White Forest Cake

I asked hubby what dessert he would like for Father's Day.  He said, "Black Forest Cake".  Since I have a chocolate allergy, I had to make a little change to his request.

Normally I would use a rich dark chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries.  This time, I used a basic yellow cake instead.  The verdict:  YUM!  As soon as I served the last piece, my son asked for a second piece!

I did not use any liqueur in the cake or filling since the kiddies were eating this.  If I did, I would add a splash of kirsch or amaretto to the cherry pie filling for that "adult" taste. 

Maybe it is my KitchenAid mixer, but I find that it does not whip the cream stiff enough to pipe if there is too much heavy cream.  To overcome this, I whipped the cream in two small batches to get that stiff piping consistency.  Make sure your bowl and beaters are chilled, so the cream whips faster and sturdier for piping.  

I thought that I could tolerate white chocolate, but I got a reaction from just the small shavings on the side of the cake!  I will think of something else to decorate the sides next time.   

White Forest Cake

1 basic yellow cake: 1 double layer 8 or 9-inch cake, or 1 triple layer 8-inch cake 

1 can cherry pie filling

2 cups heavy cream (2.5 cups heavy cream for triple layer cake)

6 Tbsp confectioner's sugar  (8 Tbsp icing sugar for triple layer)

2 tsp vanilla (2.5 tsp vanilla for triple layer)

white chocolate shavings, with a vegetable peeler

Prepare yellow cake and cool completely.

Whip 1 cup heavy cream with 3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar and 1 tsp vanilla for at least 3 minutes on high until the cream is stiff enough for piping.  Be careful not to overwhip the cream (mixture will separate and become butter!).

Place one cake layer on a cake plate.  Spread the cake with whipped cream and spoon cherry pie filling on top of the cream, in the middle of the cake.  Add the cherry pie filling until it reaches 1-inch away from the edge.  This will prevent the cherries from oozing from the sides of the cake.  

Repeat with the remaining cake layers.  Whip the remaining heavy cream, icing sugar and vanilla.  Frost and pipe the cake as desired with the whipped cream.  Decorate with the rest of the cherries and shaved white chocolate.

After dessert, there was only 1/4 cake left. Everybody had a second piece! 

Enjoy!