Sour Cream Black Forest Cake

I would love to have a nice and tidy scheduled life but it’s just never been that way.

Today is a classic example where for a few weeks I’ve known that tonight Carl was going to be at a wine appreciation night.  It’s just that somehow the communication containing the details broke down and it was only this morning that I realised Carl was responsible for bringing dessert.

Serve with some fresh cherries (when in season!)

Serve with some fresh cherries (when in season!)


As Carl only knows how to turn steak on a bar-be-cue he turned to me and asked, ‘Can you make me a dessert’.  And I thought about what I had planned for today and decided that if I jiggled things around a bit I could probably find the time to whip up a stellar dessert.

But just then Miss Arabella came into my room screaming that she had forgotten she had to hand in an assignment at 5pm – a uni assignment she hadn’t yet started.

‘What’s the problem?’ I yelled back, ‘You’ve got all day’.

‘I know, I know’, she cried, ‘But I promised the girls at work that I would make our boss his birthday cake’.

‘When’s his birthday?’

‘Today’, she screamed.

‘Oh, then you have a problem’.

But of course it wasn’t Arabella’s problem, was it.  It was my problem because being a ‘rescuer’, (otherwise known as a ‘soft touch’), I let Arabella retreat to her bedroom while I tried to work out how I might find the time to make two cakes.

The cake for Arabella

The cake for Arabella

Anyway, this is the cake I made for the Wine Appreciation Night…

Sour Cream Black Forest Cake

Sour Cream Black Forest Cake

Sour Cream Black Forest Cake

Serves:  8-12

Degree of Difficulty:  3/5 (Because of all those layers)

Cost:  When you work out the cost per serve, this is a very affordable cake.

  • 1 1/2 cups plain flour
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tspns baking powder
  • 3/4 tspn baking soda
  • 1/2 tspn salt
  • 300 mls (10 oz) sour cream
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tspns vanilla essence
  • 250gms (8.8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs

Frosting

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 250gm (8.8 oz) cream cheese, whipped
  • 115gms (4 oz) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled (melt over hot water)
  • 1 tspn vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups icing sugar

Filling

  • 600mls (20 0z) thickened cream
  • 1/4 cup Kirsch
  • 2 tbspns caster sugar
  • 2 tbspns boiling water
  • 750gms (26.5 oz) sour cherries, drained, but reserve 2/3 cup juice
  • 2 tbspns caster sugar (extra)
  • 1 tbspn cornflour

Preheat oven to 180C/375F.

Grease and flour two 9-inch (22cm) round cake pans, knocking out excess flour.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl whisk together sour cream, water and vanilla.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add some flour mixture to butter mixture.  Mix well.  Add some sour cream mixture.  Mix well.  Continue this process, ending with the flour mixture.  Beat until the batter is smooth.  Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake layers in middle of oven 25 -30 minutes until cooked.

Cool cakes in their pans on racks for 10 minutes.  Turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Decorated with Rosettes and pearls

Decorated with Rosettes and pearls

To Make Frosting:

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Add remaining ingredients and beat until combined.

To Make the Filling:

Whip cream until stiff peaks form and set aside.

Place kirsch, water and extra sugar in a jug and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Place the cherries and reserved juice in a saucepan with the sugar and cornflour.  Stir over medium-low heat until the mixture boils and thickens.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.

Take cake layers and using a bread knife, carefully cut each cake into two layers.

Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate and use a pastry brush to paint the kirsch mixture over the cake layer. Spread with a third of the cherry mixture and a thin layer of the cream. Repeat with the remaining cake layers, kirsch mixture, cherry mixture and cream.

Cover the entire cake with frosting and decorate as desired.  I filled a piping bag with the remaining frosting then edged the cake with rosettes and decorated each rosette with pearl white candy bead.

Place cake in fridge until ready to serve.

Serve with fresh cherries if in season (unfortunately I was unable to buy any cherries!

A generous slice of black forest cake

A generous slice of black forest cake

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Comments

  1. Stunningly gorgeous Charlie, true!
    Your photos are mouth-watering too!
    Cheers! Joanne

  2. Oh, this just looks so good! Have a wonderful weekend!

  3. Oh goodness me, two cakes to make? Whew, you must have been tired? My hubby and I have opposite work schedules, so planning can get crazy for us. So unfortunately I think schedules are always all over the place:-p Your cake looks fantastic!!! Hugs, Terra

  4. Oh Charlie! You are such a soft touch. I would’ve said “Oh well, what a shame” to at least one because doing two cakes in an already busy day would have been too much. And what a gorgeous one it is too!

  5. I’m not much of a cake eater. But these look delicious. Mom to the rescue!

  6. OMG, yum! Your cakes are the best. You are a superwoman! I hope it was very appreciated on both counts.

  7. Wow, you’re a very nice wife and mother. I don’t know what I would have done in that situation, but making two layer cakes in one day is quite a feat! This looks delicious!

  8. You ARE a soft touch. So what did they do for you in return? It’s time to be collecting. 🙂

    What gorgeous cakes, Charlie! They would both feel pretty swish walking in with cakes like these. You’re very talented.

  9. Wow! what a perfect mother and wife!! I think I might have lost the plot rather than solved the problems. Great cake and fabulous patience!! GG

  10. You are great dear Charlie, seems so delicious… Thanks and Love, nia

  11. wow…You.Are.Amazing! Two cakes, just like that, without a panicky moment!! And these are not just your ordinary cakes with those layers of love!

