Chocolate and Cherry Cake with Sweet Cherry Doppelbock

By: Kaitlin Hill 

My Chocolate and Cherry Cake with Sweet Cherry Doppelbock is a twist on the classic Black Forest Cake. I infuse my decadent chocolate cake with the rich flavor of Sweet Cherry Doppelbock. The beer’s notes of dark fruit, toffee, and plums mesh deliciously with the deep dark chocolate of the cake. For the filling, cherries are cooked until syrupy and layered with ultra-velvety whipped cream. Chocolate, cherries, and cream are the perfect trifecta for this celebratory cake. Though, no occasion is needed to enjoy it.

For the Chocolate Cake:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of Sweet Cherry Doppelbock

10 tablespoons of unsalted butter

3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups of granulated sugar

3/4 cup of sour cream

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla

For the Cherry Filling:

2 cups of fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted and stems removed (I used frozen)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

For the Whipped Cream:

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar

Fresh Cherries for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with butter, line the bottoms with parchment paper, grease the parchment paper and dust the cake pans with flour. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the beer over medium-low heat.

Once melted, remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder. 

Set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth. Pour in the butter-beer mixture and whisk until smooth.

Finally, whisk in the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth and thick. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans and place in the preheated oven.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the cakes bounce back to the touch.

Remove the cakes from the oven and cool in their pans for 15 minutes before turning out onto wire racks and cooling completely.

While the cakes are cooling, make the cherry filling. Combine the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the juice has thickened and is bubbling, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Finally, make the whipped cream. Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream until it begins to thicken, about 1 - 2 minutes. While whipping, add in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time. Whip for an additional 1 - 2 minutes until thick and spreadable.

To assemble, place one cake layer on your serving plate. Top with half of the whipped cream and all of the cherry filling. Sandwich the filling with the second cake layer and top that layer with the remaining cream.

Garnish with fresh cherries and serve.