Gluten-Free Black Forest Gateaux (GF, RSF)

We can't quite believe that we're already well into December, and Christmas is right around the corner! With our limited edition Christmas mixes flying off the shelves, we thought it was time to bring you a little more Christmas content so that you can handle Christmas Day with ease!

Nourish & Thrive is all about making whole foods more readily accessible, as well as to help save some of your precious time. In this recipe, we'll show you how to turn our gorgeous Deluxe Paleo Chocolate Cake & Muffin Mix into an absolutely show-stopping Black Forest Gateaux. 

Containing fresh, seasonal cherries - this is the perfect Christmas recipe to make the most of what the summer season has to offer. This recipe does contain dairy, as we opted to use the traditional whipped cream topping.

Tools we found handy when making this:

• Piping bag with star nozzle
• Offset cake spatula

You'll Need:

• 1x Double Pack (660g) Deluxe Chocolate Cake & Muffin Mix
• 6 Eggs*
• 1½ cups Coconut Oil*, melted (or other flavourless oil)
• 1½ cups Water
• 4 tbsp Maple Syrup*
• 32 Cherries, ideally fresh with 8 set aside for decoration and the rest pitted and halved
• 500ml Cream, for whipping
• 3 tbsp Kirsch, optional
• 2 tsp Natural Vanilla
• 4-6 tbsp Raspberry Jam/Preserves, we use St. Dalfours as it is refined sugar free
• 150g Dark Chocolate, in block form, for shaving - we used Whittakers Dark Ghana

*please ensure all ingredients are room temperature when using coconut oil, so that cold ingredients don't make the coconut oil solidify

Preheat your oven to 180c. Grease 3x 20cm cake tins, and line the bottom with baking paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, pour your dry cake mix then add your eggs, coconut oil, water and maple syrup. Mix until just combined. Distribute evenly between all three cake tins.

Place in the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until cooked through and springs back to the touch. Remove cakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool in their tins for 5 minutes. Lightly run a knife around the edge, then turn the cakes out onto the cooling rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, take a potato peeler and shave your chocolate into a bowl. Place the bowl into the fridge to chill.

Once the cakes are cool, we like to use a serrated bread knife to trim the tops of the cakes to make them completely flat. 

Once the cakes are cool, begin your kirsch cream. Add your cream to a large bowl, or the bottom of a stand mixer, and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold in vanilla, and if using, kirsch. 

Place a small dollop of whipped cream onto the plate you are using to serve the cake. This will help to secure your bottom cake layer to the plate.

Place the first cake on the bottom and spread with 2-3 tbsp of raspberry jam. Top with some of the whipped cream. Spread evenly across, not going quite all the way to the edge. Top with half of the chopped cherries.

Spread the second layer of cake with the remaining 2-3 tbsp of raspberry jam, then place on top of the cherry layer. We like to spread it with the jam first so that it doesn't slide around too much on the bottom layer.

Top this second layer with a thick layer of more whipped cream and the remaining chopped cherries. 

Add the third layer of cake, with the bottom facing upwards to ensure a flat top. Spoon a quarter of the cream that is left into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and set aside.

Spread the rest of the remaining cream evenly over the top and sides of the cake, using an offset spatula to get an even layer. Take your chilled chocolate shavings and press them up the side of the cake using the palm of your hands.

This part can get messy! Once you have got as many chocolate shavings as you can to cover the sides of the cake, brush the excess off. We found removing the majority with a spoon to be the easiest way - forcing them off the edge of the plate. Once the majority are off, use a wet cloth to clean the plate.

Pipe detail along the edge of the top, then do 8 swirls within that border. Top each swirl with a cherry to finish.

Voila! Your own Black Forest Gateaux. Keep chilled until ready to serve!

Enjoy - and be sure to tag us @nourishandthrivenz if you make it! ❤️