Black Forest Plus (Plus, Plus)

Black Forest Cake

- a moist and tender delight -

Three 'flat' cakes tall.

In this case,

 the whipped cream is a vanilla mascarpone whipped cream, 

the cherries are drunk, 

and the top is covered in a thick layer of Belgian ganache.

Mmmmmmmmm

I've been waiting for chocolate.

I love you, Chocolate, I do!

The cake was (I say was because I think it disappeared already) a very tall cake.
It was really decadent and delicious, though rather messy to cut.
Baking the layers 'flat' really helped with stability. 
As did the bamboo stick with which I impaled the centre of the cake. 
But next time, can't everyone just come to my place? 

I shouldn't have added juice along with the cherries in the centre well in each layer of the filling.
That was probably the main engineering faux pas. 

Specifically in terms of transportation. 

One I'd prefer never to take on again.

I would liken the roads in Calgary to Emmantaler and Gruyère.

But it was totally worth it for a great family birthday get together!

Make three chocolate cake layers. See my previous post on getting flat top results.

Ganache - make first because it needs to cool.

Chocolate, chopped, 350g

Put aside in a bowl you'll add all ingredients to in the end. (heatproof)

Whipping cream, 1 cup

Salt, 1/8 tsp

Corn Syrup, (Actually I always use maple!!! This would be the Canadian difference), 1/6 cup

Put these in a sauce pan, stir together and when it reaches a boil, pour over chocolate.

Whisk until smooth.

Then add,

Butter, 4 tbsp

Vanilla, 1/2 tbsp

and stir until completely smooth. 

It's runny now but thickens as it cools to room temperature or hardens in the fridge.

Mascarpone Filling

Mascarpone, 1 cup, (mine was homemade)
Whip until smooth with the paddle attachment, then add
Icing Sugar, 2 cups
Vanilla, 2 tsp, (it's so nice with those bean flecks!)
beating slowly at first and maybe adding in two parts to prevent sugar snowing all over you kitchen.
when that's all nice and smooth add
Whipping cream, 1 cup
and beat on medium until thickened.

Drunken Cherries
Frozen Cherries, whole bag
Rum, enough to coat the cherries

Assemble as seen in the photo above. 
Use a piping bag to make a mascarpone dam so the cherries stay put in each layer. 
Don't add juice like I did - in fact make sure to squeeze them a bit!

P.S.

You'll likely have left over ganache... It make a fab snack when you scoop it with a spoon 
and then dunk it in freshly ground coffee.

*******

The little star-wheel-Dresden became a pillow.

Far from perfect, but I learnt a lot about sewing. 

I suppose I'll give it a break for a while as things get ultra busy at work,

then attempt a slightly larger undertaking using fabric 

purchased for that particular project.

I struggled with the thickness of the fabric I used for binding, the slipperiness of the orange fabric, (although I rather like the way it pleated itself at all the points of the star) 

and the stretchiness of the dark blue fabric.

I followed the careful instruction of Amy Gibson from 2012's Craftsy Block of the month 
and found that it was possible for me to sew... and maybe even quilt.

Not as easy as she makes it look however.

But I'm sitting here on it right now!