Blue Forest Cake (Chocolate Blueberry cake)

I have been making hubs' birthday cake for the past few years and he would request for Chocolate Blueberry cake every time. We're into his 5th cake this year, when only now then I finally realised that what he meant he wanted was Black Forest cake all along!

A typical Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cake) is a layered, Kirschwasser flavoured, chocolate sponge cake, filled with whipped cream and cherries. While an authentic version should be decorated using black cherries, Maraschino cherries are more widely used since they are inexpensive and preserved hence available all year round.

I can see where hubs got his innocent misunderstanding from. Our local bakeries do use blueberries jam in place of the expensive cherries. I too, grew up thinking black forest cake = Chocolate + Blueberries. Can't blame him. Haha..

So... after finally understanding what hubs wanted all along, I put together the "Blue Forest cake". A 4 layers dark chocolate sponge cake, flavoured with Grand Marnier, sandwiching homemade blueberry compote and crème chantilly. Finish with a glaçage miroir au chocolat noir (Dark Chocolate mirror glaze) and dark chocolate shavings. Since it's a special occasion, I topped it off with gold-dusted, fresh blueberries and strawberries because "oh-so-fanceh". 😂

Wish I have more time to write a longer post, but I'm leaving for Germany tonight and I'm not quite done with preparations yet. But I did keep to my promise of putting up this post before I go searching for the real Black Forest cake. 😉 Follow @whattobaketoday on instagram or on facebook to "follow" me through the trip where I'll share all the amazing sights and awesome eats I find during the trip. See ya!

Dark Chocolate Sponge cake (makes 8" round)

Mixture A
     5       Egg Yolks
   65g     Castor Sugar
   40g     Dark chocolate, 70% cocoa, melted

Mixture B
   40g     Milk
   70g     Corn Oil
  2.5g     Vanilla Extract
     2g     Instant Coffee Granules

Mixture C
   80g     Top Flour
   15g     Corn Flour
   30g     Cocoa Powder
     8g     Baking Powder

Mixture D
     5       Egg Whites
 110g     Castor Sugar

Preheat oven to 160ºC

1. Grease and line the cake tin.

• "how to line a round cake tin"
• "how to line a rectangle/square cake tin"

2. Stir (B) till homogeneous and reserve. Sift (C) and reserve.

3. Using a whisk attachment, whisk the sugar and yolks in (A) till colour is pale and volume has doubled then whisk in the melted chocolate.

4. Reduce the speed of mixer and slowly add in Mixture (B) till combine. Add in Mixture (C) and whisk till batter is thick, smooth and lump-free. 

5. Using the whisk attachment, start whisking the Egg Whites till before soft peaks and gradually add in the Sugar. Stop whisking when meringue turns glossy and just reaches stiff peaks.

6. Gently stir in 1/3 of the meringue into the batter to lighten the mixture. Gently fold in the remaining meringue with a spatula or your hand (recommended) till no white spots can be seen.

7. Pour into prepared tin. For round tins, bake 40-45mins or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

8. Cool completely before use.

Blueberry Compote

400g     Blueberries, fresh

100g     Water

  50g     Sugar

  25g     Lemon juice

    5g     Lemon zest

Place all the ingredients in a sauce pot and cook gently over medium-low heat until the blueberries start to burst. Stir occasionally and make sure the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Crème Chantilly

300g     Heavy whipping cream

100g     Caster sugar
    5g     Vanilla extract

Using a whisk attachment, whisk heavy cream while slowly adding in the sugar till it reaches stiff peaks. 

Optional

Grand Marnier syrup

  20g     Water

  20g     Sugar

  40g     Grand Marnier

Dissolve sugar in the water and bring to a boil. Let cool slightly before stirring in the liquor. 

Assembly
1. Divide the cake into 4 layers. Brush all cut sides with grand marnier syrup (if using).

2. Spread a layer of crème chantilly, then spoon on some blueberries compote before placing another layer of cake. Repeat process till the cake is filled and stacked. 

3. Crumb coat the entire cake and let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 

Chocolate Mirror Glaze (for 7" x 4" cake)

  10g     Gelatin
125g     Water
225g     Sugar
150g     Chocolate couverture
  30g     Cocoa powder, sifted
  65g     Heavy cream

1. Soak gelatin in some cold water and let it bloom.

2. Bring water and sugar to a boil then heat off.  

3. Add the chocolate couverture, cocoa powder and heavy cream. Stir to combine between each addition.

4. When the chocolate reaches about 60°C, remove excess water from gelatin and add to the mixture. Stir to combine then sift the mixture. 

5. Use an immersion/hand blender to blend the mixture and pass it through a sieve once more.

6. The glaze will be ready to use when it reaches about 30°C.

7. In a baking tray, prop the chilled cake onto a smaller cake tin, slowly pour the glaze onto the cake. Starting from its center and gradually circling outwards toward the edges.

8. Clean off the edges with a palette knife and let sit in fridge for 30mins.

Optional
9. Coat the sides with dark chocolate shavings. Brush some fresh blueberries and strawberries with edible gold lustre dust and decorate the top.

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