Black Forest Loaf

A deliciously moist chocolate cake, which captures all the flavours of black forest but without the faff of a layered cake

FOR THE BLACK FOREST LOAF

• 175ml strong coffee or boiling water
• 50g cocoa powder
• 180ml buttermilk
• 120ml vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 180g cake flour
• 300g caster sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven and prepare your tin: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 900g loaf tin with butter and line with baking paper, such that the baking paper has an overhang on each of the lengths of the tin. This makes lifting the cake out easier.
2. Bloom the cocoa powder: Place the cocoa powder in a bowl and pour in the hot coffee. Whisk the mixture to dissolve the cocoa, then set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
3. Combine the remaining wet ingredients to the cocoa mixture: Add the oil, buttermilk and eggs to the cooled cocoa mixture and mix to combine. You now have all your wet ingredients.
4. Sift all the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients: Pour the chocolate, coffee and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a thin, smooth batter.
6. Add the mixture to your tin and bake: Pour the mixture into your baking tin and bake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. If after 40 minutes the top is becoming crusty and browning too much, cover with a piece of foil and continue to bake.
7. Remove from tin and cool: Once the cake comes out of the oven, let it stand in the tin for 15 minutes, before loosening the sides with a butter knife and lifting out of the tin. Let rest on a cooling rack to cool completely, before removing the baking paper and decorating.

FOR THE CHERRY COMPOTE

• 250g fresh cherries, pitted and halved
• 20 – 25g sugar, depending on the cherries sweetness
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

METHOD

1. Combine all the ingredients, expect the lemon juice and cook: Place the fresh cherries, sugar and water in a saucepan and cook for around 12 to 15 minutes on medium heat until the cherries begin to breakdown and the sugar dissolved. Do not over cook it or the cherries will turn to mush.
2. Add the lemon juice and adjust to taste: Add in the lemon juice to the cooked cherries. Add a bit more lemon juice or sugar to balance the overall sweetness, depending on your preference. Set aside to cool before using.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

• 250g whipping cream
• 150g mascarpone
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

METHOD

1. Beat the mascarpone cheese: Beat the mascarpone cheese until it is smooth and whipped.
2. Whip the cream to soft peaks: Add the cream and vanilla into a bowl and whip until soft peaks are formed, then add in the icing sugar and continue to whisk until just combined.
3. Add the mascarpone to the whipped cream: Fold the mascarpone into the whipped cream.
4. Decorate the loaf: Top the cooled loaf with the whipped cream. Then add on the berry compote and finally, if you want, some chocolate shavings to finish it off.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com