Eggless Black Forest Cake Recipe (Whole Wheat)

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This easy recipe for Eggless Black Forest Cake is not only delicious, it is also made a little healthier by using whole wheat flour. Don’t worry though, this yummy eggless black forest cake recipe still boasts a fabulous taste and texture that’ll have your guests coming back for more.

overhead shot of black forest cake on a black plate with a slice being removed

This beautiful chocolate sponge layer cake is easy enough for beginners, but is beautiful enough for even the fanciest of celebrations! Just look at this show-stopping creation: Isn’t it simply gorgeous?

What is Black Forest Cake?

Black Forest Cake is a recipe that is based on a traditional German cake known as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, which can be roughly translated to mean “Black Forest Cherry Torte.”

I say the recipe is “based on” the German dessert, as German law actually decrees that for something to be called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte a specific alcoholic liquor derived from sour cherries and known as kirschwasser must be used!

In the simplified, non-German recipe, you can expect layers of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream and cherries to be present.

My version of this yummy treat is made a bit healthier, as I use exclusively whole wheat flour for my chocolate sponge, and opt to soak my cake layers with simple sugar syrup instead of alcohol.

one slice of black forest cake on a white plate on a black background with a fork taking a bite

Why This Eggless Recipe Works

Preparing beautiful layer Cakes at home is a creative and satisfying endeavor. And trust me when I say, the process is not difficult! It does take a bit of time and you will have some extra pans, bowls and accoutrement that needs to be cleaned, but the result is well worth it. 🙂

This picture perfect black forest gateau has a lovely, light consistency. While the sponge is made from whole wheat flour for a bit of extra nutrition, I can almost guarantee nobody will be able to guess it. And for all of you with an egg allergy, this recipe is completely egg free!

While I love the simplicity of this recipe, you can make life even easier on yourself by purchasing a Chocolate Cake from the store. Simply split it in half, make the whipped cream frosting and get to decorating!

Once you try the combination of chocolate sponge cake with lightly sweetened whipped cream and slightly tart cherries, I can almost guarantee you’ll be hooked. And even though the consistency is angelically light, the final cake weighed in at a total of 700 grams, so you just know that it is loaded with serious flavor.

This eggless black forest cake recipe is my go-to for any celebration, from anniversaries to birthdays, graduations to dinner parties.

overhead shot of one slice of black forest cake on its side on a white plate
Step-by-Step Guide

How to Make Eggless Black Forest Cake

Sift Dry Ingredients & Mix Liquid Ingredients

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius/392 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush or grease a 7.5 inches pan or two 6 inches baking pans with oil. Instead of brushing the pans with oil, choose to line them with parchment paper.

2. Sift or sieve 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda onto a plate. Be sure to use good quality cocoa powder.

mesh sieve with flour, cocoa and other dry ingredients for making black forest cake recipe

3. in another pan or bowl, take ¾ cup sugar and add 1 cup cold water.

Tip: Want your cake to be light and spongy? Note that the water has to be cold. Keep the water in the refrigerate for an hour or so to cool it. The cold water helps to give this sponge cake its light and delicate consistency.

cold water being poured into a mixing bowl with sugar

4. Stir so that the sugar dissolves.

whisking the sugar and water together

5. Add ¼ cup neutral tasting oil. I added sunflower oil, but vegetable oil, avocado oil or canola oil will all work.

oil being added to the sugar water mix

6. Stir briskly so that everything is mixed well.

whisking the oil in the cold water

7. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. If you do not have lemon juice, use 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.

lemon juice being added to bowl with wet ingredients

8. Now add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

vanilla being added

9. Stir and mix well briskly for 2 to 3 minutes to get an even emulsified mixture.

more whisking

Make Cake Batter

10. Add the sieved dry ingredients to the wet mixture.

dry ingredients added to bowl with wet ingredients for making eggless black forest cake

11. Using a wired whisk, mix everything well. There should be no lumps in the cake batter.

whisking the black forest cake batter

12. As you can see, the batter is not thick but medium thin.

completed eggless chocolate sponge batter in a bowl

13. Pour the cake batter in a greased cake pan of 7.5 inches diameter x 2 inches height. Or use two round cake pans (6 inches diameter) and divide the batter equally between two pans as I have done.

