Black Forest Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Toppings:

1 lb fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries (I used a jar)
1/2 cup kirsch
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
chilled chocolate curls

1. Refrigerate cherries and kirsch ahead of time. Refrigerate for several hours or up to several days. Before use, drain the cherries well.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of  9-inch round/square cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

3. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

4. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks and let cool completely.

5. In a large chilled bowl with chilled beaters, beat the cream until it mounds lightly. Add 1/4 cup sugar and the vanilla and whip until the cream forms peaks.

6. To assemble the cake, place cake on a cake stand or serving plate and sprinkle 2 to 3 teaspoons of the reserved cherry brandy evenly over the top to moisten. Cover the cake with 2/3 cup of the whipped cream, spreading it all the way to the edge. Arrange half of the cherries on top of the cream. Cover the cherries with another 2/3 cup whipped cream.

7. To decorate, gently scoop up the chilled chocolate curls with your hands and press them into the sides of the cake, covering them completely with curls. Decorate the top, if desired, with rosettes of whipped cream and some extra cherries.
8. Refrigerate the cake for few hours before serving.