Recipes>Chocolate Recipes
Rick Stein’s Black Forest Gateau with Fresh Cherries
by Rick Stein from Rick Stein’s Food Stories
Serves 8-10
This stunning three tier Black Forest Gateau is an impressive dessert for special occasions, with layers of moist chocolate sponge, whipped cream, and fresh cherry compote.
Discover more delicious Cake recipes
From layer cakes to loaves
From the book
Rick Stein’s Food Stories
Rick Stein
Rick Stein’s Food Stories
The companion to the hit BBC2 series
100 new recipes, from the classics with a twist to new favourites
A celebration of Britain’s food scene today
Buy From
Introduction
I can remember saying when we filmed making this Black Forest gateau that this treat rather lost its charm after it became a staple of the freezer cabinet in the seventies and eighties. You can imagine it on the dessert trolley at Fawlty Towers. Actually, the real thing is a riot of excess and a true celebration of great juicy cherries. This recipe brings back memories of filming at Little Sharsted Farm in Kent where I was far more interested in cramming the wonderfully sweet fruit, fresh from the trees, into my mouth than talking to the camera.
Tags
Ingredients
| 200g | butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing |
|---|---|
| 200g | dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up |
| 100ml | very hot water |
| 175g | plain flour |
| 30g | cocoa powder |
| 1 tsp | baking powder |
| ¼ tsp | bicarbonate of soda |
| 175g | caster sugar |
| 175g | brown soft sugar |
| 3 | large eggs, beaten |
| 75ml | buttermilk or natural yoghurt |
| For the cherry compote: | |
| 750g | cherries, stoned, plus 8–10 whole cherries on stalks, to decorate |
| 50g | caster sugar |
| To finish: | |
| 3 tbsp | kirsch or cherry brandy |
| 500ml | double or whipping cream |
| 50g | dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), shaved with a microplane or potato peeler |
Essential kit
You will need 3 x 20cm round sandwich tins.
Method
For the compote, put the cherries and the sugar (no water) into a pan and place over a medium-high heat. Cook until the cherries have a jammy consistency but still retain their shape.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C. Grease 3 x 20cm round sandwich tins and line them with baking parchment.
Put the chocolate, butter and hot water into a bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water. Stir gently until everything has melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Mix all the dry cake ingredients together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and the buttermilk or yoghurt, then the chocolate mixture. Whisk with an electric hand whisk to make a lump free batter.
Divide the mixture between the 3 tins (each will only be about
a third full) and bake for 20–25 minutes until cooked through and slightly shrinking from the edges of the tins. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and leave them to cool in their tins, then turn them out and peel off the baking paper. Drizzle each cake with a tablespoon of kirsch or cherry brandy.
Whip the cream to soft peaks. Spoon about a quarter of it into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and set it aside in the fridge.
Put one sponge on a plate, spread it with half of the cream, then half the cherry compote. Add another sponge on top, spread with the rest of the cream and the compote, then top with the third sponge. Pipe rosettes on top of the cake with the cream you set aside in the piping bag, and add a whole cherry to each one.
Scatter over the chocolate shavings.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Cancel reply
Your review
Name *
Our team will respond to any queries as soon as we can - this may take longer over weekends. You do not need to resubmit your comment.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use .
Be the first to leave a review
Ingredients
Method
More Cake Recipes
View all
Nigella Lawson’s Victoria Sponge
by Nigella Lawson from How To Be A Domestic Goddess
Mary Berry’s Wonderful Apple and Almond Cake
by Mary Berry from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes
More Chocolate Recipes
View all
Philip Khoury’s Chocolate Mousse Three Ways
by Philip Khoury from Beyond Baking
Jane’s Patisserie’s No-bake Chocolate Orange Tart
by Jane Dunn from Jane’s Patisserie Classic
More Recipes from Rick Stein’s Food Stories
View all
Rick Stein’s Carrot, Beetroot and Red Onion Tarte Tatin
by Rick Stein from Rick Stein’s Food Stories
Rick Stein’s Roast Topside of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding
by Rick Stein from Rick Stein’s Food Stories
Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week
