Black Forest Cake

Slightly adapted from Bekah Goertzen’s recipe on Food.com

CAKE

1⅔ cups flour
⅔ cup cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

½ cup shortening
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350º

• Sift dry ingredients

• In large bowl, cream shortening and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

• Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, mixing well.

• Pour evenly into 3 round cake pans, lined on the bottom with parchment paper.

• Bake for 20 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

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FILLING
½ cup kirsch 🍒🍸
1 jar sour cherries, halved 🍒

½ cup unsalted butter 🧈
3 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup espresso ☕️
pinch of salt

ICING/TOPPING
4 cups heavy cream
4 tbsp icing sugar
4 tbsp dry milk
1 tsp vanilla

8 maraschino cherries 🍒
dark chocolate curls 🍫
(enough to cover sides and top)

DIRECTIONS

• Soak halved cherries in kirsch overnight

• Beat butter until light and creamy. Add icing sugar, espresso, and salt, mixing well.

• Poke many holes in the tops of the cakes, and spoon the marinated kirsch-cherry juice over them

• Stir cream, sugar, and dry milk together, then whip until stiff peaks form

• Stir in vanilla. If desired, add a little kirsch.

ASSEMBLY

• Place one cake layer on a cake tray and cover top with ½ the filling

• Cover with ½ the soaked cherries, place second cake layer on top, and repeat

• Cover cake with icing, cover sides and top with chocolate curls, and place cherries around the top edge