Vegan Black Forest Cake

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 300 g wheat flour type 405
• 200 g sugar
• 100 g cornstarch
• 30 g cocoa powder
• 1 packet of baking powder
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 320 ml carbonated mineral water
• 50 ml rapeseed oil
• 1 jar sour cherries, with juice, drained weight 350 g
• 25 g cornstarch
• 25 g sugar
• 2 tbsp cherry brandy
• 600 g whipped cream (soy whipped cream), well chilled
• 100 g coconut oil
• 2 packs of cream stiffener
• 30 g sugar
• 3 tbsp cherry brandy
• 100 g dark chocolate, grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 13 hours

for a springform pan with a diameter of 20 cm

For the dough, place all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix roughly. Whisk together the mineral water and oil and slowly add to the flour mixture, stirring constantly, until a smooth dough forms. Caution: Do not overmix, as this will result in the dough becoming too stiff. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line the bottom of a 20cm springform pan with baking paper and bake three layers, one after the other – approximately 340g per layer – for 15 minutes. Remove the layers from the pan and let cool for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, for the cherry filling, drain the sour cherries, reserving the cherry juice. Set aside a small handful of cherries (approx. 10-12) for later decoration. Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of cherry juice and add the sugar. Bring 200ml of cherry juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the cornstarch and sugar mixture and bring everything back to a boil briefly. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in the cherries and kirsch, and let it cool to lukewarm. Then place a cake ring around the first layer, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of kirsch, and spread the cherry mixture on top. For the cream, melt the coconut oil over low heat and let it cool briefly until lukewarm. Whip the well-chilled cream with the cream stiffener and sugar, fold in the coconut oil, and chill for 30 minutes. Spread a 1.5 cm thick layer of cream over the cherries, carefully place the second layer on top, press down lightly, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of kirsch. Now spread another 1.5 cm thick layer of cream, place the last cake layer on top, and drizzle with another 1 tablespoon of kirsch. Carefully remove the cake ring. Fill 2 tablespoons of cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and set aside. Carefully spread the remaining cream over the cake and cover with chocolate shavings. Using a piping bag, pipe small tufts of chocolate onto the cake and place a cherry on top of each one. Chill the cake for at least 5 hours. However, it tastes best if it has chilled in the fridge overnight. Tip: For a simple 2-tier cherry cake, use a 24 cm springform pan, halve the cake batter (approx. 510 g per layer), and omit the last layer of cream filling. For a slightly different cake decoration, sprinkle the bottom edge of the cake with chocolate shavings. Melt some dark chocolate in a water bath, fill it into a piping bag, and pipe symbols of the Black Forest, such as fir trees, deer, or a woman in a Bollenhut, onto baking paper using a stencil placed under the paper or freehand. Press the cooled symbols onto the edge of the cake or stick them on top of the cream. Decorate the cake with the remaining cherries and the thickened cherry juice.