I have a theory (actually I have a few, but we’ll save those for other times) that thin chocolate always tastes better than thick chocolate. I’m sure this is why we all pay large amounts of money for small amounts of chocolate come Easter time – thin chocolate tastes too good to resist! It is why I have always been a fan of buttons – they are like portable versions of Easter eggs. When one of my favourite chocolate companies, Lily O’Brien started making buttons, I obviously got excited!
My discovery of
Lily O’Brien buttons coincided most fortuitously with Mr CC noting that I never
made gateaux. He is a big fan of gateaux
and can put creamy cakes away in a far greater capacity than a non-creamy
cake. I think it might have been The
Hairy Bikers we saw making a black forest gateau and we both got nostalgic for the
time when, being children of the 1970s, a Sara Lee defrosted black forest
gateau was a Sunday highlight.
I decided to use
the dark chocolate buttons melted and added to the cake batter, and milk
chocolate buttons for decoration.
Normally I find dark chocolate too bitter to eat on its own but these
buttons had the dark richness without a bitter edge. Solves the problem of what to do with the
kilo bags.....! (Don’t you just love it when the only option is to buy a kilo
bag!)
For an
impressive dessert this is actually pretty simple – the only baking requirement
is the sponge and that is a very straightforward recipe. I piped the cream for decoration around the
edge, in an attempt to look neat, but if
you are handy with a palette knife it would look just as good.
I know the black
forest gateau is derided as naff but I cannot fathom why when it tastes sooooo
good. The chocolate sponge moistened
with kirsch, the cherries, cream and more chocolate...if that’s naff then bring
me my metallic shell suit cos I don’t want to be cool!
Ingredients:
For the sponge:
175g unsalted butter, softened
175g golden caster sugar
3 eggs
100ml milk (whole or semi skimmed)
200g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
200g dark chocolate (I used Lily O’Briens buttons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To assemble:
900ml double cream
1 jar of cherries in kirsch – mine were Opies, and I found them in Waitrose
Chocolate buttons or curls (I used Lily O’Briens milk chocolate buttons)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
Line
a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper.
Cream
the butter and sugar together until they are pale and fluffy. Don’t skimp on
this stage – give the mixture a good beating.
Add
the eggs, flour, baking powder and milk to the bowl and beat until thoroughly
combined. The mix will look deliciously creamy.
Melt
the dark chocolate either in the microwave (it will require approximately a 1
minute 30 seconds, in 30 second bursts) or in a bowl above a pan of simmering
water on the hob.
Stir
the melted chocolate into the batter.
Pour
into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 40-50 minutes or until a
skewer comes out clean. Mine took roughly 50 minutes.
Allow
to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before removing and leaving to cool totally
on a wire rack. Once cool, the cake can be stored in an airtight container for
a day or so before assembling the cake.
When
you wish to assemble the gateau cut the sponge into three even layers. It’s important the layers are flat, so you
might need to sacrifice any dome on the top of the sponge. (NB. ‘sacrifice’
means cut off and eat!)
Whip
the cream until it is almost at stiff peak stage, but not quite.
Take
a disc of cake and place on a plate. Brush over some of the kirsch from the cherry
jar – how much depends on you and how boozy you want it to taste.
Pipe
a scant ¼ of the cream over the disc and dot with some cherries.
Place
the second disc of sponge on top and repeat the kirsch, cream and cherries.
Place
the final disc of sponge on the top.
Pipe
the remaining cream over the top and sides of the gateau.
Decorate
with chocolate around the sides and some more cherries on the top.
Refrigerate
so the cream firms up and you will be able to cut nice slices. Take out of the fridge about 10 minutes
before serving.
Bask
in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
Eat.
