The cake itself is not really that hard to make and has a lovely texture.  I am not going to lie, though:  The frosting can be a bit temperamental, and if you leave it as-is, you have to keep the cake refrigerated until shortly before serving it.

It is possible to stabilize a whipped cream frosting by adding some corn starch or a small amount of cream cheese to the mix, but I wanted to taste this in its original form before experimenting with that. With a little patience, though, you’ll have that ideal mix of light and creamy on the outside and moist and rich on the inside.  This certainly is a special treat.

Ingredients

1-3/4 (210g) cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup (75g) dark cocoa powder (like Hershey’s Special Dark)
2 cups (400g) sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil (I used LouAna)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (8oz) (240ml) boiling water

Frosting & Decorations
13 maraschino cherries (For garnish, but you can use some maraschino cherries be used for the filling, too, if you like the taste)
15 oz(425 grams) can of dark cherries in sweet syrup. (For filling)
2 and ½ cups(600ml) ice cold heavy whipping cream
5 tablespoon powdered or icing sugar
8 oz (160 grams) dark chocolate bar
1/3 cup (80ml) kirsch (German cherry brandy) or other brandy or rum (optional)

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease, line and flour two 8-inch round baking pans.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. To that, add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Add the boiling water to the batter and stir well (batter will be thin). Pour into the baking pans.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

FOR ICING AND DECORATIONS:

Pour the heavy whipping cream into a chilled bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat until almost stiff peaks forms. (Do not over beat.)

Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Drain the cherries and reserve about ⅓ cup syrup of whichever cherries you are using.

To start the icing, level the top of the cakes with a serrated knife. Place one cake on the cake plate with the leveled side up. Brush with ½ of the reserved syrup or alcohol.

Apply a light layer of frosting. Place the cherries in a single layer leaving 1 inch from the edges of the cake empty. (else when you keep the 2nd layer, the cherries will get pushed out) Top with whipped cream.

Place the 2nd layer on the top of this cake, with the cut side down. Give a gentle press. Top this with the remaining whipped cream. Create some piping design on the edges and put the maraschino cherries.

Shave the bar of chocolate with a knife or grater. Use a spoon to decorate as needed.

(Southern Hummingbird Cake) NEXT PAGE>>

Quick tip: Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Thanks to Feed Your Temptations for this otherworldly good black forest cake recipe.