Black Forest In a Jar

Name: Black Forest In a Jar
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Cake:; Unsalted Butter Softened, 60g + More For Greasing; 210 g High Quality Dark Chocolate Preferably Valrhona,; Pinch Sea Salt,; Pinch High Quality Instant Espresso Powder,; Egg Whites, 150g Approximately 5 Eggs; Pinch Cream of Tartar,; 120 g Demerara Sugar,; Egg Yolks, 100g Approximately 5 Eggs; Fillings:; 434 g Maraschino Cherries Canned,; 1/8 Cup Kirsch,; 500 ml Heavy Whipping Cream,; Icing Sugar, 1 TBSP Adjust To Preference; Assembly:; High Quality Dark Chocolate Preferably Valrhona, For Garnishing; Fresh Cherries, For Garnishing

Daniel Lim @fatdoughsg

Singapore

Can you believe it? I actually made this 4 years ago on 8th Feb 2015. I am still not sure if I am the first to start this mason jarred cake trend way back in 2015. I am not gonna claim any credit tho or maybe I should patent it? Lol! Anyway, while experimenting on crafting the best kek lapis recipe, I noticed that I am lost in time; I didn't post any recipe for the last couple of days. I was browsing thru' my recipes repertoire and found this lovely mason jarred cake recipe.

This idea actually happened by accident. I was gonna do a Valentine's Day special with a 2 layered black forest cake. Being an amateur baker at that time, I literally messed up. I knew I should have measured out 2 equal portions and bake them in separate individual baking pans, but I didn't. And so, I tried slicing the cake into half. You could've imagine a claustrophobic kitchen fail; the cake was sliced so uneven that it looked like slopes. Yes, slopes! Instead of throwing the failed cake away, I tot to myself, why not break the cakes into crumbs and stack them up in a mason jar.

And that's how this cake is born. I love how rustically beautiful it looks (I am definitely not blowing my own horn). Lol! The most important lesson I learnt from this experience is to never give up and always find a way to salvage the mistake. Because you will never know what you will end up. You can of cos make a gorgeous layered black forest cake with this recipe instead of putting everything in a mason jar.

Daniel Lim @fatdoughsg

Saved

Ingredients

Cake:
Unsalted Butter Softened, 60g + More For Greasing
210 gHigh Quality Dark Chocolate Preferably Valrhona,
PinchSea Salt,
PinchHigh Quality Instant Espresso Powder,
Egg Whites, 150g Approximately 5 Eggs
PinchCream of Tartar,
120 gDemerara Sugar,
Egg Yolks, 100g Approximately 5 Eggs
Fillings:
434 gMaraschino Cherries Canned,
1/8 CupKirsch,
500 mlHeavy Whipping Cream,
Icing Sugar, 1 TBSP Adjust To Preference
Assembly:
High Quality Dark Chocolate Preferably Valrhona, For Garnishing
Fresh Cherries, For Garnishing

Saved

Steps

1

Prepare the cake.
Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius or 375 fahrenheit.
Lightly grease the sheet pan lightly with butter and lined with parchment paper.
Melt chocolate on a double boiler.
Once chocolate has melted, remove from heat.
2

Add in butter and mix until the butter has completely melted.
Add in salt and espresso and stir to combine well.
Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peak forms.
While still whisking, gradually add in sugar.
Keep whisking until stiff peak forms. It should be glossy, almost double in volume and the sugar has melted.
3

Gradually add in egg yolks while continue whisking.
Once all the egg yolks have been incorporated, gradually add in the melted chocolate mixture, 1/3 portion at a time.
Switching to a spatula, gently fold the mixture together.
Continue folding gently until well combined.
*Do not overmix.*
4

Pour the cake batter into the sheet pan.
Wack into the oven and bake for about 20 mins.
*When you insert a skewer into the cake, the skewer should come out clean.*
Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.
5

You can of cos make a proper round cake. Divide the batter into 3 equal portions and transfer them into three 8" greased lined round spring form cake pans.*
6

Prepare the fillings.
In a skillet over medium heat, add cherries and 1/4 cup of the cherries syrup.
Bring it up to a simmer.
Once the syrup reduced and coats the back of a spoon, add in kirsch.
*Careful as it may flambé.*
7

Cook until the alcohol has evaporated.
Remove from heat, transfer onto a strainer over a bowl to remove any excess liquid.
Set aside to cool down. Do not discard the liquid.
Once everything is cooled, add 5 TBSP of the cherries syrup kirsch mixture into a large bowl.
8

Add in whipping cream and icing sugar.
Using a hand or stand mixer, whisk until stiff peaks form.
9

Assemble the cake.
Run a sharp knife along the sides of the cookie sheet pan.
Gently and carefully unmold the cake from the sheet pan.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out the cake into discs.
10

Your cookie cutter has to be slightly smaller than the circumference of your mason jars.*
*Do not discard the leftover cake.*
Crumble the leftover cake into fine crumbles and set aside.
11

Gently push the cake to the bottom of the mason jar.
Drizzle in some of the cherries syrup kirsch mixture.
Scoop the cream mixture and spread on top of the cake.
12

Place some cherries over the top.
Repeat the process until the mason jar is full.
You should end up with the cream mixture layer at the top.
13

Not to worry if your cake discs break while stacking inside of the jar. It will all look rustic at the end.
At this point, you can choose to keep chilled in the fridge until ready to serve.*
When about to serve, grate some dark chocolate over the top.
14

Lastly, top it off with cherries.
Repeat the steps for the remaining mason jar.
Serve immediately.