MKR recipe episode 12: Black Forest Cake

Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins + cooling + refrigeration

Cook time: 45mins

Serves 12

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Ingredients

200g dark chocolate, grated

Fresh cherries, to decorate

Cake

200g caster sugar

200g butter

100g dark chocolate, chopped

4 eggs

150g hazelnut meal

55g self-raising flour

50g cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Cherry filling

680g jar pitted Morello cherries in juice

80ml kirsch cherry liqueur

600ml thickened cream

80g icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.

2. To make cake, stir sugar, butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Whisk in eggs.

3. Stir in combined hazelnut meal, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

4. Pour into prepared pan.

5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool cake completely.

6. To prepare cherry filling, drain cherries, reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice. Combine reserved juice with liqueur.

7. Using an electric mixer, whip cream and icing sugar until firm peaks form.

8. Split cooled cake into three layers. Prick cake layers all over with a fork and brush with liqueur mixture.

9. Spread half the cream over two of the cakes and top with drained cherries. Stack cakes together. Spread remaining cream over top and side of cake. Decorate with grated chocolate and fresh cherries. Refrigerate for 2 hours to allow layers to meld.

Black Forest Cake. Credit: 7NEWS