A twist on the classic German cake!
Black Forest Tart topped with Kirsch Infused Cherries
Black Forest Cake is a traditional German dessert that is made up of chocolate sponge cake, layered with cherries, Kirschwasser (colorless Brandy made from morello cherries), and whipped cream. This tart is my take on that traditional dessert. It provides a perfect balance of flavors with the rich silky chocolate filling, a little tartness from the cherries, and a slight zest from the alcohol. If alcohol isn’t your thing, you can still make this dessert without it!
To watch me make this or to follow along, here is the YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/JS5HJjZZR24
***If you want to make the alcohol infused cherries for a more traditional Black Forest feel, the night before baking, pit your cherries and cut them in half. Once cut, combine with the kirsch, sugar, and water and put them into a small mason jar or bowl. Cover the container with the lid or plastic wrap, and allow them to infuse overnight until ready to garnish the finished tart.***
Yield: 1, 9” Tart Serves 8-12 People
Ingredients:
Pâte Sucrée (Tart Dough)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Filling
6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chips or chopped
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup of brown sugar, light or dark
3 large eggs, at room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9-10 pitted cherries, sliced in half
Whipped Cream Topping
2 cups heavy whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½-2 teaspoons Kirsch Cherry Brandy (optional) or any alcohol of choice (excluding carbonated drinks)
Alcohol Infused Cherries (Optional Garnish)
6 pitted cherries, sliced in half
1 Tablespoon Kirsch (or any alcohol of choice)
1 Tablespoon water
2 teaspoons white granulated sugar
Garnish (Optional)
6-8 whole cherries
Infused cherry halves
Chocolate shavings
¼ cup of melted chocolate
Equipment Needed:
1, 9” Tart Pan
Kitchen-Aid Mixer (paddle and whisk attachment) or Hand Mixer
Heat safe bowls
Pie weights, beans, or rice
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
Saucepan (or microwave for melting the chocolate)
Rubber spatula
Piping bags and large star tip (Optional)
Fork and a paring/small knife
Method:
Pâte Sucrée (Tart Dough)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Measure out the needed ingredients.
In a Kitchen-Aid with a paddle attachment or medium sized bowl with a hand mixer, add the butter and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.
Add the single egg and beat again until it is combined.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add to the bowl.
Mix until a dough is formed.
Take the dough and begin to roll on a well floured surface. Roll the dough to about ⅛ of an inch thick, and large enough to cover the tart pan.
Roll the dough onto the rolling pin, and transfer the dough to the pan. Cut off extra dough hanging around the edges, and begin to press the dough into the pan to fit. Once your pan is nicely covered in dough, trim the excess dough so that it is flushed with the top.
Next, grab a fork and poke holes along the bottom of the tart pan in order to prevent the bottom from rising. Once the holes are made, pop the pan into the refrigerator for about 10-15 or until the dough is cold and firm.
Once the dough is chilled, take the pan out of the refrigerator and prepare for blind baking.
To blind bake: Place 2-3 long sheets of plastic wrap over the chilled dough, and fill the tart pan up to the top with pie weights, uncooked beans, or uncooked rice. Fold the plastic over the top to seal the weights into place.
Once your pan is filled with the weights, put the pan into the oven for 15 minutes. After taking out the tart pan, lower the heat of your oven to 350°F.
Allow the crust to cool for about 5 minutes, then take out the bag of weights. After removing, allow the crust to fully come to room temperature (about another 10-15 minutes).
Chocolate Filling
While the crust is baking/cooling, begin to measure out the ingredients needed to make the filling.
Pit and cut 9-10 cherries in half. Set aside.
Grab a pot and fill it up with about 1 inch of water. Begin to heat on medium/high over the stove. While the water is heating up, place the chocolate and butter into a heat safe bowl. When the water starts to simmer, place the bowl over the pot and heat the chocolate and butter until smooth and melted. Take the bowl off the heat, and allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature. (*Note: If easier, you can also melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave.***)
In the meantime, take the halved cherries and line them around the bottom of the cooled tart crust leaving space in between. Place them cut side down.
In the Kitchen-Aid mixer with a whisk attachment, or bowl with a hand mixer, whip the eggs, brown sugar and salt on high speed for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. After light and fluffy, add the vanilla extract and begin to pour in the melted chocolate with the mixer still mixing on a low speed.
Once the mixture is all incorporated and light and fluffy, pour the filling into the pan over the cherries. Be careful not to shift the cherries and keep them distanced so there is a cherry in each slice.
Smooth out the top with a spoon or spatula and pop the tart into the oven again for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set.
After taking the tart out of the oven, allow it to cool for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature. (*Note: At this point you can turn the oven off.) Once it has reached room temperature, place the tart in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to cool completely.
Whipped Cream Topping
Start with COLD heavy cream!
Now, with an electric hand mixer, or Kitchen-Aid mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar at a medium-high speed.
When the cream is beginning to stiffen/reaches soft peaks, add in the vanilla extract and the Kirsch (optional).
With a batch this small, do not walk away from it! It will mix up pretty quickly, and it can take a couple of seconds until it is over whipped.
Mix the cream until it reaches a stiff peak. (*Note: A Stiff/Firm Peak holds its shape, and will stand straight up when the whisk is lifted.)
Assembly
Prepare all of your desired garnishes. Melt some chocolate, shave chocolate, grab whole cherries, and the alcohol infused cherries.
Release the tart from the tart pan and transfer onto a plate or cake board.
If desired, transfer the whipped cream into the piping bag with any tip. (*Note: I used a large star tip.)
Dollop the whipped cream on, or begin piping any design on the tart.
After the whipped cream is on top of the tart, start decorating! Have fun with it, and be creative with any design you choose to do!
After this step, you should have completed the tart!
Cut a slice and eat. Enjoy!
Comentarios