Triple Layer Black Forest Cake For Fiesta Friday #100
This is really a simple cake to both make and assemble. My favorite chocolate cake recipe from Hershey’s is so easy to make and quick to prepare, whipped cream frosting and cherry preserves. It’s the Holidays so go festive with the garnish, I shaved some chocolate on top and coated some fruit (apricots, cherries,kumquats,grapes and cranberries) with sugar by simply brushing with lightly beaten egg white and dusting with granulated sugar except the sugared cranberries which get a good soak in a sugar syrup then a roll in granulated sugar.
As I mentioned in my last post this is the 100th Fiesta Friday Party, it’s a milestone and I am honored to be a co host for this 2 week, (YES, the party lasts 2 weeks) bash. Our host as always is the effervescent and steadfast Angie, thank you for making this possible Angie, and my wonderful and lovely co-hosts are Judi, Mollie, Steffi, we are waiting to welcome you all to the party. EVERYONE is welcome to join in the festivities, the link to join is at the end of this post. Merry Christmas to all have a joyous day with friends and family and enjoy copious amounts of delicious food!!
Chocolate Cake
From Hershey’s
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk at room temperature
2 eggs at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 350 degree’s. Prepare three 8 inch round cake pans, grease or butter or spray, line with parchment round, grease again and dust with flour.
In large mixing bowl whisk or sift together the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients, milk, egg, oil, vanilla but NOT the boiling water. Beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and mix only until combined. Distribute evenly in baking pans and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes depending on your oven or until cake tester comes out clean.
Whipped Cream Frosting:
From James Mcnair’s Cakes
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 cups Heavy whipping cream Divided
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
Place metal bowl and wire whisk beater or beaters in freezer to chill.
In a small saucepan combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch whisk until mixed. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup heavy cream whisk until smooth. Place on medium heat and stir constantly to prevent scorching at the bottom stir constantly until mixture thickens and almost comes to a boil. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside stirring occasionally until it reaches room temperature.
In the chilled bowl combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and the vanilla beat with the chilled whisk of your stand mixer or your hand held mixer until the cream begins to hold shape. While still beating add the powdered sugar mixture a little at a time. Beat just until the mixture forms stiff peaks when the beater is raised and is spreadable, be careful not to over beat. Use immediately.
Assembling the Cake
Place bottom layer on cake stand, spread some cherry preserves on and top with some whipped cream frosting, place the second layer on and do the same finishing with the top layer flat side on the top. Top with more whipped cream frosting and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving arrange the sugared fruit on top or whatever garnish you choose.
To make sugared fruit click here and see a video tutorial from Martha Stewart. It’s so simple.
I hope you all will want to come to the party and all are welcome!! To link your recipe simply click the button. See you at the party!!
apuginthekitchen 
Someone’s been a very busy girl…
🎄merry🎄christmas🎄
Merry Christmas, yes very busy. Putting together a feast for today!!
Merry Fiesta Friday, Suzanne! The Black Forest cake is the perfect dessert for this centennial fiesta. It’s my favorite cake of all (or would be if I could still have more than a tiny bite of cake). I love your presentation and the garnishes are gorgeous! Well done my friend. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas Teagan thank you, yes I too love black forest cake. This is not really tradition but all the parts are there Hope you have a great day!!
I’d really love to have a slice of this cake right now, Suzanne! Thank you for co-hosting this big FF celebration! Happy holidays! 🙂
Thank you Jhuls, would love to give you a slice. I hope you had a great day yesterday!!
I had wonderful time with all the delicious foods here at FF party! 😀 I am still working on my second treat to bring. Photos are ready – just need to edit the recipe and write my blah blahs. 🙂
Can’t wait to see it!!
How incredibly stunning, Suzanne! You have outdone yourself on this one. The decorations are magnificent! Merry Christmas!!! xo
Thank you so much Em. Merry Christmas, I loved that PJ photo of the whole family, What fun you must be having!!
Hello my dear fellow co-host – what a Happy Christmas it is with such a beautiful cake! I can only drool over the pictures. Merry Christmas and a wonderful Fiesta Friday #100!
Ginger x
Merry Christmas Ginger so happy to be hosting with you. I hope your day is happy and is spent with lots love and food, family and friends!!
