Travis's Black Forest Gateau

I didn't have to ask Travis what he wanted for his Birthday Fairy Treat. Shortly after I met him last year and explained our birthday customs at SerSol, he smiled broadly and said, "Oh I know want... I want a Black Cherry Cake!" You have to respect a man who knows what he wants! ;-)

About two weeks ago I started on my quest to find the best recipe. I found several! Everything from the standard super sweet cake mix and goopy cherry-compote variety to the authentic Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte*. Oh so fancy and right up my alley! I decided to go all out for Travis and make it totally from scratch and as authentic as possible.

The cake part was made 24 hours in advance so that it could get a little stale before it was assembled. This helped it to better absorb the cherry syrup that was drizzled directly onto the three cake layers. In addition to the syrup, the layers were lavished with generous dollops of fresh whipped cream and sour Morello cherries that had been simmered in Kirsch (cherry brandy), sugar, cinnamon, and lemon peel. Once the cake was assembled, I frosted the cake with more whipped cream, semisweet milk chocolate curls, and topped it off with a big "T" I fashioned out of maraschino cherries. This cake won't win any beauty contests but it's the most sincere one you'll find anywhere! Happy Birthday Travis! Thank you for everything you do for us at SerSol and for being your fabulous, perpetually happy self!


*For those interested in the recipe I used, you can find it here. (If you're wondering what the best type of cherry to use in Black Forest Gateau is, it's Morello. They are tart with just the right amount of sweetness. You can I find them jarred in their juice at Trader Joe's. Cherry pie compote will not due, sorry.) If you decide to use this recipe, I strongly encourage you to double the whipped cream as there wasn't nearly enough. Also, I ended up making this cake in my 10" pans instead of the 9" it called for. There was just too much batter and I didn't want to waste any.