Posted on 12/07/2017 4:37:25 PM PST by Jamestown1630
Recently – for some reason that I can’t even remember now – I was looking for information on Germany’s Black Forest. Many of the links that came up were for the famous Black Forest Cake – an extravagant confection of chocolate sponge cake, ‘kirschwasser’ and cherries. Definitely a 'celebration' cake, and it looks very nice for Christmas.
Here, from Genius Kitchen, is a ‘from scratch’ recipe:
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/authentic-black-forest-cake-schwarzwald-kirsch-kuchen-343698
and here is one using prepared cake mix (includes a little history on the cake) from What's Cooking America:
https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/BlackForestCake.htm
I may have been looking up the Black Forest because I’ve become entranced by train driver’s view videos of trains in Europe. This one on the Bergen line in Norway makes you feel as if you're really there - a nice way to enjoy a snowstorm without being in it. For some reason, I just like having this on the television as I putter about the house. (Warning: it's a 2-hour video; but it doesn't take long to get into the storm ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=facDr2lTAUM
-JT
Hubby loves black forest cake. I haven’t made one in years though. I think it’s time…
I was thinking about getting a little Christmas village bundt pan. I wonder how hard it is to get the little “buildings” out of the pan?
Do you have a special recipe for the peanut blossoms? I have been wanting to make those. Or is it just a regular peanut butter cookie? But I need to figure out how to get it not to flatten out
That looks SO rich, Liz! I think I gained a few pounds just looking at it
Your hips will hate me.
Saw him do that one live back in the day.
L
Absolutely, LOL. But that cake looks devine!
The secret is substituting shortening (I use the Criso butter-flavored sticks) versus the butter. We’ve used this Betty Crocker recipe for a few generations with the Criso substitution:
This is the Super-Jumbo edition, makes 7 dozen cookies. You can use a different recipe, but use Criso in lieu of butter - the cookies spread too much with butter and stay puffier with the Criso substitution.
Peanut Butter Blossoms, Snickerdoodles, Pistachio Thumbprints and Coconut Macaroons.
Eggnog Rum Cake / Nutmeg Spice Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing
Rum Cake 1 1/4 cup flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda a pinch of salt 5 tablespoons butter, melted 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup dark rum 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 3 egg yolks 2 egg whites 4 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup water 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup dark rum
METHOD Grease and add parchment circles to three 6 inch round cake pans. Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, and set aside. With paddle attachment, elec/mixer dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients: melted butter, buttermilk, rum, oil, vanilla, and egg yolks. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix on a medium speed. Scrape down the sizes of the bowl and continue to mix until just combined. Then gently fold in the reserved egg whites until incorporated and no streaks remain. Divide the batter into three 6 inch cake pans. Bake 350 deg 25 min (pick test). Then wire rack to coo in pans 10 minutes.
RUM SAUCE prepare rum sauce by melting together butter, sugar, and water on med. BTB; cook for an additional 2-3 min til all sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and then stir in rum; sauce bubbles vigorously so be careful. Poke the cakes in several places with a toothpick and then pour 1/3 of the rum sauce evenly over each of the 3 cakes. Let the cakes soak for at least an hour but preferably longer. Then invert the cakes on a cooling rack to rest before stacking.
Nutmeg Spice Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing 5 egg whites 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp clove In a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisk
METHOD together the egg whites and sugar constantly but gently until a candy thermometer reads 160 degrees fahrenheit. Transfer the egg white mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on med til the bowl is room temperature to the touch and the meringue has reached soft peaks. Then, switch to paddle; incorporate the butter cube by cube til smooth. Mix in vanilla and spices to incorporate.
GARNISHES: sugared cranberries, pine cones, shower of conf.
Cut out the angel face from a Christmas card or from a magazine.
Nice, those look so perfect. Thanks for posting. BTW I saw on anther thread you are a vet too. Thanks for your service. You’ve got quite a resume - plus you have a mule. :)
Wow you were BUSY!
Thanks for the Crisco tip- I was wondering what I was doing wrong.
Your blossoms look just perfect :-)
Macaroons looks good too, and the snickerdoodles, ...
I have 3, the original no matter how well I greased and floured it, I always had to run a dull knife carefully down every crease or something stuck.
Then I got the rose pan and violet pan, don't need any more but they are so neat.
With the new flour spray, they slip right out of every pan. I googled and the 1st result came up with amazon and your village pan. Individual said they used sunflower oil, and it came out perfect.
So I suggest finding the pan on amazon and reading questions, comments and reviews or post your own. I often read reviews especially for books and sometimes for items I don't really intend to buy.
The village is adorable. There's a gingerbread house, too, a nice shortcut that for lazy me who always wanted to make one but never did because to do a really nice one just seems too much work.
Peanut blossoms are a favorite, the original ones, and they have less peanut butter than regular peanut butter cookies which is a wonder because they taste just right for what they are.
Your cookies are so beautiful and carefully and neatly made. First glance at your photo and I think, "Perfectemundo!". Second thought was way too much work, not up to it any more.
I missed the cookies thread last week! It is sometimes too hard to find. When I try to find it, the searching is too lengthy even just searching my own pings.
Schwarzwaldkuchen, just looking at your photo I can taste it. I never liked it but it is UBIQUITOUS at parties in Germanic Switzerland. It is beautiful and I lived in the cherry filled canton where the best kirschwasser is made, but the sweet sponge and strong alcohol and candied cherries just never did it for me.
I will have to check out the train video. One of my favorite memories ever is when I was 17 and rode with a friend all through Sri Lankan jungles sitting on the outside of the open train doors. Thank goodness I did it when I was young or I’d be scared to death to do it. So beautiful. Nothing between me and the people and elephants in the jungle except some air.
They do use candied cherries in Switzerland (and on this cske) but I think they aren’t those nasty maraschinos. They are harder and sugary, crinkly like dried fruit but glazed a bit.
Amazing that throughout the south they have had major snowfall for them, bad roads especially in Mississippi and southern Texas. All across the gulf to the FL panhandle I think.
We will get our share, and I'm racing to get my house weatherized because every year it has gotten a little worse from what it used to be, drafty, hard for furnace to keep up in super cold.
Liz, if this gorgeosity can be made with only two cake pans, I would love the recipe!
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