Black Forest Cheat Cake

I found this recipe on the Hooray! blog and have adapted it slightly by adding some Cherry Heering liqueur.  It’s the ultimate cheat recipe if you want a spectacular looking cake in ultra quick time.  Basically it’s all about how you style and decorate the cake - after all you eat with your eyes, don’t you?  Of course you can bake the cakes from scratch yourself, but if you do buy the cakes make sure they are good quality ones.

Black forest cheat cake

Ingredients

2 pre-bought chocolate sponge or chocolate mud cakes

200g butter, softened

2 cups icing sugar 

1/3 cup cocoa

1 can cherries, pitted

dark chocolate, melted

2 tbsp Cherry Heering liqueur (optional)

fresh figs

fresh cherries

Method

Whip the butter, cocoa and icing sugar and 1 tbsp of the Cherry Heering (if using) together to create some chocolate icing.  Add a little water if it is too thick to spread easily.

Slather the icing over your first layer of cake, followed by ¾ of the tinned cherries nicely squished to let out some of the juice.

Place the other layer of cake on top and ice roughly with remaining icing.

Slice the figs into quarters and arrange them on top of the cake along with the fresh cherries. 

Melt the dark chocolate with the other tbsp of Cherry Heering and drizzle it haphazardly over the top of the cake and then squish the remaining tinned cherries over the top for a rustic look. 

and then ….

Bask in the glory of your creation (best achieved with red wine)

(the "hooray!") sign is from Better Off Wed Rustics on Etsy here :

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BetterOffWedRustics