White Forest Cake
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When life gives you cherries
If you are already spotting cherries, don’t waste any other day and make this sumptuous White Forest Cake! This is a very fluffy, moist and soft white sponge cake with a very delicate crumb, thanks to using cake flour and some white chocolate in the batter. It’s soaked in a simple cherry syrup, filled with a homemade liquor-spiked cherry compote and covered with a light and soft whipped cream frosting. It’s a dream of a cake!
For me cooking has always been about celebrating whatever my present is. I can assure you that the time that you have at the moment and the ingredients you have right in front of you will always be enough for creating something special and exciting. I have to admit I’m not big on seasonality. I live in an island in the middle of the Caribbean and almost everything is imported. But I have always loved the adrenaline rush of figuring what to create with a new ingredient that’s lately showing up in the supermarket or a food that drops right in my hands for any given reason. That’s exactly what happened with a big bag of dark cherries.
Out of the blue my mom sent to me a full bag of cherries. She just thought I would love them. Of course she was sooo right! Mom knows best, right?! They were so juicy and tart but not overly sweet, just perfect. I had so many I decided I needed to create something beautiful with them, they deserved better than me popping them out of the bag like store candy. After a long talk with myself, I decided to make this White Forest Cake. You my friends love so much my Black Forest Chocolate Tart, that I thought you would love this white version. And after tasting many bites of it, I’m sure you will!
This cake has four components; cake, syrup, compote and frosting. The very good news is that each and every component is incredibly easy and all are perfect for making ahead. I would actually go all the way to tell you that the best way to make this cake is making the components the day before, even two days in advance, then assemble and chill the day you’re planning on serving. You won’t even need to warm and re-mix the frosting, which usually is the most challenging cake component to make ahead. I actually stored leftover frosting and smeared a bit extra every time I had this cake the following days. And it was perfect all the time.
Of course, as in dark forest anything, I brought up the booze for the cake’s simple syrup and the cherry compote. I used Chambord raspberry liquor because that’s what I had in hand but you can use any brandy, cognac or red fruit liquor. If you can grab a cherry liquor don’t hesitate because you’ll enhance the cherry flavor. For the syrup, I happened to have unsweetened dark cherry concentrate juice, it was Mariana’s favorite! You can use cherry juice or kirsch water as well.
Now I’m going to tell you the main steps I followed to bake this White Forest Cake and how to prepare and store everything in advance.
How to make this White Forest Cake
Start by making the cake. This is a sponge cake and, as the name suggests, will absorb lots of syrup, that why it’s perfect for making ahead. I used cake flour in this recipe for an ultra light and tender crumb. If you don’t have cake flour at hand, use all-purpose flour, preferably organic. Whisk it with the baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Next mix the eggs with the sugar in high speed, then pour in a thin stream the vegetable oil. Using oil in this cake helps keeping it soft and fresh for days. Add the vanilla, buttermilk, the melted white chocolate and finish up with the flour mixture.
Bake cakes in 3-6” cake pans or in 2-8” cake pans. You may use 9” cake pans but check for doneness during the last 5 minutes of baking.
Mix the ingredients of the syrup in a small casserole (except the liquor) and as soon as you take the cakes out make it. Remove cakes from pan, level the tops off and pour syrup. When the cakes are cooled down and no longer releasing steam, wrap each cake with cling plastic wrap. Put one on top of the other and wrap again the cake “tower”. This protects the cakes from getting dry. You can even place a damp paper towel in between the wrapped cakes. It’s not necessary but I have done it before and it sure helps. They can be chilled 1 to 2 days.
You may use fresh or frozen pitted cherries for making the compote. It’s done in less than 20 minutes. Let it cool down and then chill covered in the fridge. It needs to be chilled or at least cool to the touch when it touches the frosting. This can be made a few days in advance. I made it two days before assembling the cake.
The whipped cream frosting has to be the easiest thing in the world! There’re different techniques to make whipped cream stable. I used a bit of cream cheese to stabilize this frosting. But it doesn’t taste like cream cheese AT ALL. It only brings a creamy soft texture to the frosting and makes it so stable it won’t weep at any time. Make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese before adding the cream. Beat it well and as much as you need with the confectioner’s sugar, you can’t over beat anything at this point. It’s super important to scrape the bottom and walls of the bowl a few times to make sure the mixer is grasping all the cream cheese. When I feel the cream cheese has reached the smoothest point, I like to pour a drizzle of heavy cream just to make the beaters run faster and give it another run.
