Name: White Forest Cake
Ingredients: 3/4 cup cake flour (90 gram instructions on how to make cake flour can be found below); 1/4 tsp baking powder (optional); 3 eggs (at room temperature); 1/2 cup castor sugar (100gm); pinch of salt; 1 tbsp butter; 1 tbsp milk; 1 tsp vanilla; 2 tbsp sugar; 3 tbsp hot water; 1/4 tsp vanilla essence; 400 ml whipping cream; 1-2 tbsp icing sugar; 1 tsp vanilla essence; 1 cup sliced strawberries for the layers; 1 tbsp sugar; whole cherries or strawberries for garnish; white chocolate shavings for garnish

White Forest Cake

This stunning cake, for all its simplicity, is a winner. It is elegant, delicate and delicious, the perfect cake for a birthday or an occasion like Mother’s Day. It also makes for an outstanding dessert! Once again, I have used my trusty sponge cake recipe which never fails for me. This was a short 2 layer cake. For a taller cake, simply double the recipe to make 4 layers in which case you will need two baking pans instead of one.

Print Recipe

Servings 10 people

Ingredients

3/4 cup cake flour 90 gram instructions on how to make cake flour can be found below
1/4 tsp baking powder optional
3 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup castor sugar 100gm
pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients for Syrup

2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp hot water
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

Ingredients for Frosting

400 ml whipping cream
1-2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup sliced strawberries for the layers
1 tbsp sugar
whole cherries or strawberries for garnish
white chocolate shavings for garnish

Instructions

First prepare the syrup. Mix the sugar in hot water and then add the vanilla. Set this aside for later. For the strawberries, select a few that you will place on top of the cake. Slice the rest into thin slices and put them into a bowl. Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp. of sugar over the sliced strawberries and refrigerate. This is called ‘maceration’. It helps make the strawberries nice, soft and juicy for the cake filling.
Prepare your 7 or 8 inch cake pan by lining it with grease proof paper and greasing it, then dust it lightly with flour to make sure the cake does not stick.
Preheat the oven at 170 C.
Sift the flour 3 times, then add the pinch of salt to it and set aside.
Put the butter and milk in a small bowl and set aside.
Take a pan filled quarter way with water and put it on the heat, allow it to gently heat up but not come to a rolling boil. We will need this to act as a double boiler in a little while.
Put the eggs and castor sugar in a large bowl and beat using a hand mixer for 30 seconds. Then place this bowl over the prepared pan of simmering water and continue beating the egg mixture for 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the double boiler and turn off the heat. Place the bowl with the butter and milk in this hot water so that it melts gently. Take care that water does not go into the butter/milk mixture.
In the meantime, continue beating the egg mixture for another 4 minutes. Then take a balloon whisk and whisk the egg mixture for a few seconds just to make sure everything is well combined.
Now put the flour in a sieve and sift ALL of it gently over the egg mixture. Using a spatula, fold the flour into the egg mixture using long gentle strokes, you can count the strokes, they should not exceed 30. Then add vanilla and the melted butter/milk mixture. Again, fold the mixture with your spatula using gentle strokes, this time not more than 50 strokes. Be very gentle and us a light hand to avoid deflating the batter too much.
Once done, pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan once on the counter to get rid of any bubbles. Then bake in the preheated oven for about 23 minutes or until skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Careful not to overbake.
Immediately on taking the pan out of the oven, tap it on the counter (pick the pan and drop gently a couple of times) to prevent the cake from shrinking as it cools.
Now turn the cake over on a rack but do not remove the pan. Let the pan cool down until it is easy to handle with your handls without getting burnt.
In the meantime, whip your cream with icing sugar and vanilla and keep it ready.
Lift off the pan, remove the greaseproof paper. Slice each cake in half, then drizzle or brush syrup generously on the inside of both cake slices. Place the first half of the cake on your plate, then add a layer of whipped cream followed by a layer of sliced macerated strawberries. Cover the strawberris with some more whipped cream. Then place the second half of the cake and generously coat the entire cake with whipped cream. Decorate the top with white chocolate shavings adn whole cherries or strawberries. Chill until the cream sets and enjoy your yummy cake.
Enjoy! 🙂

Notes

If you do not have cake flour, you can make your own by simply measuring 3/4 cup plain/all purpose flour, then remove 1 and half tbsp from it and substitute with 1 and a half tbsp of cornflour/cornstarch. Sieve together and use as per the recipe.

I normally do not add any baking powder to this cake and the results turn out exceptionally well. The cake’s lightness comes from the beating of the eggs, which if done correctly will give the lift needed for the cake to rise well. But if you are worried you can add a quarter tsp of baking powder to help the cake along.

Join the Conversation

Carol Dyer says:

11 September 2015 at 08:01

Hi,
Hi,
Could you please give oven heat in Gas make as some of us have Gas.
Best Regards

1. admin_2 says:
  
  11 September 2015 at 18:08
  
  Hi, please check on google
  Hi, please check on google for an online converter.
  
nabeeha29@hotmail.com says:

11 December 2015 at 20:49

Which shelf we for baking
Which shelf we for baking this cake in oven?

1. admin_2 says:
  
  12 December 2015 at 06:46
  
  Middle of the oven.
  Middle of the oven.
  
vairalaskhmi says:

18 December 2015 at 01:43

Hi
Wat is castor sugar?
Hi
Wat is castor sugar?

1. admin_2 says:
  
  18 December 2015 at 06:35
  
  Hi, it is finely ground sugar
  Hi, it is finely ground sugar.
  
Yusra Yousuf says:

8 May 2016 at 20:51

Please help me my whipping
Please help me my whipping cream.melts alot… men cream powder with chilled.milk use krti hun please tell me any recipe for whiping cream which not melts..

1. admin_2 says:
  
  9 May 2016 at 08:23
  
  Please use heavy whipping
  Please use heavy whipping cream in liquid form, it is better than cream powders.
  
Asma714 says:

17 August 2016 at 12:46

Salams sister fauzia i do not
Salams sister fauzia i do not have a hand beater hence i am unable to beat over double boiler will this effect my cake in any way?
Jazakillah

1. admin_2 says:
  
  24 August 2016 at 02:47
  
  W/Salaam, the whisking over
  W/Salaam, the whisking over steaming water does help to give volume to the beaten eggs. You can use a whisk if you do not have a hand mixer.
  
Asma714 says:

17 August 2016 at 12:48

Im using a machine to beat
Im using a machine to beat the batter so i cant put over double boiler

Mashalfaisal says:

11 November 2016 at 09:48

Asalam alaykum…. all your
Asalam alaykum…. all your recipes are too good… plzz share the recipe of ice cakes ….

LovewithCakes says:

7 January 2017 at 16:08

Salam…I want to know one
Salam…I want to know one thing.
If I want to double the quantity ,along with 1.5 cups of cake flour I want to add 6 eggs..
??

1. admin_2 says:
  
  10 January 2017 at 03:42
  
  W/Salaam, yes that is correct
  W/Salaam, yes that is correct.

White Forest Cake