Name: Black Forest Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Europe, German
Ingredients: 1 cup whole milk; 3 large eggs; 1/2 cup canola oil; 3 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 cups sugar; 3/4 cup baking cocoa; 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon baking soda; 3/4 teaspoon salt; FILLING:; 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) pitted tart cherries; 1 cup sugar; 1/4 cup cornstarch; 3 tablespoons cherry brandy or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; WHIPPED CREAM:; 3 cups heavy whipping cream; 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Make a homemade Black Forest cake with chocolate cake, cherry filling and whipped cream. Its impressive, colorful layers make it a great dessert for showing off to guests.

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk

3 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup baking cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING:

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) pitted tart cherries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 tablespoons cherry brandy or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

WHIPPED CREAM:

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1 Mix the wet ingredients

2 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two greased 9-inch round baking pans with parchment and grease the paper. In a large bowl, beat the milk, eggs, oil and vanilla until they're well blended.

3 Add the dry ingredients

4 In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the milk mixture.

5 Bake the cakes

6 Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes before removing them to wire racks. Remove the paper and let the cake layers cool completely.

7 Make the filling

8 While the cakes cool, make the filling. Drain the cherries, reserving 1/2 cup of the juice. In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and the reserved juice. Add the cherries. Cook and stir the mixture over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until it's thickened and bubbly. Remove the filling from the heat and stir in the brandy. Let the filling cool completely.

9 Make the whipped cream topping

10 In a large bowl, beat the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

11 Assemble and frost the cake

12 Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Top it with 1-1/2 cups of whipped cream. Spread 3/4 cup of the filling on top, spreading to within an inch of the edge. Repeat this step twice. Top the stacked cake with the remaining cake layer, resulting in four layers of chocolate cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream, reserving a portion to pipe decorations, if desired. Spoon the remaining filling onto the top of the cake. Refrigerate the cake until serving.