You need to use VERY COLD heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. It should state it is 40% fat (like plain whipping cream). Anything less than this won’t whip your frosting at all. When ready to add it, pour it in a thin but constant stream. As soon as the last drop falls, you have to be very careful because your frosting could be done in as little as 1 minute or it could take a whole 3 minutes. As soon as the wire starts to leave hard indentions on the cream it’s time to stop mixing. Heavy cream will go from foamy to butter in no time. You should have soft but sturdy peaks that will hold its shape and won’t fall to the bowl. It’s better to stop and check the consistency and keep mixing if needed in 20-30 second intervals than to over mix and loose your frosting. Place frosting in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes before frosting the cake. Frosting can be done 2 days in advance.
Finally!! The assembly time has come! Take out all the components and place one cake in a plate. Smear a medium layer of frosting on top of it and arrange some of the compote on top. Spoon it at different points so you barely have to drag it to make it even. This way the compote won’t get all mixed-up with the frosting. Repeat with the rest of the cakes, ending with just frosting on the top cake. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the sides as a crumb layer and chill for 15 to 20 minutes. Take the cake out and this time spread a bit more frosting on top to create a “bed” for fresh cherries and raspberries as decoration. Leave the sides as they are for a semi-naked look or spread another layer of frosting for a full covered cake look.
Yayyy!! You did it! Once it’s all done, chill one last time, 20 to 30 minutes, to allow everything to set and come together. The cake really can be left in the fridge for a few hours before serving, it will be even better. It can be outside for a few hours in a cool dry shadowed area, especially if it has been chilled for a few hours. Leftover cake will be good for up to a week.
The best way to melt white chocolate
Melting white chocolate is a bit tricky because it can scorch pretty quick, and if this happens there’s no way back. What you need to do is to place the chips in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 15 seconds in high power. Take them out and stir, even if the chips look whole. The heat is trapped in the chips and stirring them will release it, making the chips melt. Keep stirring for almost a minute to make sure the chips are no longer melting. Heat again for 8 to 10 seconds, depending on how much the white chocolate has melted, and again stir as long as you can go. This amount of chocolate should be melted by now. If you feel you still need to heat it once more, heat for 5 seconds in power 6.
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6” cake pans, perfect for mini cakes!
Can’t live without my pre-cut parchment papers.
My KitchenAid electric handheld mixer have been with me for years.
I always use King’s Arthur’s unbleached cake flour, it’s the best!
So, when you see tons of cherries in front of you, now you know what to do. Because cherry season is short and you have to celebrate it to the max. Always making the most with what the present may show up. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this! See you soon!
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White Forest Cake
Ingredients
White Cake
◯ Cake flour (not self-rising), preferably unbleached – 2 cups, 250g
◯ Baking powder – 1 Tsp
◯ Fine sea salt – ½ tsp
◯ Large eggs, at room temperature – 3
◯ Natural granulated sugar – 1 ¼ cup, 255g
◯ Vegetable oil – 1 cup
◯ Vanilla extract – 1 Tsp
◯ Buttermilk – 1 ¼ cup
◯ White chocolate chips - ¼ cup, to be melted
Cherry simple syrup
◯ Unsweetened dark cherry juice or Kirsch water - 2 TBSP
◯ Lemon juice - ½ TBSP
◯ Natural granulated sugar - ¼ cup
◯ Chambord liquor or cherry brandy - 2 to 3 TBSP
Cherry compote filling
◯ Cold water – ⅓ cup
◯ Cornstarch – 1 ½ TBSP
◯ Dark cherries, pitted and halved – 2 cups
◯ Natural granulated sugar – ¼ cup
◯ Freshly squeezed lemon juice – 2 TBSP
◯ Cherry liquor - 1 TBSP
Whipped Cream Frosting
◯ Full fat cream cheese (from a block, not the whipped kind), softened - 6 TBSP, 6 oz.
◯ Confectioner’s sugar - ¾ cup, sifted
◯ Vanilla extract - 1 Tsp
◯ Heavy cream, very cold - 1 ½ cup
Details
Yield:
a 3 tier 6” cake or a 2 tier 8” cake
Total time:
3 hours
Prep time:
15 minutes for making the cake batter, 5 minutes for making the syrup, 20 minutes for making the cherry compote, 15 minutes for making the whipped cream frosting
Baking time:
30 minutes
Chilling times:
1 hour, divided. Several hours if making ahead.
Equipment:
stand mixer or electric hand mixer, 3-6” or 2-8” cake pans
Steps
Making the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare your cake pans; 3 - 6” or 2 - 8” cake pans by greasing them with butter or spraying baking spray.
With a large sieve sift over a large bowl the 2 cups of flour, the teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt.
Place the 3 eggs and the 1 ¼ cup of sugar in a mixing bowl and using the wire attachment whisk in high speed (level #8 in the Kitchen Aid) for 5 minutes.
