Black Forest Zuccotto is a delicious dome of chocolate cake that is filled with cherries and whipped cream. While the traditional zuccotto is a sponge cake, I wanted to make something that was our favourite taste combination, which is chocolate and cherries!
Zuccotto is an Italian domed dessert cake usually made with sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked in spirits of some type, such as brandy. However, there are as many recipes and variations on the theme as there are internet sites that will post them, so here’s mine! I used my chocolate cake recipe to make this and it’s perfect.
Cut the cake in half, and press into an 8 inch bowl that you have sprayed with cooking spray and then lined with plastic wrap overhanging the edges. Notice how there is a distinct lack of plastic wrap in my pictures? That is because I did not do this step (which is mentioned in many other recipes) and my cake did have a hard time coming out. Hindsight is 20/20, of course.
So. With the plastic wrap in, press the cake in and UP the sides of the bowl as much as you can to form that top dome. This was inspired by a zuccotto recipe I saw in Company’s Coming, where she used a pre-baked cake.
The bottom half that is left.
Put in about half of the can of cherries. The rest can be saved for another dessert, or served on the side as extra with the cake.
Take the cup of cream and beat it until it’s, well, whipped cream. Add in the sugar to your taste, I prefer less sweet whipped cream since the pie filling is very sweet. Sprinkle the dark chocolate shavings onto the whipped cream.
Place the bottom of the cake on, and cut away any extra until it fits. Press it down firmly, but not so firm that everything comes out one part! Then,if you had the remaining plastic wrap, simply take it off the sides of the bowl and cover it up.
Invert onto a plate, and it should come out beautifully with the plastic wrap. And then, the slices come out like this! Instead of almost falling apart like mine did the first night.
Zuccotto is something everyone should try to make at least once. This one is for the black forest cake lovers!
Cut the cake in half, and press into an 8 inch bowl that you have sprayed with cooking spray and then lined with plastic wrap overhanging the edges.
With the plastic wrap in, press the cake in and UP the sides of the bowl as much as you can to form that top dome.
Put in the can of cherries.
Take the cup of cream and beat it until it's whipped cream. Add in the sugar to your taste, I prefer less sweet whipped cream since the pie filling is very sweet.
Place the whipped cream into the cake, on top of the cherries.
Sprinkle the dark chocolate shavings onto the whipped cream.
Refrigerate overnight.Invert onto a plate, and it should come out beautifully with the plastic wrap.
Remove the plastic wrap and enjoy!
The nutritional values will be more depending on the type of chocolate cake that you used! This is for the cherry pie filling and the whipped cream only!
That sounds good! I’m thinking it might be good with a bit of cream cheese in the whipped cream too…or would that be gilding the lily?