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 50 g cocoa powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Break up any sugar lumps with your fingers; they like to play hide and seek.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and glossy.
- The batter will be quite thin; that’s exactly what you want.
- Divide the batter evenly between your tins. Give them a gentle tap on the counter to release any big air bubbles.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cakes cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack to cool completely.
- If they’re even slightly warm, the cream will slide right off later.
- Once fully cooled, whip your fresh cream to soft peaks.
- Spread a generous layer over one cake, add cherries, then place the second cake on top.
- Finish with more cream, cherries, and a scattering of chocolate shavings.
Notes
Created, prepared, tried, and tested by Preshana
