Classic German Fire Department Cherry Cake
Ingredients
Shortcrust pastry
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 75 g butter
- 70 g sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- Flour, for dusting
Cherry filling
- 1 (15 oz) can dark sweet cherries, drained (350g net weight)
- 80 g sugar
- 30 g cornstarch
Topping and garnish
- 400 g heavy cream
- 1 packet whipped cream stabilizer
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 50 g chocolate shavings
Preparation
Mix all shortcrust pastry ingredients in a bowl and quickly knead into a smooth dough. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and flour a 26 cm round springform pan.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and place in the springform pan. Press firmly onto the bottom and up the sides to form a 3 cm high rim.
Drain the cherries, reserving the juice. Mix 5 tablespoons of the cherry juice with cornstarch. Bring the remaining cherry juice to a boil with sugar, then stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in the cherries.
Spread the cherry filling over the pastry base and bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Let the cake cool completely. Whip the cream until stiff and spread smoothly over the cooled cake. Decorate with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.