Tap the pan on the countertop so that the extra air bubbles are let out.

batter divided between two cake pans

Bake Chocolate Sponge

14. Place the pans in the center rack of your oven. Bake the cakes in a preheated oven for 200 degrees Celsius/392 Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 mins. Since temperatures vary from oven to oven, do keep an eye on your cakes.

For baking in a convection mode of microwave oven, preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius for 15 minutes. Then bake the cake at 180 degrees celsius for 30 to 35 minutes.

For doneness, check the cake with a toothpick. The toothpick should come out clean. If the toothpick is sticky, then place the cake back in the oven and continue to bake for some more minutes.

Tip 1: Only open the oven door after ¾ of the cake is baked. If you keep opening the oven door many times, high chances are that your cake will sunk in the center.

Tip 2: Working ahead of schedule? Feel free to stop here and wrap/refrigerate your cakes overnight, or freeze for up to 1 month before assembling and frosting.

toothpick testing the doneness of the chocolate sponge cake

Whip Cream

Before frosting, let the cakes cool completely. Place the pans on a wired tray and let the cakes cool at room temperature. I make the cakes a day ahead and refrigerate them in a covered container.

15. In a bowl take 200 ml chilled whipping cream and 5 tablespoons icing sugar (a.k.a confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar).

Note: If you live in India and do not have access to whipping cream, you can use the Amul brand of heavy whipping cream. But with Amul fresh cream, you will get soft peaks in the cream. You can also use heavy cream of any other brand.

cream and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl

16. At the highest speed, whip until the cream becomes stiff. This process will vary depending on the power of your mixer and the fat content in the cream.

It may take 8 to 10 minutes if you use the Indian brand of Amul cream. To check, just invert the bowl. If the cream does not fall, the cream has stiff peaks.

Tip: Be sure not to over-whip your cream. While you can use a stand mixer for this process, I recommend using a hand mixer so you don’t walk away from your whipped cream and return to an accidental bowl of butter. When the cream reaches stiff peaks, STOP.

hand mixer beating the cream and sugar

17. Here’s the consistency of the cream.

finished bowl of cream whipped to stiff peaks for frosting black forest cake

Assemble & Frost Sponge Layers

Note: If you have baked one cake, then slice the cake neatly from the center with a large knife or serrated knife. You can also use dental floss to slice the cake into two. If crumbs fall, collect them (they’re delicious!) and save them for when you decorate the cake.

18. Place one layer of the cake with the bottom side facing you. NOTE: If the top of your cake is domed, then slice the top domed portion evenly so it will lay flat.

Brush the cake lightly and evenly with sugar syrup. To make sugar syrup, dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar with 3 tablespoon water. You can also use rum or wine instead of water.

brushing bottom layer of chocolate sponge with sugar syrup

19. Now with a spatula spread about ¼ or ⅓ of the whipped cream on top of the cake.

adding whipped cream on top of the first chocolate cake layer

20. Then add a layer of finely chopped red cherries. You can use canned red cherries, glazed cherries or fresh sweet cherries.

Do not use canned maraschino cherries as they have a lot of preservatives added to them and smell awful according to me.

If you live in India, use glazed red cherries or you can use candied Karonda berries. You will find the Indian variety of candied karonda berries in most shops. They are also called karonda murabba in Hindi.

chopped cherries sprinkled atop the first layer of the black forest cake

21. Sprinkle grated chocolate or chocolate shavings all over. I always grate or shave a bar of dark chocolate. Use any good quality semi-sweet, dark or bitter-sweet chocolate.

chocolate shavings added on top of the cherry layer

22. Cover with the second cake and brush the top with the sugar syrup.

second layer of chocolate sponge being brushed with sugar syrup

23. Spread again ⅓ part of the cream on the top evenly. Spread on the sides of the cake too. If you have a rotating cake stand, this will make frosting the cake much easier.

Tip: If you don’t have a cake stand, then use a small, flat plate covered with aluminum foil and place the cake on it before icing. The foil covered plate along with the cake is kept on a heavy board. This way you can easily rotate the foil covered plate while spreading icing on the sides.

more whipped cream being added to the top layer with an offset spatula

Make Eggless Black Forest Cake

24. Add the remaining whipped cream in a piping bag and use any decorative nozzle. Decorate the cake however you like – I simply piped some rosettes around the top edge.

