2/3 cup all purpose baking flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 heaped tablespoons cocoa powder
4 eggs separated
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup kirsch or brandy or sherry
1½or 450ml cups whipping cream
Box of Strawberries (separate 5 pieces for decorating)
100g dark chocolate
1. Preheat oven to 180°c. Brush a 20cm baking tin with margarine or fat. Sift little flour onto the greased tin.
2. Place egg whites in a clean dry bowl. Using electric beaters, beat until firm peaks form. Add sugar gradually beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick and glossy. Add yolks beat for another 20seconds.
3. Fold in flour and cocoa quickly and lightly ensuring that the air bubbles do not escape. Spread the mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 30-40mins until cake is springy to touch. Leave cake in tin for 5mins before turning into cooling rack. Cool until cold.
4. Cut cake into three pieces horizontally, invert the top so that he bottom piece will be its upper surface.
5. Layer the cake in this manner, top part of cake first, spread brandy liberally on cake then spread whipped cream then strawberries. Repeat the same for the other layers until cake is completely covered with whipped cream.
6. Shave curls from block of chocolate with a knife or using a grater. Decorate the top with remaining strawberries an chocolate curls.
Tidbit: traditionally Black forest is made with fresh Morello cherries, poached in sugar syrup and pitted. Strawberries and grapes are a great substitute.
