Black Forest cake

To prepare the Black Forest cake, start with the chocolate base. Roughly chop the dark chocolate 1 and melt it in a bain-marie, ensuring that the bowl does not touch the water below. When the chocolate is completely melted, add the butter 2 ; let it melt completely, stirring with a wooden spoon 3 , then let it cool slightly.

In the meantime, place the egg yolks in a stand mixer with half of the granulated sugar 4 , then whip until you obtain a light and fluffy mixture 5 . Pour the now lukewarm chocolate mixture into the stand mixer's bowl 6 .

Once a uniform mixture is obtained, sift the flour, corn starch, and baking powder and add them a little at a time 7 , keeping the mixer on at low speed until you achieve a smooth and compact dough. At this point, start beating the egg whites until stiff 8 , adding the remaining sugar only when they are already white and frothy 9 .

Then incorporate them into the chocolate mixture a little at a time 10 : initially add a couple of tablespoons and stir to soften the chocolate mass, then continue to incorporate the remaining egg whites, mixing from the bottom up 11 to not deflate it. Continue this way until you obtain a smooth, lump-free, and frothy mixture. Butter and flour a 9.5-inch cake pan and pour the batter you've prepared into it 12 .

Level the surface with a spatula 13 and bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 50 minutes (or at 320°F for 40 minutes if using a fan oven); to check the baking, do a toothpick test: if it comes out completely dry, the cake is done, otherwise, you will need to bake it for a few more minutes. When ready, take it out of the oven 14 , let it rest for 5 minutes, then remove it from the mold, placing it on a plate or a cooling rack. In the meantime, prepare the cherries; pit them 15 (set aside 17 whole ones with stems) and place them in a large non-stick pan;

add the sugar 16 and the kirsch 17 . Sauté them for a few minutes: the cherries should not break apart but only release the syrup 18 .

Let them cool, then strain them with a fine-mesh strainer to separate the juice 19 and divide the cherries and juice into two equal parts that you will use to fill the two layers of the cake. As soon as the cake is cold, cut it into three discs of equal thickness 20 . Once finished 21 , move on to assembling the Black Forest cake.

Take the first disc and place it on a rather large serving plate, then soak it with part of the cherry syrup you set aside 22 , then arrange some of the cherries on the surface 23 . Then prepare the Chantilly cream , whipping the cream together with the powdered sugar 24 ;

Once a frothy mixture is obtained 25 , spread 1/3 of it on the first layer 26 , level it with a spatula 27 and

cover with the second disc 28 . Then continue with the second layer, pour the syrup 29 and then the cherries, and finally another layer of whipped cream, leveling in the same way 30 .

Cover with the last disc 31 , finally cover the entire sides 32 and the surface with the cream 33 ; set aside a couple of tablespoons that you will use for the final decoration.

Once completed 34 , with the help of a spoon, make the chocolate curls adhere along the outer circumference 35 ; slightly soften the dark chocolate in the microwave, 3-4 seconds will suffice, and grate it with a vegetable peeler to create curls 36 .

Distribute them on the surface of the cake, leaving a few inches from the edge 37 . Put the chantilly cream in a piping bag with a star nozzle and decorate the edge of the cake with pretty tufts 38 ; place a whole cherry on each 39 . Once completed, let the Black Forest cake set for half an hour in the refrigerator before serving.