BLACK CAKE ICING RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter a 900g loaf tin and line with a strip of baking paper overhanging either end.
• Warm the butter, Guinness and chocolate in a small pan over a low heat until melted and smooth, then cool for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the marble layer. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in the egg, then the flour, followed by the wine.
• Whisk the eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sugar and soured cream. Sift over the flour and cocoa and mix until just combined. Pour the Guinness batter into the tin and smooth over the top. Add the marble batter to the tin in dollops over the top (it will sink into the darker batter). Use a chopstick to slightly swirl the batters together, making swirls like a settling pint of stout.
• Bake for 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then use the overhanging paper to lift the cake from the tin onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.
• For the frosting, beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the wine until incorporated, then add the soft cheese and mix until just combined – don’t over-mix, or the frosting will become runny.
• Spoon the frosting over the cake, smoothing over the sides of the cake with a palette knife so you get defined, straight lines like the head of a black velvet cocktail. Dust with a little cocoa and chill until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Pit most of the cherries leaving about 10 for decoration on top of the cake. Take the pitted cherries and soak them in a jar of the 1/2 cup Kirsch overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F Line the bottom of three 9 inch round cake pans with parchment.
• Sift the dry cake ingredients together.
• Cream the shortening and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
• Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk and mix well.
• Pour evenly into the cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
• Cool and remove the cakes. Prick the tops of the cakes with a toothpick and pour the 1/2 cup of Kirsch (that the cherries soaked in) onto the cake.
• In a bowl beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the icing sugar, salt and espresso and mix well. If the icing is too thick add Kirsch or cherry juice.
• Cut the cherries into halves.
• Place the base layer on top of your cake tray, spread 1/2 of the filling over one top, cover with cherries and top with another layer of cake.
• Spread the second half of the filling over that layer of cake, cover with cherries and top with the third layer of cake. Cover this and let sit in the fridge for a day or two to allow the kirsch to soak into the cake and become moist.
• The day you're going to serve this cake prepare the icing. Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
• Gently fold in the dry milk and icing sugar.
• Add the vanilla and pour in the Kirsch until it's a good consistency.
• If you like more icing double this recipe. Spread the icing over all of the cake.
• Place the fresh, intact cherries on top for decoration and cover the top with the chocolate shavings. Serve and enjoy!