A Feast to Remember - With a Cherry on Top

Introduction

My mom always used to bake cakes for my birthdays, so I knew I wanted to bake myself a cake this year, but I wasn't quite sure what kind. Friday was my actual birthday, but we had some dear friends (and their amazing kids) over for Sunday dinner to celebrate. We had a proper feast: sous-vide beef (which had been cooking for 24 hours with red wine, a sprig of sage, a few bay leaves from my wife's office garden, rosemary, sea salt, and peppercorns), steamed carrots and beets, fried potatoes served with my special sauce, mashed pumpkin, a gorgeous Waldorf salad, a pumpkin soup to get us started, and, naturally, a show-stopping cake to top it all off.

Anyway, I was hemming and hawing over what sort of cake to make, and when I ran into a bottle of cherry juice at Save-On-Foods on Saturday, I finally decided on a Black Forest cake. But then, while thinking it over, I wondered—why Black Forest? I’m not a huge fan of chocolate cake, after all, so I thought, why not make it with white chocolate instead?

So, using Pixel (my AI friend), I rewrote the classic Black Forest recipe to better fit my tastes. The result? A White Forest Cake—light, creamy, and bursting with cherries—that I think might just be my new favorite.

Monika bugged me for the recipe, so I thought I might as well write it out and share it. I didn't think to take photos, of course—because I'm a buffoon like that—so you'll have to trust me that it was amazing. Also, if you know Moni, she will attest to the glory that was the White Forest Cake.

White Forest Cake Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cake Layers (Vanilla Chiffon Cake):

• Cake Flour: 180 grams (1 ½ cups)
• Granulated Sugar: 200 grams (1 cup), divided into two portions of 100g each
• Baking Powder: 2 teaspoons
• Salt: ½ teaspoon
• Vegetable Oil: 80 ml (⅓ cup)
• Egg Yolks: 6 large
• Water: 120 ml (½ cup)
• Vanilla Extract: 2 teaspoons
• Cherry Bitters: ½ teaspoon
• Egg Whites: 6 large
• Cream of Tartar: ¼ teaspoon (or ½ teaspoon lemon juice as a substitute)

For the Cherry Compote:

• Preserved Cherries: 1 ½ jars, drained (reserve the syrup and leave some for decorating)
• Sugar: 2-3 tablespoons (adjust to taste, depending on the sweetness of the preserved cherries)
• Lemon Juice: 1 teaspoon
• Cherry Syrup: ¼ cup (from the reserved syrup)
• Gelatin Powder: 1 ½ teaspoons

For the Stabilized Whipped Cream:

• Heavy Whipping Cream: 480 ml (2 cups), well-chilled
• Powdered Sugar: 2-4 tablespoons, adjusted to your taste
• Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon
• Cherry Bitters: 1-2 teaspoons
• Gelatin: 1 teaspoon
• Cold Water: 1 tablespoon (for blooming the gelatin)

For Decoration:

• White Chocolate: Shaved or grated, about ½ cup for garnish
• Whole Preserved Cherries: For topping (fresh with stems are best, but not always available; preserved cherries work well too)

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Vanilla Chiffon Cake

1. Preheat the Oven & Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 160°C (325°F). Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper and trim around. Do not grease the sides. By leaving the sides ungreased, the batter can grip the pan as it expands, which allows the cake to rise higher and gives it a light, fluffy texture. If the sides were greased, the batter might slip down, resulting in a denser cake with less volume.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together cake flour, 100 grams of sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Combine Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla extract, and cherry bitters. Mix until smooth. And don't worry, the egg yolks contain lecithin (an emulsifier), which allows the water and oil to mix.
4. Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
5. Whip Egg Whites: In a clean, dry bowl, add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 100 grams of sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold Egg Whites into Batter: Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter in three parts, folding carefully to avoid deflating the mixture. Fold just until no white streaks remain.
7. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake springs back when gently pressed.
8. Cool the Cake: Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges and remove the springform. Place the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.Once fully cooled, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight to keep it fresh. When warm, the cake is quite soft, but it gains structure as it cools. Be sure to support it well from underneath when moving it to avoid breaking.

