Balsamic Forest Cake

By: @therefinedbaker

Ingredients for the Roasted Balsamic Cherries

1/2 lb cherries or 2 1/2 cups of pitted cherries (reserve a few fresh for garnishing)

1 1/2 Tbsp of brown sugar

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI

1 tsp corn starch

1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

Stir together sugar, balsamic vinegar, corn starch, and vanilla until a paste forms and toss cherries in it until coated.

Roast at 400F for 12 minutes or until juices release and sauce thickens slightly.

Store in refrigerator once cooled.

Ingredients for the Decadent Chocolate Cake

1/2 cups of strong of black coffee

1/2 stick of butter chopped and tossed in with the coffee to soften

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of baking soda

1/3 cup full fat Greek yogurt

1 egg

1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI

Combine all ingredients in mixer with whisk attachment until no flour is visible.

Divide batter into 3 4-inch cake tins and bake at 350F for 22 mins or until center of cake springs back to the touch

Ingredients for the Easy Pipe-able Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup powder sugar

1 small scoop of meringue powder (for stability)

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (optional)

Add all ingredients into mixer with whisk attachment and mix on medium/high until stiff peaks form.

All ingredients should be cool to the touch when assembling. I like to level the tops of each cake layer to make sure everything stays stacked and sturdy.

Add a generous border of whipped cream around the top of each layer to hold in the juices and fill with the balsamic roasted cherries. The juice soaks into the cake layers and adds to the richness! Top with whipped cream and a few fresh cherries.

Serve with extra balsamic cherries 🍒

*If you have any leftover balsamic cherries they are wonderful on top of vanilla ice cream 😋