We all love Chocolate cake and I’ve made many for special family events, birthdays, Valentines or charity fundraising so it’s a great opportunity to bake a special one for a retirement ‘do’ at our local primary school.
I got the inspiration to make a Black Forest traybake at an Art Gallery café, where I’d been treated to a slab of this famous cake. Ubiquitous in the 1970s. this chocolate and cherries combo seems to be making a comeback, especially when luscious cherries are in season. There are so many variations for ‘Black Forest gateau’ but I used Grandma Abson’s easy Chocolate Cake as a basis to make a traybake version. Her ‘secret’ ingredient is to add warmed black treacle to the mixture.
What you need
200g dark brown sugar
200g butter
200g self-raising flour
3 tbsps cocoa powder
3 large eggs
2 tbsps black treacle (slightly warmed)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup milk
How to bake
Preheat
the oven to 180 C (160C Fan), 350F, Mark 4). Grease and line a
tin (approx. 20 x 30 cms/8 x 12 ins).
Cream the butter and sugar together. Mix the cocoa and flour together. Beat the eggs. Add alternately to the mixture with the flour and mix gently. Add the black treacle and vanilla. Add enough milk to give a soft consistency. Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 30 minutes.
Topping
Fresh cherries
Butter
Icing Sugar
Milk
Or Double cream (small tub)
Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before making the topping. Make the butter cream by mixing the icing sugar and butter together and adding a little milk to give a soft texture. Pipe or spread the top of the cake with butter cream or fresh cream and decorate with grated or shaved chocolate as you wish.
Serve with more cream and a glass of fizz and
it’s a proper celebration. It’s a piece of cake really!
