Chocolate Cherry Cake
If you asked me a few years ago about buttercream, I would have said I hate it, even though I always loved butter on toast or butter on everything. I just felt like buttercream was this sweet, dense, tasteless mess that didn’t go well with cakes in my mind at that time. But here I am – years down the road – loving buttercream. How did it happen? I discovered Swiss meringue buttercream and its Italian version with all their variations – it’s like a whole new world open in front of me! Yes, buttercream is not as delicate and airy as a mousse, but it’s surely smooth and silky and it’s worth a place in the walk of fame of pastry fillings. Mind you, I’ve been using it quite a lot ever since I discovered it and it always turns out great – it’s a reliable recipe, that’s for sure! You can see it in action on these Rose Velvet cakes as well. And even though it’s not my first go-to recipe for cake fillings, it’s surely on the top of my list for frosting and icings.
My favorite is the Swiss meringue buttercream because it’s easier to make and stable enough to use for fillings and decor, either simple or upgraded with chocolate or fruit purees. But I prefer the Italian version for those times when I need a cream that surely doesn’t have raw egg whites – although the Swiss version starts on a hot water bath, the heat may not be enough to cook the egg whites completely, while the 118C sugar syrup used at making Italian meringue surely does. In terms of stability however, I can’t say I noticed any differences – perhaps just the fact that the Italian meringue buttercream takes longer to curdle and then come back together into a smooth cream.
This chocolate cherry cake is a show stopper, no doubt about that! The duo flavored cream and the cherry filling are a match made in heaven, complementing well the moist and fluffy chocolate sponge. It’s as simple as a cake can get, but equally delicious! I decided to play a bit with the decor and Isomalt sugar seemed to be the perfect choice – a gorgeous red sail to make the cake stand out was definitely a good choice!
What’s interesting about decorating cakes is the amount of choices one has once the cake is filled, covered and set. You can turn to the evergreen fresh flower look, caramelized sugar, more buttercream, meringues, sprinkles, chocolate shards and the list can go on. I like to have an idea about it before I start baking, but sometimes it’s the final cake that inspires the decor and it may be a flick of the moment. That’s one of the best things about baking – it’s fun and adventurous!
Chocolate Cherry Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge cake:
- 4 egg yolks + 150g neutral vegetable oil
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 65 g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 g white sugar
- 330 g cold water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cherry sauce:
- 150 g frozen cherries (sour cherries)
- 50 g white sugar
- 30 g water
- 10 g cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water
Duo Swiss meringue buttercream:
- 4 egg whites
- 200 g white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250 g butter (softened)
- 150 g dark chocolate (melted and chilled)
- 100 g white chocolate (melted and chilled)
Dark chocolate ganache:
- 50 g dark chocolate
- 50 g heavy cream
Instructions
Chocolate sponge cake:
- Start by preheating your oven to 350°F-180°C and line 2 pieces of 18cm baking pans with parchment paper.
- Make the mayonnaise by mixing the egg yolks with the vegetable oil until creamy.
- Mix the eggs and sugar in a bowl until double in volume.
- Stir in the mayonnaise and mix well then add the water and vanilla and mix well.
- Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix just until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes until well risen and the cake passes the toothpick test.
- When done, remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool down in the pans.
- Level the cakes then cut each of them into 2 discs. Place aside.
Cherry sauce:
- Combine the cherries, sugar and water in a saucepan and place over low heat.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Mix the cornstarch with cold water then stir it into the cherry sauce.
- Cook 1 additional minute just until thickened then remove from heat and allow to cool down, covering the sauce with plastic wrap.
Duo Swiss meringue buttercream:
- Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt and vanilla in a heatproof bowl and place over a hot water bath.
- Keep over heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture is hot and the sugar has dissolved completely.
- Remove from heat and start mixing with an electric mixer until you get a meringue that has a shiny look and it’s stiff, while the bowl has gone completely cold.
- Add the butter, all at once, and mix well on low heat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture curdles then comes back together.
- When done, split the buttercream in 2/3 and 1/3.
- Mix 2/3 of the cream with dark chocolate and the 1/3 with white chocolate.
- Spoon both buttercreams in two piping bags fitted with a round tip.
Dark chocolate ganache:
- Heat the cream in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the chocolate.
- Mix well until smooth then allow to cool to room temperature.
To assemble the cake:
- Place a disc of sponge cake on a platter then pipe a ring of dark chocolate buttercream, followed by a ring of white chocolate buttercream and a ring of cherry sauce.
- Continue to do the same with the remaining discs of sponge cake and buttercream.
- Use the remaining dark chocolate buttercream to cover the cake into an even layer of cream then refrigerate.
- Pour the ganache over the cake, making sure it drips on the sides.
- Decorate with Isomalt, fresh fruits or chocolate shards.
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