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Black Forest Cake / Schwarzwalder Kirsch Torte

A repost from my old baking blog…

The finished product. Sorry for the grease spots on the lens. We were in a hurry to get to the party!

Black Forest Cake / Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte

Elements here, bottom to top:

the turntable/cake stand
The baking circles or rounds, and the doily
the cake layers
the ganache
the cherry filling
the chocolate curls
and — uh,oh — [...]

Making Chocolate Curls

A repost from my old baking blog.

One of the most exhilarating things about being a baker is working with chocolate. I haven’t even begun to explore all the myriad ways of playing with it, shaping it, cutting it, melting it, coating with it, etc. and I look forward to doing just that on this blog. [...]

Cherry Filling

A repost from my old baking blog.

1 14.5 oz. can tart cherries (not cherry pie filling)
water if necessary
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Drain cherries, reserving liquid. Set cherries aside. Measure liquid — you need 1/2 cup; add water if necessary. Add sugar and cornstarch to liquid and whisk until dissolved. Transfer to [...]

Ganache

A repost from my old baking blog.

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 ounces sweet chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoons rum, brandy or other spirits
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, optional
Confectioners sugar to taste

Chop or break off chocolates into small chunks. In a microwave-safe bowl or large measuring cup, combine with the whipping cream. Microwave in [...]

Basic Chocolate Cake #1

A repost from my old baking blog.

I have several go-to recipes when I need a chocolate cake from scratch. This is my favorite — it’s so easy!

Cooking spray for pans
Cake flour or cocoa powder for dusting
4 ounces (120 g) unsweetened chocolate

1/2 pound (230 g) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (280 g) cake flour
2 cups [...]

But You Have to Supply the Music

A repost from my old baking blog.

For all your wonderful cake creations:

…. on my wish list this coming baking year.

Right now I have this one

which doubles as a turntable, but if I want to tilt the cake for some fancier work I can’t. (One way I’ve gotten around that is to lift the cake using [...]

Easy Sourdough Bread

My method:

Get 2/3-3/4 cup starter from the fridge — let stand in a covered bowl until it’s room temp (anywhere from 1 hr to whenever I remember that I have a bowl waiting for me)
Add 4 handfuls flour (I figure this is probably about 2 cups) + water to wet everything, stirring with a wooden [...]