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White Forest Cake

Decorated White Forest cake on a cake stand.
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This White Forest cake is a vanilla version of Black Forest cake, made with soft vanilla sponge layers, white chocolate, juicy maraschino cherries, and Chantilly cream. It is an impressive layer cake for birthdays, weddings, and celebrations.

Ingredients

Scale

For a sponge cake:

  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup minus 2 teaspoons (92 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 sachet (9 g) vanilla sugar
  • 1 cup minus 4 teaspoons (92 g) cake flour

For sugar syrup:

  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
  • 1/3 cup (60 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Kirsch

For Chantilly cream:

  • 2 1/2 cups (600 g) cold heavy cream, 30% fat
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) icing (powdered) sugar

For filling and decoration:

  • 8 oz. (230 g) drained maraschino cherries

For assembling:

  • 3.5 oz. (100 g) white chocolate

Instructions

  1. To make a sponge cake, preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease a 7-inch (18 cm) cake pan with softened butter and dust with flour. Alternatively, line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Remove the flour access and place the pan aside. Sift the flour twice with a flour sifter. 
  2. Place whole eggs, vanilla, and granulated sugar in a heat-proof bowl and lightly beat with a hand whisk. Bring the bowl over a bain-marie (water bath) and whisk constantly. Warm the egg mixture to 104°F (40°C), checking with a cooking thermometer. 
  3. Remove the bowl from the water bath and beat with an electric or stand mixer with a whisk attachment until the volume is tripled, for 8 to 10 minutes. Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat for 2 minutes to adjust the texture. Add the sifted flour in two additions, gently mixing with a rubber spatula.  
  4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Check the cake's doneness with a toothpick or a cake tester.
  5. Take the sponge cake out of the oven, and let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then remove it from the pan by turning it upside down and cool it on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. Flip the cake over, and let it cool completely.
  6. To make sugar syrup, pour water and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove it from the heat once the sugar dissolves, then add a few drops of Kirsch.
  7. To make Chantilly cream, place cold heavy cream in the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat until soft-medium peaks form. Use an electric mixer as an alternative. Weigh about 5-7 oz. (140-200 g) of cream (you will use it for decoration), cover the bowl with cream with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Use the remaining frosting to assemble the cake.
  8. To assemble the cake, use a serrated knife and slice the sponge cake horizontally into three equal layers. Ensure that the thickness of each layer does not exceed 1/2 inch (about 1.5 cm). If the cake is domed, level it to create a smooth surface.
  9.  Place the first cake layer on a cake board and soak it with the Kirsch syrup. Spread a layer of whipped cream. Arrange a few drained cherries over the cream and cover them with more cream (leave a few cherries for decoration). 
  10. Cover with the second cake layer, soak with Kirsch syrup, and spread the cream. Place cherries, and spread the cream again. Finish the cake with the top layer and soak it with the syrup. Cover the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream, then decorate the sides with a cake scraper. 
  11. Take the chilled cream frosting from the refrigerator and beat it with a hand whisk, if needed. Transfer the cream to a piping bag with an open star tip, and pipe a few cream swirls on top of the cake.
  12. Place a stemmed cherry on top of each swirl. Sprinkle the sides and top of the cake with chocolate shavings. Refrigerate the cake for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Notes

  1. To make your cherry liquor, follow a traditional Black Forest cake recipe, using a cherry brandy essence.
  2. Make sure to drain maraschino cherries well using a paper towel.
  3. Make-ahead option: Bake the sponge cake a day ahead, refrigerate it, covered with plastic wrap, overnight, and add the finishing touches the following day.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/white-forest-cake/