Don’t worry about design flaws as we will be adding more grated chocolate on the cakes, so any imperfections can be hidden!

piping rosettes of whipped cream around the top of the frosted eggless black forest cake

25. Place whole cherries on the cake. Top with some chocolate shavings or grated chocolate.

You can add the amount of cherries you want to make a neat looking eggless black forest cake. I suggest using one cherry per serving, as this will help you cut the cake evenly.

whole cherries and chocolate shavings added to the top of the black forest cake

26. Now cover the sides of the cake with the chocolate shavings. Cup your fingers and take some chocolate shavings in them. Gently pat and press them on the cream layer with your fingers.

Turn the cake stand as you go on placing the chocolate shavings on the cream layer all over the sides. Some chocolate shavings will fall on the the cake stand. Collect these and use them for the decoration on the sides.

chocolate shavings being added to the side of the eggless black forest cake

27. Cover the eggless black forest cake with a large bowl without it touching the sides and place in the fridge for the cream icing to set. Keep to set for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

glass bowl placed over the decorated black forest cake to protect it during refrigeration

28. When the cream icing has set well, slice and serve eggless black forest cake. Enjoy the compliments of your impressed friends and family. Good work!

overhead shot of a slice of black forest cake on its side on a white dessert plate with a silver fork

Serving Suggestions and Storage

Serve black forest cake as is or for a rich luxurious treat pair with a chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy as an after meal dessert or as a sweet snack anytime of the day.

For birthdays or any any other celebrations , if you plan to make a tall layer or a large cake, scale the recipe ingredients proportionately. Bake in two 7.5 inches pan or four 6 inches pans.

Do consider your oven size so that it accommodates all the pans easily. All the pans have to be kept in the center rack of the oven for even baking.

The eggless black forest cake stays well for about 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. Keep the cake in a covered box or container when storing in the fridge.

Expert Tips and Tricks

  • To make the work of building a beautiful layer cake seem less daunting, I suggest you split the tasks into two days. Bake the cake a day before (or up to one ahead of time if you have a freezer!) and do the frosting the next day. The cake can be refrigerated overnight (or frozen up to one month) and the frosting can be done the next day.
  • If you don’t have a cake stand, then use a small flat plate covered with aluminum foil and place the cake on it before icing. The foil covered plate along with the cake is kept on a heavy board. This way you can easily rotate the foil covered plate while spreading icing on the sides.
  • Use chilled cream and equipment for making whipped cream. You want to whip the cream in as little time as possible to prevent a grainy texture, and keeping your equipment cold helps the cream stay cold while you work. You need the cream to be cold so that it can emulsify properly and the fat can hold shape to keep the air in the cream.
  • Want your cake to be light and spongy? Be sure to use cold water as the recipe indicates. Temperature is very important when it comes to the chemical reactions of baking, and cold water is important to creating a spongy consistency in this eggless sponge cake.
  • Keep the serving platter clean from decorating by laying small strips of parchment down around the edges of the cake. When you’re done decorating, pull them out and your platter will look perfect!
  • Whole wheat flour works nicely here, but if you are not a fan, feel free to include all-purpose flour or pastry flour. 

FAQs

What is the difference between chocolate cake and Black Forest cake?

The easiest way I can answer this is with the old squares and rectangles analogy. You know how all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares? Well, in this case the black forest cake is the square and chocolate cake is the rectangle.

Black forest cake is made with chocolate sponge cake, but requires whipped cream, cherries and frosting to be “black forest” cake.

Chocolate cake, on the other hand, can encompass many recipes with many kinds of fillings and frostings. So – all black forest cakes are chocolate cakes, but the reverse is not true.

How long will black forest cake last?

Since black forest cake recipe is made with a whipped cream frosting, it has a slightly shorter shelf life than other cakes. Once assembled, I recommend eating it within 2 to 3 days. Keep any leftovers in your fridge.

What kind of cherries are best for making black forest cake?

In my opinion, any cherries in syrup will do so long as they are not maraschino cherries. I know some may disagree with me on this point, but the artificial coloring and flavoring of maraschinos really puts me off.

Morello cherries, sour cherries, sweet canned cherries, glazed cherries or even the Indian glazed karonda berries are my personal preference.

More Eggless Cakes To Try!