With the mixer running, start drizzling slowly the cup of vegetable oil in a thin stream. Mix for 2 minutes. Decrease speed to low (level #1 in the Kitchen Aid) and add the teaspoon of vanilla extract and the 1 ¼ cup of buttermilk. Stop the mixer.
Melt in the microwave the white chocolate chips. Start by 10 seconds in high power. Stir them until mostly melted. Heat them again for only 5 seconds and keep stirring until they are fully melted (see notes above for more tips on this).
Start the mixer again in the lowest speed and gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Add melted white chocolate and mix less than 20 seconds. Stop mixer and mix by hand any remaining large streak of dry flour.
Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Arrange pans in the center rack, side by side. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean after you insert it through the center. After a few minutes, invert cake into a plate and back on a rack. Carefully level off your cakes by cutting from side to side the top bumps with a serrated knife. Soak with the cherry syrup. Let them cool down completely.
Making the cherry simple syrup:
As soon as you take the cakes out of the oven, combine the 2 tablespoons of cherry juice or kirsch water, the ½ tablespoon of lemon juice and the ¼ cup of sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat in medium low until sugar has dissolved. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, swirling a few times. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoon of the liquor. Taste and add an extra tablespoon if desired.
Using a pastry brush or small spoon pour the syrup evenly through the already leveled cakes. Let them cool down completely. If not frosting at this moment, wrap your cakes with plastic paper and place them in the fridge until ready for frosting.
Making the cherry filling:
In a small saucepan combine the ⅓ cup of cold water with the 1 ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and dissolve. Incorporate the 2 cups of pitted and halved cherries, the ¼ cup of natural granulated sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Turn the heat on in medium heat. Let it boil, then cook for 3 to 4 extra minutes, until you see the liquid is thickening. Retire from heat and let it cool for 3 minutes. Add the tablespoon of the liquor and mix. Let it cool down completely. Ideally place in the fridge a few minutes (while you are making the frosting) before filling the cake.
You can make this a day in advance, just let it come to room temperature before filling the cake.
Making the whipped cream frosting:
Place cream cheese in a bowl and using the paddle attachment or the beaters beat until very smooth. Scrape the bottom and inside walls of the bowl a few times to make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese. Add confectioner’s sugar and beat until there are no lumps. It should be very smooth. Again, scrape the bottom and wall of the bowl to make sure cream cheese is completely smooth. Add the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Change paddle or beaters for the whisk attachment.
With the mixer running in the lowest speed, pour the chilled heavy cream in a thin but constant stream over cream cheese mixture (if using an electric hand mixer run it still and pour the cream very near to the whisk). As soon as the cream is added, increase speed to high (level #6) and whisk until frosting looks thick and still peaks form, between 1 to 3 minutes. If it isn’t the right consistency after this whisk in 15 to 20 seconds intervals to check the consistency. It is better to be overly cautious and keep whisking more than whisk too much and end up with curdled frosting.
Place frosting in the fridge to set for about 15 minutes (try to not open the fridge during that time). Or cover with plastic paper and store it in the fridge for a couple of days until ready to use.
Assembling the cake:
To assemble the cake, place one of the cakes in a plate. Using a small off-set spatula or a large spoon spread a medium layer of the frosting. Drop some cherry filling on top of different spots of the cake, about 2 to 3 tablespoons total. Try as much as you can to not drag the frosting. The more you divide the filling throughout different spots, the less you’ll have to spread. Leave a clear border of about ½”. Place a second cake upside down on top and repeat the frosting-filling process. Place the last cake upside down as well. Spread a medium layer of frosting on top.
To work the sides, place some frosting on a spot at the bottom of the cake and spread by swiping up. Place more frosting on a few more spots on the side and swipe up. Now smooth the frosting on the frosted side in one direction as much as you can. This should cover about ⅓ of the cake. Repeat this 2 to 3 more times, depending on the size of your cake, until it is completely frosted all around. If there are uncovered spots, use the spatula to paste a bit of frosting and smooth out to even. Leave it like this for a semi-naked cake. For a full frosted cake, chill frosted cake and bowl of frosting for 15 minutes and repeat the process all over until you have the desired thickness.
Chill cake uncovered for at least 15 minutes after finally frosted.
To finish, spread a medium layer of frosting on top as a “bed” and decorate with fresh cherries and raspberries. If using halved strawberries, place them with the skin down so the watery inside doesn’t touch the frosting or it will become weepy.
Chill the cake once more, at least 20 minutes. After this, it can be in a cool dry place out of the fridge for a few hours. The more it is chilled the more stable it will be. If you make the whole cake the day before, it will definitely resist a few hours outside the fridge, ideally in a cool dry place over a shadowed area.