We’ve played with all the toys and eaten all the food. What’s not to like? Have a great one yourselves!
Jiminy Crickets is THIS a CAKE. I hope you’re serving this to your Christmas guests Suzanne; they’d sure be lucky to get a slice. Merry Christmas ❤
Yes I am, thanks so much Jess, I have not cut into it because dinner is not until later so it’s sitting in the fridge waiting. Merry Christmas hope you and your family are having a great day.
This is gorgeous!!
Thanks Lynn, Merry Christmas!
Merry christmas!
What a beautiful cake and just perfect for such a special FF! Thank you for cohosting! We are definitely well represented! I can’t believe all of the wonderful people that I’ve met through this virtual party. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Suzanne!
Merry Christmas Julie and thank you so much. I am honored to be hosting on this special FF. I can’t wait to see all the fantastic food everyone has brought.
A very merry fiestmas (fiesta+Christmas 😉) Suzanne!
That’s one of my favorite cakes… Your frosting sounds divine and I love how the cake is not coated with frosting.
And and and …. Happy hosting ❤️
Thank you Sonal, today was interesting, My stove/oven died right in the middle of cooking Christmas dinner. I should have replaced it but was procrasinating about which one to get now I really have to, Hope you had a really wonderful holiday and thank you so much,
Oh no!! I am sure that you must have managed well despite that breakdown.
I had a good relaxing day while we celebrated Christmas Eve with company 😊
Now I am faced again with deciding on a stove. I hate making appliance decisions. Have a wonderful weekend!!
😀
What an AWESOME cake Suzanne! However, any cake that involves layers and frosting is too complicated for me… I will just envy it from afar. I am sure your guests will enjoy digging into that beautiful masterpiece! 🙂
OH! And Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, I just love layer cakes with gobs of frosting,. This one turned out really good. Had it tonight and it was really good and so pretty, Everyone really liked it a lot. Thank you so much and hope you had a great day.
Stunning! The sugared fruit and chocolate shavings are gorgeous! Enjoy… 🎄❄️🎄
Thank you so much and a very Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas! Lovely, lovely, lovely, gimme, gimme, gimme. Cheryl
Thanks Cheryl, how was your Christmas? If I lived closer I would bring you some. Have a great evening.
Sooooo yumified Suzanne my friend. It was WONDERFUL!!! Hoping your day/evening with friends went well! See You tomorrow! Cheryl
Yes it was really nice, See you tomorrow, get some rest.
What a perfect cake for the 100th fiesta! Love your photos and the recipe! Thank you for hosting the 2 week party!
Thank you so much Sandhya!! Happy holidays!!
Happy Holidays to you too, Suzanne!
Reblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine and commented:
Your Cake is the perfect dessert!!!
Thank you!
That looks like the perfect cake for FF #100 Suzanne! It is fabulous and so festive! Merry Christmas and thank you for hosting FF #100
Thank you so much, I hope you had a wonderful holiday!!
that looks delicious Suzanne!
Thanks so much Anatoli, hope you all had a great holiday. We enjoyed a good meal and wine it was very nice.
Hello co-host – so happy to be a part of this foursome for Fiesta Friday #100. Love chocolate cake and three layers of it. I bake with hersheys too in some brownies – adds great flavor doesn’t it. Sugared fruits are a great way to decorate this delicious cake.
Hi Judi, thank you so much, can’t believe Christmas is over, today I rest. I agree about Hershey’s cocoa, I love it both the regular and dark it’s really good and produces great baked goods; Happy Holidays.
Your cake looks amazing and very delicious 😀
Thank you so much Irene!!
Gorgeous!
Thank you so much!!
Suzanne, your Schwarzwälder Torte ( German for blackberry forest cake ) looks amazing. I have never seen one done like that. It is so creative and looks delicious.
What kind of stove are you looking for, maybe I can help you .
Thank you Gerlinde, I know it is not the traditional Black Forest cake but is close and it was delicious. I want a gas stove 30 inch would like 5 burners in stainless steel. Would love some help. Thank you, it has to be good quality that can withstand someone who cooks a lot. A work horse!!