  12. I cannot get over how amazing you are – with your generosity, your skills, and your time.

  13. Aaah, those are some familiar lines. I have heard those very same lines in my house, but I think I didn’t handle it with as much grace and patience as you did! Gorgeous cakes Charlie and well done. You really are a star.

    Nazneen

  14. OMG, this cakes sounds and looks heavenly. OMG. I want some now…You are a great Mom–the best.

  15. My students in all three classes, weren’t “in the mood” to do any work today so they goofed off and put me in a less than charitable mood leading me to say that Miss Arabella is a big girl. Maybe she should have gone out and bought a cake for her boss since she left baking one til the last minute. She’s lucky she has you to bail her out under the circumstances. Hugs to you, Charlie. You’re a great mom.

  16. My life is similar, but without the kids. There’s always something more to do! This cake looks wonderful!

  17. yummy-looking cake!

  18. Always impressive! Way to go on the gorgeous cake!

  19. They are so lucky to have you indeed Charlie! Your cakes look stunning sweetie- I hope you got a slice 🙂 xox

  20. What a stunning cake!!! It is plum gorgeous!!! And, now, I suppose I’ll have to wait to see if my wonder woman friend cranked out a cake for Carl, too!!! I’ll be back 🙂

  21. OK…reread your post. You made two??? You ARE Wonder Woman!

  22. Hmmmm…I would be pointing them both in the direction of the local bakery you are too nice. Or maybe I’m not nice enough??! I hope you’re adding up the the brownie points because that cake must be worth a few I reckon.

  23. Oh Charlie, you are wonderful. Your family doesn’t know how lucky they are! I can’t believe you created two such beautiful cakes at such short notice. I love cherries in cakes too – they never fail.

  24. Wait I’m lost – you said that’s the cake for Carl…and you said you might be able to make another cake for Arabella… so what happened at the end? Did I miss something or you did make both cakes? Or the story continues?

    This is the very reason why I admire you as a mom and blogger. You fit everything in your schedule and you pull it off making sure everyone is happy. What’s your secret? I still refused to make layered cake for such a lazy reason. And here you’re making two! Amazing!

  25. One in a million you are Charlie. The cakes look fantastic.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  26. wow that is some achievement when you have two cakes to make and it looks so elegant – I wish for your piping skills and your courage with doing 4 layers – I have trouble with 2 – I think I would prefer to do Arabella’s assignment for her 🙂

  27. You really are a miracle worker Charlie! I would have whipped out something rather simple so close to the deadline.

  28. You are just too sweet to all of them!! And this cake is pretty much a masterpiece.

  29. Okay, seriously,
    I have drool all over my computer.
    Damn you!

    Amazing delectable cake, Charlie. xxx

  30. Mom (and wife) to the rescue… yup, I can relate. Your two-in-one-day cakes look fabulous, Charlie! Good save.

  31. Good lord woman, you are a saint! Fancy knocking out such a stunning cake on short notice – I hope they all appreciate you.

  32. Haha. I would have probably done the same thing. I always end up taking over when it comes to last-minute desserts…and you know that everyone always expects something spectacular from my kitchen. The pressure is no good! This, however, looks like it would win any contest. Just heavenly!

  33. The cakes look delicious. I wonder what the others would do if you weren’t there to rescue them?

  34. 2 slices for me pls

  35. Fantastic looking cake, Charlie. I don’t know how you found the time to make 2 on such short notice in one day. Nevertheless, you did find the time and rescued your loved ones in the process. I agree with Maureen. You’re owed big time. 🙂

  36. Are you sure that’s a 3/5, Charlie? I’m getting a 5/5 vibe. It sure looks 5/5 anyway!!! x

  37. Lol, yeah soft touch alright!! You’re an awesome mum Charlie, I would’ve just ducked into a cake store and bought something at the last minute. Good on you 🙂

  38. You’re such a good baker! Gorgeous cakes. And you did both on such short notice too – you’re terrific!

  39. You are such a darling mother! Why do they always leave everything to the last minute? Dario always gets there in the end with his assignments but I almost have heart failure while he is trying to do it since he stays up all night for several days in a row to get it all finished. I’ll be happy when he is out in the working world.

  40. I also dream of the day when I have a perfectly scheduled and organised life, and I don’t even have kids yet! Gorgeous cake, but I’d expect nothing less!! xx

  41. Amazing looking black forest cake!!! I love them but never had the chance to make one 🙂 Is it hard to find sour cherries or can I get them in the Super market? Will need to learn to make this soon because its one of the cakes my dad actually likes eating hehe ~

  42. A good wife and mother you soooooooo are.
    Carolyn

  43. How do you always manage to do it all? And for everybody else? You are a saint, woman! ;o)

  44. This cake is so pretty!! Looks delicious!

  45. Lovely Carlie…and we just keep rescuing them, don’t we?I don’t mind, but I wish I’d get more than 5 minutes notice!

Trackbacks

  1. […] Last Friday night, Blacko (husband) ventured forth with a dozen or so mates over to a mutual friend’s home for what was auspiciously called, ‘An Evening of Wine Tasting’.  To help fortify their stomachs, everyone was asked to not only bring a bottle of wine but also bring a dish.  This is where Blacko leaned on me at late notice to push a dessert into his hands.  And if you’re a regular visitor you would know that I handed him a black forest cake. […]

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