Black Forest Cake

Sponge cake layers

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). If you are going to use the fan, 320 °F (160 °C) should be enough. Line the bottoms of two 8" or 9" springform pans with parchment paper.
2. Using a stand electric mixer, beat 9 eggs with the whisk attachment for 1 min on high speed. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 cup erythritol and continue beating on high speed a full 8 min. It will be thick and fluffy. Tip: You will need a huge mixing bowl.
3. Whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, and cinnamon, and sift in thirds into the batter. Fold with a spatula between each addition. Once all flour is in, continue to fold just until no streaks of flour remain, scraping the bottom of the bowl to get any pockets of flour. We do not want to over-mix and deflate the batter.
4. Gently fold in vanilla and room temp. butter, folding as you add butter in a steady stream and scraping from the bottom to make sure you don't have butter pooling at the bottom. Fold just until incorporated. Pour 1/3 and 2/3 of batter into the prepared pans (the 2/3 is going to be split in two when baked). Bake immediately for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If the batter is not baked straight away after mixing, it might deflate.
5. Let cool in pans for 10 min then run a thin spatula around edges to loosen cake. Transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment paper. When cakes are at room temp, take the thicker one and divide it in half lengthwise using a cake slicer or a long sharp knife.

Cherry filling and syrup 6. Roughly chop pitted sour cherries and place in a medium bowl with 3 Tbsp. cherry vodka or rum. Let sit at room temp for at least 30 min, stirring a couple of times. Drain cherries in a sieve over a bowl. Keep the cherries and syrup. You should get about ¾ cup total syrup. If not, add some water.

Cream filling 7. Dissolve, heat and melt gelatine powder according to instructions. Beat heavy cream with the whisk attachment on high speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered erythritol and 1 Tbsp. cherry vodka (or rum) and beat on high for another minute. Add dissolved gelatine (cooled to room temperature) slowly and beat for another minute or two until stiff and spreadable.

Assembling the cake 8. Place a first sponge cake layer on a cake stand and brush with 1/3 of the syrup. Top with about 1 cup frosting and spread 1/2 of the chopped cherries on top. Repeat with remaining layers and top with the flattest layer. Fill the cracks along the sides of the cake with frosting, then frost the top and sides with remaining frosting. Leave some of the frosting in a piping bag in the fridge for the decoration frosting (optional).

Chocolate topping 9. The easy way out here is to use a potato peeler and shave the chuck of chocolate. The not so easy way is to melt the chocolate, spread it on a piece of parchment paper and freeze it. When hardened, use a food scraper to create bark-like shavings. 10. Cover sides and top of cake with chocolate shavings leaving a 1" perimeter on top for piping frosting (optional). Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Prep Time: 1 hour. Cook Time: 20 minutes. Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Course: Dessert. Cuisine: Keto. Servings: 12 pieces. Calories: 438 kcal. Author: My Sweet Keto.