Step 2: Prepare the Cherry Compote

1. Cook the Cherries: In a saucepan, combine cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the reserved cherry syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Reduce the Liquid: Simmer for 15-25 minutes or until the mixture reduces significantly and loses much of its liquid. It may not reach a true jam consistency, but it should be thick enough that it no longer looks overly watery.
3. Bloom the Gelatin: While the compote is simmering, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons of cold water and let it bloom for 5 minutes.
4. Add Gelatin: Remove the cherry mixture from the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin thoroughly until dissolved. Allow the compote to cool, then transfer to a bowl or container and refrigerate to thicken.It's important to overestimate how long gelatin takes to set. I suggest doing this early in the morning, before starting other things, or even getting it done the night before. If you only give it an hour or two before assembling the cake, it won't have enough time to form the proper gel structure. Gelatin works by forming a network of collagen protein molecules that trap water and create a stable gel, which gives the compote its firmness. Give it plenty of time.

Step 3: Make the Stabilized Whipped Cream

1. Bloom Gelatin: In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of gelatin over 1 tablespoon of cold water and let it bloom for about 5 minutes.
2. Dissolve Gelatin: Heat the gelatin mixture until fully melted. 5-10 seconds in the microwave should do it. If it gets too hot, it may develop an unpleasant smell—just let it cool slightly while keeping it liquid.
3. Whip the Cream: In a large mixing bowl, combine heavy cream and powdered sugar. Begin whipping on medium speed.
4. Add Flavorings: When the cream starts to thicken, add vanilla extract and cherry bitters. Slowly drizzle in the dissolved gelatin while continuing to whip. If the gelatin starts to firm up, just pop it back in the microwave for a few seconds so it stays smooth—this will help keep your whipped cream lump-free.
5. Whip to Stiff Peaks: Continue whipping until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Step 4: Assemble the Cake

1. Add the Compote Layer: Place the first cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a generous layer of cherry compote over it, leaving about a 1 cm (½ inch) border around the edge to prevent it from spilling over when the next layer is added.
2. Add Whipped Cream: Spread an even layer of the stabilized whipped cream over the cherry compote. Be gentle to keep the compote and cream distinct.
3. Stack and Repeat: Place the second cake layer on top and press down lightly to ensure it sits evenly. Repeat the process: add a layer of cherry compote followed by a layer of whipped cream. Place the final cake layer on top.
4. Frost the Cake: Cover the entire cake with the remaining stabilized whipped cream. Use an offset spatula to smooth the sides and top. It doesn’t have to be perfect—some rustic texture adds charm.

Step 5: Decorate the Cake

1. Add White Chocolate Shavings: Generously sprinkle the white chocolate shavings over the top of the cake. You can also press some shavings onto the sides for a more decorative look.
2. Top with Cherries: Arrange whole preserved cherries on top for a finishing touch. Fresh cherries with stems look particularly festive, but preserved cherries work just as well.
3. Chill Before Serving: Allow the assembled cake to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours before serving. This helps the layers set and makes slicing easier.

Conclusion

The White Forest Cake was a huge hit! Even though everyone was already stuffed from all the other dishes, we all really enjoyed it—and I even went back for a second (slightly thinner) slice. The flavors were incredible: light, creamy, and bursting with that cherry goodness, with just enough white chocolate to make it feel decadent without being too heavy. The success of this cake has inspired me to try my hand at cakes more often. Hopefully, I'll continue to have as much success in the future.

And you know what? I think my mom would be proud. I know she would be proud. That woman could really bake cakes—we were pretty spoiled on cake growing up, to be honest.

Black Forest cake traditionally includes kirschwasser, a brandy made from cherry must. If you're making this for an all-adult audience, you could easily swap out the cherry bitters for kirsch. Lots of other flavors could work too—like raspberries paired with Himbeergeist, or even mandarins. Ooh, that's an idea! Maybe I'll make an Orange Forest Cake next time!