Coconut black forest cake
A twist on the classic black forest cake.
The base cake recipe is dairy free, using oil instead of butter to keep the cake moist for longer and soft after being refrigerated, as well as coconut milk instead of regular milk for added richness and flavour.
I had actually made this for the Christmas of 2020, but being completely honest I kept forgetting to type out the recipe here.
I was surprised by how well it turned out. The coconut flavour is mild, but present. Even the mother, who is not a fan of desiccated coconut, enjoyed it.
The last time I made a black forest cake was years ago. I had made a Portal (the game) cake for my birthday one year. Literally just a black forest cake decorated in a specific black forest cake style. I can't remember what recipe I used, but it was delicious. I remember that I then went on to use the same cherry filling recipe for cherry macarons (except I thickened it up).
I actually used regular whipped cream for the filling and topping, but feel free to whip up some coconut cream to use instead. It would definitely better suit the flavour of the cake, and it would also mean the entire cake is dairy free!
I personally have not had as much success with whipped coconut cream (always whipped up much softer than expected and not quite as sturdy as I'd like for layering a cake), but if you've found success with it, as I've seen many people have, use it for sure!
This is a super simple recipe - mix dry ingredients including sugar (I know some consider sugar a dry ingredient, and some consider it a wet) mix wet, combine wet with dry, bake, call it a day.
The result is a light, yet moist, chocolate cake; sturdy enough to layer, light and soft enough to soak and use with both lighter and heavier fillings.
As always, the cup measurements I provide are only rough. The recipe is still likely to work, but definitely go with the grams if possible.
Recipe
For the coconut chocolate cake
Based on Taste's Chocolate Coconut Cake recipe
Makes 2 20cm round cakes
INGREDIENTS:
345g self-raising flour (~2 1/2c)
70g cocoa powder (~3/4c)
1 1/2tsp baking powder
280g castor sugar (~1 1/2c)
75g desiccated coconut (~1c)
1tsp salt
140g mild flavoured oil (~2/3c)
350g coconut milk (~1 1/2c)
125ml strong, hot coffee (I used 1tsp of instant coffee)
3 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2tsp coconut essence (optional)
METHOD:
1. Preheat your oven to 170°C and grease and line 2 20cm round cake pans. I used springform pans.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add in the sugar and coconut and whisk to evenly combine. You can do this with a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on a low speed.
3. In a medium bowl, pour in the oil, coconut milk, and coffee. Crack in the eggs and whisk thoroughly. Add in the vanilla extract and coconut essence if using and whisk again to combine.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix to fully combine. Again, you can do this with your stand mixer on a low speed.
5. Divide the batter between your two prepared cake pans (I weighed mine out). Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until it springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer or cake tester comes out clean.
Cool in the pans for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool.
For the cherry filling
Based on Also The Crumbs Please's Authentic Black Forest Cake recipe
INGREDIENTS:
5tbsp corn flour
60-100g castor sugar, to taste
225ml jarred/ tinned/ canned cherry liquid
550g jarred pitted morello/ sour cherries, drained
METHOD:
1. In a pot, stir together the corn flour and sugar until they are evenly mixed.
2. Add the cherry liquid and heat over a medium heat, constantly stirring. Heat until it starts to bubble and has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. While the mixture is still hot, pour the drained cherries in and stir to combine. Leave it to cool completely before using.
To assemble
INGREDIENTS:
1 batch coconut chocolate cake
1 batch cherry filling
1000ml thickened cream
50-70g castor sugar, to taste
200g dark or milk cooking chocolate
Rosemary to decorate (optional)
Desiccated coconut to decorate (optional)
METHOD:
1. Using a serrated knife or a cake leveller, slice each cake in half horizontally. You should now have 4 layers of cake. Set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate until only just melted. Spread 3/4 of it on a sheet of baking paper. Roll up the baking paper from the short end and place it in the fridge or freezer to set.
Meanwhile, use the rest of the chocolate to pipe a tree (if desired) onto a piece of baking paper. Leave to harden at room temperature or place in the fridge or freezer.
Remove the rolled up chocolate from the fridge/ freezer and unroll the paper. The chocolate should break off into bark-like pieces.
3. Whip up the cream with the sugar until you have just reached stiff peaks. Make sure you do not overwhip. The more you mix it and move it around when you're spreading it onto the cake, the more 'whipped' it gets.
4. Place a bottom cake layer (the layer that would have been at the bottom of the cake pan) on your desired serving dish or cake board. Brush some liquid from the cherry filling onto the cake. Spread a layer of whipped cream over it. Slice some cherries in half and spoon them onto the cake. Place them towards the middle of it to ensure they don't ooze out of the layers. Top the cherries with more cream to even out the layer.
*For this process, see the above photos and gif
5. Repeat step 4 with the next two layers, using the top cake layers (the layers that would have NOT been at the bottom of the pan).
6. With the last layer (should be a bottom layer), place it on top of the cake and coat the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of cream. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes.
7. Remove the cake from the fridge and apply another thin layer onto the sides of the cake. Use the chocolate bark from earlier and press them into the cream on the sides of the cake.
Dollop the rest of the cream onto the top of the cake and decorate with the chocolate tree (I used a spare piece of chocolate bark to support it from behind, like a photo frame), coconut, and rosemary if desired.
That's it.
Enjoy!
Since there's fresh cream, this cake should only be kept in the fridge for a maximum of 5 days if covered, though of course also use your judgement.
