Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
Cake
1 C. water
1 C. honey
1/2 C. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. vinegar
2 C. whole wheat pastry flour or Unbleached white flour
3/4 C. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Syrup
1/2 C. water
1/4 C. honey
2 thin lemon or orange slices
1/3 C. kirsch
Icing
3/4 C. raw cashews
3/4 C. water
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. honey
10-ounce firm tofu
3 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted
16-ounce jar pitted cherries, drained
Cooking Instructions
CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine liquid ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Sift dry ingredients together and whisk into liquid mixture. Pour into greased and floured 9 cake tin and bake for 35 minutes or until springy. Cool cake completely and remove from pan. With a serrated knife, cut cake horizontally to make 3 thin layers. SYRUP: Combine first 3 ingredients in a small pot and boil for 3 minutes. Let cool and then add kirsch. ICING: In a blender, combine cashews, water and vanilla. Blend till smooth and creamy. Add honey and tofu and blend again. Set aside 2 C. for the vanilla icing to go on top and sides of cake. To the rest of the mixture, add melted chocolate and 3 Tbls. of syrup. Blend till smooth. Chill both icings before using. TO ASSEMBLE: Carefully remove the top two layers of cake. Brush some syrup onto bottom layer and spread half of chocolate icing over it. Place the middle cake layer on top and brush with syrup and icing. Put down a layer of cherries and dot with a little vanilla icing to help the top layer stick. Place the top layer on the cherries and brush again with syrup. Frost top and sides with vanilla icing. Decorate with cherries and pipe rosettes if desired. Chill several hours before serving. The cake can be kept covered if not being served till the following day. However, the frosting may discolor after about 3 days.
My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (Psalms 42:3)