Black Forest Cake

Preparation of the Cake Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Cake Batter In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water (the batter will be thin). Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Baking the Cake Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Whipped Cream Filling In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form; set aside.

Cherry Filling For the cherry filling, drain the cherries and reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in the reserved cherry liquid, then add the cherries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in almond extract and food coloring if desired. Cool.

Simple Syrup To make the simple syrup, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the kirsch. Let cool to room temperature.

Assembly To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Brush with some of the simple syrup. Spread a layer of whipped cream over the cake, and then spoon some of the cherry filling over the cream. Repeat with the second cake layer, simple syrup, whipped cream, and cherry filling. Garnish the top with chocolate shavings and maraschino cherries.