Black Forest Cake

Description

"vegetarian times" December, 199?

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 cup wholewheat pastry flour or unbleached white flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

Syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 thin lemon or orange slices
• 1/3 cup kirsch

Icing:

• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup honey
• 10 oz firm tofu
• 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted
• 16 oz jar pitted cherries, drained

Directions

1. Cake: preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Combine liquid ingredients in a large bowl & whisk well.
3. Sift dry ingredients together & whisk into liquid mixture.
4. Pour into greased & floured 9" cake tin & bake for 35 minutes or until springy.
5. Cool cake completely & remove from pan. With a serrated knife, cut cake horizontally to make 3 thin layers.
6. Syrup: combine first 3 ingredients in a small pot & boil for 3 minutes.
7. Let cool & then add kirsch.
8. Icing: in a blender, combine cashews, water & vanilla.
9. Blend till smooth & creamy. Add honey & tofu & blend again.
10. Set aside 2 c for the vanilla icing to go on top & sides of cake.
11. To the rest of the mixture, add melted chocolate & 3 tb of syrup.
12. Blend till smooth. Chill both icings before using.
13. To assemble: carefully remove the top two layers of cake.
14. Brush some syrup onto bottom layer & spread half of chocolate icing over it.
15. Place the middle cake layer on top & brush with syrup & icing.
16. Put down a layer of cherries & dot with a little vanilla icing to help the top layer stick.
17. Place the top layer on the cherries & brush again with syrup.
18. Frost top & sides with vanilla icing.
19. Decorate with cherries & pipe rosettes if desired.
20. Chill several hours before serving.
21. The cake can be kept covered if not being served till the following day.
22. However, the frosting may discolour after about 3 days.