Mini Black Forest Cakes

  • Type : Dessert

A tiny twist on a Black Forest gateau, these single-serve bakes have the same delicious mix of flavours – chocolate, cherries, cream – and are the perfect dessert course for retro dinner parties (ones that start with a Prawn Cocktail, naturally!), or for handing round at festive buffets.

Made in our 12 Hole Loose-Based Mini Sandwich Tin.

Ingredients

  • For the sponge
  • 175g unsalted butter softened
  • 125g soft light brown sugar 
  • 100g caster sugar 
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract 
  • 175g plain flour 
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 
  • 50g cocoa 
  • pinch of salt 
  • 75ml buttermilk 
  • 75ml boiling water 
  • For the filling
  • 150g cherry jam 
  • To decorate
  • A small amount chocolate frosting 
  • A small amount chocolate sprinkles 
  • 100ml double cream 
  • A handful fresh cherries 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Lightly grease the Mini Sandwich Tin.
  2. To make the cakes, cream the butter with both of the sugars until pale and light. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add the vanilla extract.
  3. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa and salt into the mixture and mix until almost combined. Add the buttermilk and boiling water and continue to mix until smooth.
  4. Divide the mixture between the holes in the tin so that each is two thirds full. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes, until well-risen and a skewer inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin for 2 minutes then carefully turn them out by pushing the loose bases upwards from underneath. Place on a wire rack and leave until completely cool.
  5. Once cool, cut each of the cakes into three equal parts. Top the bottom layers with a teaspoon of cherry jam. Place the middle layers on top, add another teaspoon of jam then add the top layers.
  6. To decorate, use a palette knife to cover the tops and sides of each cake with an even layer of chocolate frosting, then roll in chocolate sprinkles.
  7. To finish, whip the double cream until it holds its shape, then spoon into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe a single rosette on top of each cake, then top with a cherry.

By | 12 September 2020