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Black Forest almond cake recipe

Black Forest almond cake recipe

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Created by The Tesco Real Food team

A fun twist on the nostalgic Black Forest cake, this almond cake is rich, nutty, and bursting with holiday cheer—guaranteed to steal the show at any Christmas table! See method

Ingredients

  • butter or plant-based spread, for greasing
  • 150g ground almonds
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 75g vegan cocoa powder
  • 1¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 200g light brown soft sugar
  • 75ml maple syrup
  • 120ml almond milk (or other plant milk)
  • 120ml sunflower oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 35g Tesco Free From chocolate bar
  • 220ml plant-based double cream
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • 250g fresh cherries, 175g left whole, 75g halved and pitted
  • 1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds

For the cherry compote

  • 350g pitted frozen cherries
  • 4 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp cornflour
No self-raising flour? Add 2 tsp baking powder for every 150g plain flour

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    1875kj
    450kcal     23%

  • Fat

    27g 38%

  • Saturates

    8g 40%

  • Sugars

    34g 38%

  • Salt

    0.5g 9%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 42.8g Protein 7.6g Fibre 4.9g

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Grease and line 2 x 20cm round, loose-bottomed cake tins. Put the ground almonds in a large bowl with the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt. Mix until combined. Make a well in the centre.
  2. Put the sugar in a separate bowl with the maple syrup, almond milk, oil, eggs, half the almond extract and the vanilla extract. Whisk with a hand-held whisk until well combined and the sugar has dissolved.
  3. Add the egg mix to the well, then fold with a wooden spoon or spatula to combine.
  4. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for 25–30 mins until a cocktail stick comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
  5. For the cherry compote, put the frozen cherries in a medium saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice and 1 tbsp water. Heat over a medium heat for 4 mins, stirring occasionally, until the cherries release their juices and start to burst. Remove the cherries with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
  6. Remove 2 tsp of the cherry liquid from the saucepan and mix it with the cornflour to make a paste. Return the paste to the cherry liquid. Simmer for 4 mins until the liquid has thickened – until it slowly drops from a spoon – it will also thicken on standing. Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir the cherries back through the liquid. Set aside to cool completely.
  7. Cut fine shards from a fifth of the chocolate bar; roughly chop the remainder. Chill the shards until ready to use.
  8. When ready to fill and decorate, put the plant-based cream in a bowl with the icing sugar and remaining almond extract. Beat with an electric whisk until stiff peaks form.
  9. Place one cake on a serving plate. Spoon over all but 3 dessert spoonfuls of the cherry filling. Scatter over the fresh halved pitted cherries. Spoon over most of the whipped cream (the remainder will be for the top). Add the second cake layer. Chill the remaining whipped cream
  10. Melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave on high in 20 second bursts, stirring between each burst, until fully melted. Drizzle in a circle around the top of the cake leaving a 2-3cm border. Stick a ring of fresh cherries to the chocolate circle. Chill in the fridge until set.
  11. Spoon the remaining whipped cream into the centre of the circle of cherries, followed by the remaining cherry filling. Decorate with the chilled chocolate shards and the flaked almonds. Dust with icing sugar, then serve immediately.

Tip: Plant cream is deliciously light and fluffy, use a delicate hand when placing the second cake on top of the base cake. Cut in slices with a small–serrated knife. If you are planning to transport the cake, you may like to try using a more robust dairy-free buttercream: in a food processor whizz together 200g diced plant butter with 400g icing sugar for smooth buttercream-style filling and topping (spread this on first, then put the cherry layer on top when sandwiching the cakes together).

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