Suzanne, I talked to my french girl friend who is a good cook and she loves her GE Monogram gas stove. I have a gas wolf cooktop and a viking double oven. My viking oven is amazing but my first one was defect and almost burned down my house and had to be replaced. My wolf gas cooktop is great except it has some problems with the simmer function and had to be repaired twice. I hope this helps you. Happy New Year
Thanks so much Gerlinde. I am considering the GE Cafe series gas range. It has gotten good reviews. I was also told Frigedaire is good, I know Wolf and Viking are good, real workhorse appliances. There are so many out there it is so hard to make a decision. I will look into the Monogram collection from GE. I have friends who have had both Wolf and Viking and what scares me is repairs, I have heard it’s hard to find qualified repair people that are not incredibly expensive. There is so much to take into consideration. A very happy New Year and thank you so much for checking with your friend for me I really appreciate it.
Black forest cake is one of my favorite. I have not seen one quite as beautiful as this one. Happy #100 of Fiesta Friday! 🙂
Thank you so much Fae, hope you had a nice holiday!
This Black Forest is marvelous, Suzanne. Beautiful presentation and I bet it tastes delicious too. Thank you for co-hosting this fantastic FF#100 and Happy Holidays! 🙂
Thanks so much Lnda, I am really honored to be co hosting the 100th post of FF.
Wow! Definitely a party piece!!! Happy Fiesta Friday 😀😀😀
Thank you so much Elaine, Happy Fiesta Friday and a very joyous, prosperous, healthy and happy 2016!!
Thank you so much, and to you xx
I love the look of this dessert:) Merry Christmas and also Happy FF#100
Thank you so much LIna. Happy New Year!!
To u too☺
Happy Holidays, Suzanne! This is one gorgeous cake and it looks like I could just dive in! Wow. That frosting looks so luscious, the cake so dark! Thanks for bringing this to Fiesta Friday and I’m so happy to be co-hosting with you, Steffi, and Judi!
Thanks so much Mollie, I love hosting with you all and am thrilled that we are hosting such a huge event. Happy Holidays, and may you have an absolutely amazing New Year celebration and all the best in 2016!!
Amazing cake, just beautiful! Thank you for co-hosting the party and bringing this wonderful cake.
Thank you so much Liz, hope you had a wonderful holiday, that photo of the doggies is so adorable and I LOVE your waffles thank you for bringing to the party. Have a great day.
What a beautiful cake for a fitting occasion Suzanne! You’ve really outdone yourself on this gorgeous beauty……from the fruit, frosting and presentation. I hope you are enjoying the Fiesta with the 3 other co-hosts. Thank you again 🙂
Thank you so much Loretta. I love the cake and love co hosting with my wonderful co hosts. It’s so much fun.
This looks gorgeous Suzanne 🙂
Thanks so much Freda!
Hi Suzanne, as always I love seeing your posts. Thank you for hosting this week (and next!!). It’s always such a pleasure seeing what you’ve made and I dare wonder if I head over to Food52 how many contests you’ve won since I’ve been absent from the blogosphere! On this cake: it is beautiful and so perfect for the occasion. I wonder, . . . I did not click on the link for the sugared fruit, but the cranberries would just be ornamental, right? Does the sugaring process involve cooking or blanching the fruit at all, or is it strickly a garnishment procedure? In any event, it does add a very nice visual touch to the cake. I have always loved German chocolate application to anything, be it ice cream, cake, brownies. I love the combination of flavors. Wishing you a very happy holiday season!
I don’t know if I have won anymore contests maybe 1 buy can’t remember, thank you so much. The cranberries are definitely edible and unbelievably delicious click on the link it is from food52. They are tart and sweet and crunchy and totally addictive. I love a good Black Forest cake and although this is not traditional it is nonetheless good. So good to see you Sur thank you and Happy New Year!!!
That means I’ll have to make at least the cranberries as Mike is a cranberry (and any tart fruit for that matter) FREAK, he will eat them raw smushed into muffins, on top of pie, on ice cream, in yogurt, you name it. Looking forward to co-hosting with you again soon!
You too Sue, I could not stop eating those cranberries. I did not use orange blossom flavor I scented the sugar with orange zest and the combo of tart cranberry with sweet orange sugar was heaven.
