White Forest Cake

White forest cake is  delightful and rich in taste. This cake melt in mouth and perfect for birthday or any other parties. I prepared this for my husband's birthday and everybody loved it. This  Cake has vanilla sponge, filled with whipped cream, a cherry syrup(maraschino cherries), white chocolate and Maraschino cherries. Sharing both with/without egg recipe below.

INGREDIENT:

For Vanilla Sponge: 

1 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder 
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tsp Lemon Juice
¼ tsp Salt  (If using unsalted butter)
With eggs:
  3 large eggs
Without eggs
  1/2 tsp Baking Soda
   3/4 cup Thick Yogurt

For Vanilla Whipped cream

1 1/2 cup cold Heavy Cream
3/4 cup  icing sugar
1 tbsp non fat milk powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence 

12 Fresh or Maraschino Cherries
Maraschino Cherries liquid as sugar syrup
White Chocolate Compound: For making Flakes

METHOD:

Vanilla Sponge: 

1. Prepare 7 or 8 inch cake pan by lining it with grease proof paper and greasing it, 
Preheat the oven at 330 F.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder 3 times, then add the pinch of salt to it and set aside.

3. Without Eggs:
    In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar really well. Tip in the lemon, lemon zest, vanilla      and Yogurt. beat well!
  OR
   With Eggs:
    In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar really well, Add Eggs ,lemon, lemon zest, vanilla
    and beat using a hand mixer for 60 seconds. 

4.Now pour 1/2  flour gently over the wet mixture. Using a spatula(Add baking soda at this stage if not using eggs), fold the flour into the wet mixture using long gentle strokes, you can count the strokes, they should not exceed 30. Then add 1/2 milk and fold the mixture with your spatula. Add the remaining Flour and milk and fold the mixtures 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.

5.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 center comes out clean. Careful not to over bake.

6. 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.

7. 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 hands without getting burnt.

8. Vanilla Whipped Cream: In a mixer bowl, whip your cream with icing sugar, milk powder and vanilla until stable and creamy

9. Lift off the pan, remove the grease proof paper. Slice each cake in half, then drizzle or brush cherry 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.

Then place the second half of the cake and generously coat the entire cake with whipped cream. Decorate the top with white chocolate shavings and  whole cherries . 

Chill until the cream sets and enjoy your yummy cake.