BLACK FOREST TORTE (SCHWARZWAELDER KIRSCHTORTE) (GLUTEN FREE)

Steps:

• For the first bottom layer: Preheat the oven to 375°F/200-220°C.
• On a baking board, mix the flour, cacao and baking powder. Make an indent in the middle and add the sucanat, vanilla extract, egg and water. Mix until a crumbly dough is formed. Place the cold butter pieces on top and work everything quickly into a smooth dough. If the dough remains a little sticky, place it covered into the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes.
• Grease the spring form pan with a little butter and line it with parchment paper, covering only the bottom not the sides (trace the outline of the Springform on the parchment paper and cut out -- you want to cut out two pieces, as you will need the second one for the sponge cake). Grease the parchment paper just slightly as well. Roll out the dough (sprinkle a little extra rice flour on your board beforehand) and place it in the prepared Spring form, carefully cutting the dough, so only the bottom of the pan is covered (you can use up any extra dough by cutting it our with your favorite cookie cutter, for an extra treat).
• Bake for about 30 minutes, remove from oven, release the Spring form pan, invert onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely.
• Grease the bottom of the Spring form only (!) and line with the extra parchment paper you cut out during the first step of this recipe. Again slightly grease the parchment paper as well, but be very careful that no grease gets on the outer Spring form ring, because it will prevent the Sponge cake from rising properly.
• Sponge cake (Biskuitboden): Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
• For this next step, you will need two bowls, a smaller one for whipping the egg whites, and a larger one for the preparation of the batter.
• Separate the 4 eggs (yolks into the larger bowl, egg whites in the other). With a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until they form glossy and shiny peaks. Set aside.
• In the other bowl, combine the egg yolks with water and blend well, using the hand mixer. Little by little, add the sucanat and vanilla extract. Continue to mix until the batter becomes smooth and creamy.
• Place the whipped egg whites on top of the yolk batter, and set aside for a moment.
• Place the flour blend, guar gum, cacao and baking powder into a sifter (you can also use a fine sieve) and gently sift the ingredients on top of the egg whites.
• Now, carefully fold the flour and egg white into the batter. You want to take your time with this step. You are not looking to stir, or mix, but truly just slowly fold the ingredients together. This is best done with a rubber spatula, or a large spoon.
• When the flour has been fully incorporated into the batter, it should still retain its light and airy texture. Pour this batter into the prepared Spring form and smooth and level out the top, using a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes (The baking duration depends on many factors: your own location, elevation, temperature, etc. and will play a role in how long this will take -- usually anywhere from 20-30 minutes).
• Remove the cake from the oven, release it from the Spring form, turn out onto a wire rack to cool and peel off the parchment paper.
• Once completely cooled, slice the sponge cake horizontally into 3 thin layers. Place each layer on a separate plate.
• If fresh cherries are available, wash them and remove the stones. Mix the cherries with a little sucanat. Set this aside for at least 20 minutes to draw out the juice. Then cook them briefly in their own juice. Remove and drain the juice into a separate bowl, preserving the juice. If you are using canned, drain the juice into a separate container. Set aside about 12 cherries for decorating the top of the cake. You will need 1/4 L (1 cup) of the cherry juice (top off with enough water, if there is not enough juice). Remove 4 tablespoons of this juice and place in a separate bowl, mixing it with the arrowroot flour. In a saucepan, heat the cherry juice, bring it to a boil, remove and add the blended arrowroot/cherry juice liquid. Mix one packet of the gelatin with 3 tablespoons of water, making sure it is completely dissolved, and add this to the boiled cherry juice. Bring everything back to a brief boil and then remove from heat, adding the cherries, remaining sucanat and Kirschwasser. Set aside and let cool.
• Prepare the second gelatin packet by mixing it with 3 tablespoons of water, allowing it to dissolve completely. Set aside. Add the whipping cream to a larger mixing bowl, and with a hand mixer, whip until firm, then add the sifted powdered sugar and the prepared gelatin. Continue to whip until nice and firm.
• Assembly of Cake: Select a cake plate of your choice and place the first baked bottom layer on it. Add half the amount of the cherry blend to this layer, topping that with a thin layer of whipped cream.
• Then add the first sponge cake layer on top of this.
• Top this layer with the remaining cherry filling and a thin layer of whipped cream. Spread out evenly and top with the second sponge cake layer.
• Add another thin layer of whipped cream to this and place the final Sponge cake layer on top.
• Spread just a smooth layer of whipped cream on the final layer, setting some whipped cream aside for the final steps. Now for this next step, you need to cut out large enough strips of parchment paper to drape around the outside of the cake, which helps to retain the filling. If you have one available, use just the outer rim of another, slightly larger, Spring form pan and place it on the outside of the draped parchment paper, and close the spring. This ensures the even setting of the filling. Place the cake in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to set the filling.
• Meanwhile, grate the chocolate and set aside.
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator and take off the Spring form ring, and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Remove any excess filling that was not contained by the paper, or outer ring, and then spread some additional whipped cream on the outer rim of the cake. Sprinkle the top with the grated chocolate. Place the remaining whipped cream in a pastry bag, fitted with a small rosette tip, and place 12 rosettes evenly spaced on top of the cake. Place one cherry (which you reserved earlier) on top of each rosette, and, if desired, a small piece of chocolate next to each rosette.
• More info and photos: http://gfcelebration.com/2010/03/30/gluten-free-black-forest-torte-schwarzwaelder-kirschtorte-and-some-interesting-facts-about-the-black-forest/.