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overhead shot of black forest cake on a black plate with a slice being removed

Eggless Black Forest Cake Recipe (Whole Wheat)

This easy recipe for Eggless Black Forest Cake is not only delicious, it is also made a little healthier by using whole wheat flour. Don’t worry though, this beautiful chocolate layer cake still boasts a fabulous taste and texture that’ll have your guests coming back for more.
4.81 from 68 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Cuisine World
Course Desserts
Diet Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 10 cake wedges
Units

Ingredients

For chocolate sponge

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (leveled) – 120 grams
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ¾ cup sugar – 150 grams, raw sugar or white sugar
  • 1 cup cold water
  • ¼ cup oil – any neutral oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla essence

For sugar syrup

  • 1 tablespoon sugar – raw or white sugar
  • 3 tablespoon water

For cream frosting

  • 200 ml whipping cream or heavy cream, cold or chilled
  • 5 tablespoons icing sugar confectioner's sugar, castor sugar or powdered sugar

For layers

  • ¼ cup chopped red cherries – glazed or canned cherries or fresh sweet cherries
  • ½ cup chocolate shavings – bittersweet, dark or semi-sweet, add as needed

For top layer and sides

  • 10 to 11 cherries – glazed, canned or fresh, add as needed
  • ⅓ to ½ cup chocolate shavings – bittersweet, dark or semi-sweet, optional

Instructions
 

Prep

  • First grease a round baking pan of 7.5 inches diameter with oil. You could also line the pan with a parchment paper. Or use two round cake pans (6 inches diameter) and divide the batter equally between two pans.
  • Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius/392 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Sift whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda on a plate. Use good quality cocoa powder.
  • In another pan or bowl, take sugar.
  • Add cold water. Stir and mix until all the sugar dissolves.
  • Add oil. Stir briskly for 2 to 3 minutes so that everything is mixed well and emulsifies. Use any neutral oil.
  • Add lemon juice and vanilla extract. Stir and mix again.
  • If you do not have lemon juice, use 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
  • Add the sieved dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Using a wired whisk, mix everything well until you get a smooth batter.
  • Ensure that there are no lumps in the cake batter. The batter has a medium thin consistency.
  • Pour the cake batter in the prepared cake pan or pans.
  • Tap the pan/pans on the countertop, so that the extra air bubbles are let out.

Baking chocolate sponge

  • Placing the pans in the center rack of your oven, bake the cakes in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius/392 Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 mins. Since temperatures vary from oven to oven, do keep a check. 
  • For baking in a convection mode of microwave oven, preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius/356 Fahrenheit degrees for 15 minutes. Then bake the cake at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit for the 30 to 35 minutes.
  • For doneness check the sponge cake with a tooth pick. The tooth pick should come out clean. 
  • If the tooth pick is sticky, then place the cake back in the oven and continue to bake for some more minutes.
  • Place the pans on a wired tray and let the cakes cool at room temperature.
  • Note that before frosting let the cake cool completely at room temperature or wrap the cake with a cling film and refrigerate for a couple of hours. You can keep the cake in a covered box and refrigerate.

Whipping cream

  • In a stand mixer take the the cold whipping cream and icing sugar/confectioner's sugar/powdered sugar.
  • At the highest speed, whip until the cream becomes stiff. This process will vary depending on the power of your mixer.
  • To check, just invert the bowl. If the cream does not fall, the cream has stiff peaks. Be sure not to over-whip your cream.
  • Remember to chill the cream in the refrigerator at least for a day or two before you use it.
  • If you have used the Indian brand of Amul cream it may take 8 to 10 minutes to whip.

Assembling

  • If you have baked one cake, then slice the cake neatly from the center with a large knife or serrated knife. You can also use dental floss to slice the cake into two.
  • Place one layer of the cake with the bottom side facing you. If the top of your cake is domed, then slice the top domed portion evenly so it will lay flat.
  • Make a sugar syrup dissolving 1 tablespoon sugar in 3 tablespoon water.
  • Brush the cake lightly and evenly with this sugar syrup. You can also use rum or wine instead of sugar syrup.

Frosting the sponge layers

  • With a spatula spread about ¼ or ⅓ of the whipped cream on top of the cake.
  • Then add a layer of finely chopped glazed red cherries. You can use canned red cherries, glazed cherries or fresh sweet cherries.
  • Sprinkle grated chocolate or chocolate shavings all over.
  • Cover with the second cake and brush the top with the sugar syrup.
  • Spread again ⅓ part of the cream on the top evenly. Spread on the sides of the cake too. If you have a rotating cake stand, this will make frosting the cake much easier.
  • TIP: If you don’t have a cake stand, then use a small, flat plate covered with aluminum foil and place the cake on it before icing. The foil covered plate along with the cake is kept on a heavy board. This way you can easily rotate the foil covered plate while spreading icing on the sides.