Merry Christmas Suzanne! I remember looking at this black forest cake on your Instagram a few days ago and drooling over it. Believe me it does not look SIMPLE to make, very complex and impressive indeed. Wishing you a great entry into 2016 xx
Thank you Sofia, it really is simple I promise. The cake itself is the most simple recipe and the cake is truely delicious, I wish you the same and may 2016 be a wonderful, joyful and prosperous year for you..
Thank you Suzanne, my 2016 had good parts (many saved in my blog) but also plenty of not so good parts (not published). I hope 2016 will be a lot better, your best wishes mean a lot ❤ I also wish you a wonderful, joyful and prosperous 2016!
I hope your tooth is better!! Thank you so much best wishes,:o)
Black forest s my favorite cake:-) looks yum can I have a slice
Would gladly give you some cake. Thank you so much!!
Looks incredibly delicious! A lovely cake like this will be a hit anywhere, any time! Happy New year! Koko 🙂
Thank you so much Koko, Happy New Year!!
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas Suzanne! The Hershey chocolate cake is one of my favourites and I love how you’ve dressed it up for the holidays it looks beautiful. Happy 100th Fiesta Friday!
Thank you so much, it’s such a great cake recipe. I can’t get over how simple it is and the results are always consistently good. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
As always, you create the most beautiful treats! Happy New Year to you and your family!
Happy New Year to you as well and thanks so much.
Oh my gracious, Suzanne! That is one spectacular cake!! I can only imagine how delicious it tasted. Those are some lucky guests!! 😀
Thank you. It was really wonderful. I love the combination!!
I just want to reach into the computer and gobble this up! It looks so beautiful and delicious. Mmmm.
Following now. 🙂
Thank you so much Juana, Happy New Year!!
Gorgeous decadent yummilicious cake Suzanne…mmm…..
Thank you so much, I love the combination of flavors in this cake. Happy New Year!!
What a gorgeous cake! I love whipped cream on cake as it’s so soft and light…and creamy and not too sweet! The sugared fruits look beautiful–I love the assortment of sizes and colours you chose. What a perfect topping for a cake. I’ll have to try it some day 🙂
Thank you so much, yes the cake is not overly sweet, just the right amount of sweetness. Those sugared fruits are beautiful but not something I would want to do often, the cranberries were my favorite and so delicious, Happy New Year and best wishes for a fabulous 2016!!
So many things I love about this cake Suzanne!! First of all it’s so beautiful!! The variety of fruit is so pretty with the sugaring. And what’s better than chocolate– and whipped cream! I’ve never seen cornstarch added to whipped cream– is that to be a stabilizer? Sounds like a useful idea. Happy New Year friend!!
Hi Rhonda thank you. Yes it’s genius really making pudding of sorts and adding to the whipped cream makes for an incredibly stable whipped cream frosting. Thank you so much!
It is an amazing cake!! I wishing I had an occasion for a special cake this week! (but I’m saving the recipe.). Happy Weekend.
Wooooow terrific
Thank you so much Linda!
This cake looks absolutely spectacular! It is THE cake for 100FF. Beautiful! Way to go!
Thank you so much, Happy New Year!!
I am so glad I never make a resolution to lose weight, because something tells me I would not be doing well with it at this point…
I know better than to make any resolutions at all. I would be setting myself up for failure. I have really over eaten this holiday. Ugh…
I was thinking I’ve left you a comment, but no, even though I’ve been looking and looking some more at this spectacular cake! Truly beauituI! I love how simple the decoration is, yet it totally works in a most stunning way. I’m definitely going to copy! 🙂
Thanks Angie, if only I could take a good picture. The cake was so beautiful, but my house is really light challenged and the day was dismal and cloudy, bad day to take photographs.
Oh My God… I just saw this post! This looks utterly heavenly..! 🙂
Thank you so much!!
What a cake! What a treat! Wow! 🙂
Oh thank you so much!!
That looks soooooo delicious!
Thank you so much Peter.
Work of Art…so festive. 🙂
Thank you so much!
Wow!
Thank you!!
Oh my, what a beautiful cake. I can just taste it now! ☕
Thank you so much!