White Forest Cake
As I was
flipping through the 2014 June/July issue of Fine Cooking magazine, I
found this intriguing cake and decided to try it. Although I love
Black Forest Cake, it seems more like a cold weather type of dessert
while this white chocolate version seems to me to be more suited to
warmer temperatures. If you are not familiar with kirsch, it is a
cherry brandy that is thought to have originated in the Black Forest
region of Switzerland. Aside from cakes, kirsch is also commonly
used in Swiss fondue and Cherries Jubilee.
This cake
requires a lot of chilling time so I would recommend that you plan
accordingly and possibly start the day before serving. I would not
say that this cake is difficult, but I certainly learned a lot as I
went along. To hear more about that, please read all the way to the
bottom section titled, “Mistakes I made/Things I would do
differently next time.”
Sponge Cake
Ingredients:
¾ cup + 2
tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon
baking powder
3 eggs, at
room temperature
3 egg
yolks, at room temperature
¾ cup
sugar
1 teaspoon
vanilla
1/8
teaspoon salt
¼ cup
whole milk
2
tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Filling and
Topping Ingredients:
3 cups
fresh or frozen sweet cherries + extra for garnish
5
tablespoons kirsch, divided
¼ cup + 2
tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon
fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon
salt
¼ cup cool
water
6 oz. white
chocolate, finely chopped + extra for garnish
¼ cup warm
water
2 cups
heavy cream, divided
Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees, line the bottom of a 9 by 3 inch round
springform pan with a circle of parchment paper, and set aside.
(Though I have not yet tried this myself, you could divide the batter
between 2 liberally buttered/oiled pie pans as an alternative if you
do not own a springform pan.) In a small bowl, whisk together the
flour and baking powder. With an electric mixer (hand-held or stand
mixer), beat the eggs, yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt on high for
approximately 5 minutes, until the mixture has tripled in volume. In
a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium heat until
very hot but not boiling. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the egg
mixture and fold in gently, then repeat with 2 more batches. Pour
the hot milk mixture over the batter and again fold in gently until
all of the milk has been incorporated. Scrape the batter into the
pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The cake is done when the top is
golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out
clean. Cool on a wire rack. If making ahead of time, the recipe
says this cake can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature
for 2 days; however, I personally would store it in the refrigerator.
If using
frozen cherries, put them in a strainer over a bowl for a few hours
until they have released most of their juice, which you should
reserve. Fresh or frozen, halve and pit the cherries, then toss them
with 3 tablespoons of the kirsch, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, lemon
juice, salt, and any reserved cherry juice. The sugar will take
about 5 minutes to dissolve as you stir occasionally. Heat a large,
heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes and then
reduce the temperature to medium. Cook the cherry mixture for about
2 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula to
prevent the syrup from burning. Scrape the cherries into a tempered
glass bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
Cut the
cake horizontally into 2 even layers and place both layers cut side
up, placing one half back in the sprinform pan. In a small saucepan,
stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of kirsch, ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ cup
cool water over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the sugar
dissolves. Brush half of the clear syrup over one layer of the cake
and then repeat with the other half of the syrup over the second
layer of cake. Repeat this process with the juice from the cherry
mixture. Arrange the cherries in a single layer on the cake layer in
the sprinform pan.
Bring 1
inch of water to a simmer in a large skillet and remove from the
heat. Wait 30 seconds, place the white chocolate and ¼ cup warm
water in a stainless steel bowl, then place the bowl into the water
in the skillet. Stir after 1 minute, remove the bowl from the
skillet, then let the chocolate cool for about 4 minutes. With an
electric mixer, whisk 1 cup of the cream until thickened but barely
able to hold a shape. (The cream will be fluffy but still pourable.)
Fold the cream gently into the chocolate quickly but carefully.
Pour the mousse immediately on top of the cherries and then place the
second cake layer on top, pressing gently to level the cake. Cover
and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to firm up the mousse.
Right
before serving, whip the remaining 1 cup of cream in a chilled bowl
to form firm peaks. Transfer the cake from the springform pan to
your serving plate. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the
cake, leaving a ½ inch border around the edge of the cake. Garnish
with reserved cherries and white chocolate pieces.*
* Mistakes
I made/Things I would do differently next time:
- I tried to save time by not cutting my cherries in half. This is an important step because halved cherries will absorb more kirsch flavor and spread out easier into a single layer.
- To make the tossing of the cherries easier next time, I would put them in a Mason jar or other sealable container and shake it several times to evenly distribute the kirsch, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
- My cake sunk a bit in the middle upon cooling, thus when I tried to cut it in half, a hole was torn in the middle of the top layer. Thankfully, this was easily concealed by filling in the hole with whipped cream right before serving. So, do not be discouraged if your top layer does not look perfect because it will be covered up anyway in the end.
- When making this cake, I was in a hurry and not fully paying attention. Thus, my white chocolate mousse was extremely runny and not thick enough when I poured it on top of the cherries (at which point, it was too late to do anything to fix it). The lesson here is, slow down and always read the next steps of the recipe a few times before acting.
- As a more elegant alternative to garnishing the cake with chopped pieces of white chocolate, you can follow the link below to find out how to make white chocolate shards.
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