White Forest Cake

A celebration cake is always on our list and it becomes even more special when it is homemade.This is my first attempt at creating a different kind of cake – a White Forest Cake!The thing is that we are not chocoholics to pounce upon a total chocolate cake but yes we do love a white chocolate cake as it is a white chocolate and vanilla based cake,covered with vanilla cream with a sprinkling of milk chocolate on top and garnished with fresh cherries.With such a kind of cake how can anyone not be happy!

NOTE – Measure the ingredients very carefully.Use the standard measuring cups.

Preparation Time : 3 hours

Makes : 1 standard 9″ cake

INGREDIENTS

For the cake :

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp plain flour/all purpose flour (maida)

115 gms (approximately 1 cup) Caster Sugar

25 gms melted white chocolate at room temperature

1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of soda bicarb

2 tsp Vanilla Essence

1 1/2 tbsp hot water

4 large eggs

For the Vanilla Cream Icing :

250 gms whipping cream

5 tbsp Icing Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

12 – 13 fresh/glace Cherries

1 milk chocolate bar

METHOD

Prepare the Whipping Cream :

Refrigerate the cream,the bowl in which the cream would be whipped as well as the beaters for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes,keep the bowl inside another bowl of ice and pour the cream into it.Add the sugar and vanilla essence and beat till the cream stands in stiff peaks.Spoon 4 tbsp in an icing bag fitted with a star nozzle and refrigerate both the filled icing bag and the bowl of whipped cream till time to ice the cake.

Bake the cake :

Prepare a 9″ baking pan.Either line with parchment paper or use baking spray.Preheat oven to 180°C.

Separate the yolks and whites in two separate bowls.Beat the whites till stiff and add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time till completely used up.Add the yolks and 1/2 tbsp of hot water at a time and beat again till stiff.Add the melted white chocolate and vanilla essence and mix with a spatula in 2 – 3 swift strokes.Do not over mix.

Sift flour,baking powder and soda bicarb in a bowl.Fold(mix with an upward and downward motion) into the egg mixture 1 tbsp at a time.

Spoon into the prepared pan and tap it on a table or the kitchen countertop to remove any air pockets.Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes till the cake pulls away from the pan edges.

Take out from the oven and cool for 5 – 10 minutes.

Remove the cake onto a cake turntable or a plate.Trim the top of the cake if it has any raised sides.Trim the cake for a straight surface.Cool for 1 – 1 1/2 hours till the cake comes to room temperature!

Ice the cake :

Take 2 – 3 Cherries and chop them into pieces.With a potato peeler,peel the surface of the chocolate bar to get fine chocolate shavings.Keep these shavings refrigerated till use.

Fresh Cherries add real beauty to this cake..

Slit the cake from the middle into two equal halves.Spread 2 tbsp of the cream from the bowl over the base slice and spread it well.Sprinkle the chopped Cherries on top of the cream.Sandwich with the top slice.Spread the remaining cream on top and sides of the cake spreading it evenly to coat the surface of the cake.

Pipe swirls on the borders and one in the middle of the Iced cake using the prepared Icing bag.Keep a Cherry on each swirl.Sprinkle the chocolate shavings on and around the swirls.

Refrigerate the cake.Cut slices enclosing a swirl topped Cherry.Serve chilled.