Making Black Forest Cake

  • Add the remaining whipped cream in a piping bag and use any decorative nozzle. Decorate the cake however you like.
  • Place whole cherries on top of the cake. Top with some chocolate shavings or grated chocolate.
  • Now cover the sides of the cake with the chocolate shavings. Take some chocolate shavings in your fingers. Gently pat and press them on the cream layer with your fingers.
  • Turn the cake stand as you go on placing the chocolate shavings on the cream layer all over the sides. Some chocolate shavings will fall on the the cake stand. Collect these and use them for the decoration on the sides.
  • Cover the cake with a large bowl without it touching the sides and place in the fridge for the cream icing to set. Keep to set for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
  • When the cream icing has set well, slice and serve eggless black forest cake.

Serving Suggestions and Storage

  • Serve black forest cake as is or for a rich luxurious treat pair with a chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy as an after meal dessert or as a sweet snack anytime of the day.
  • The cake stays well for about 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. Keep the cake in a covered box or container when storing in the fridge.

Video

Notes

  • Prep Ahead: To make the work of building a beautiful layer cake seem less daunting, I suggest you split the tasks into two days. Bake the cake a day before (or up to one ahead of time if you have a freezer!) and do the frosting the next day. The cake can be refrigerated overnight (or frozen up to one month) and the frosting can be done the next day.
  • No cake stand? Not a problem: If you don’t have a cake stand, then use a small flat plate covered with aluminum foil and place the cake on it before icing. The foil covered plate along with the cake is kept on a heavy board. This way you can easily rotate the foil covered plate while spreading icing on the sides.
  • Cold cream: Use chilled cream and equipment for making whipped cream. You want to whip the cream in as little time as possible to prevent a grainy texture, and keeping your equipment cold helps the cream stay cold while you work. You need the cream to be cold so that it can emulsify properly and the fat can hold shape to keep the air in the cream.
  • For light and spongy cake: Be sure to use cold water as the recipe indicates. Temperature is very important when it comes to the chemical reactions of baking, and cold water is important to creating a spongy consistency in this eggless sponge cake.
  • Parchment tip: Keep the serving platter clean from decorating by laying small strips of parchment down around the edges of the cake. When you’re done decorating, pull them out and your platter will look perfect.
  • Cherries: In my opinion, any cherries in syrup will do so long as they are not maraschino cherries. I know some may disagree with me on this point, but the artificial coloring and flavoring of maraschinos really puts me off. Morello cherries, sour cherries, sweet canned cherries, glazed cherries or even the Indian karonda berries are my personal preference.
  • Flour: Whole wheat flour works nicely here, but if you are not a fan, feel free to include all-purpose flour or pastry flour. 
  • Making cake for birthdays: If you wish to make a tall layer or a large cake, scale the recipe ingredients proportionately. Bake in two 7.5 inches pan or four 6 inches pans. Do consider your oven size so that it accommodates all the pans easily. All the pans have to be kept in the center rack of the oven for even baking.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Eggless Black Forest Cake Recipe (Whole Wheat)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 375 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 29mg10%
Sodium 71mg3%
Potassium 218mg6%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 30g33%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 310IU6%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin B12 1µg17%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Vitamin D 1µg7%
Vitamin E 3mg20%
Vitamin K 3µg3%
Calcium 35mg4%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 7µg2%
Iron 2mg11%
Magnesium 62mg16%
Phosphorus 119mg12%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Black Forest Cake recipe from the archives (December 2014) has been republished and updated on 22 May 2021.

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Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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333 Comments

  1. This is just incredibly amazing! If you never tried his recipe, you should definitely try! That’s awesome! The taste is just soo nice!5 stars

  2. Hi Dassana. I am looking forward to making this Black Forest cake. It would be great if you could post the picture of your hand mixer. Thank you

  3. Hello mam,
    Can I use normal white sugar instead of icing sugar in tho recipe?
    If yes, how much time I have to beat both amul cream and white sugar?

    In general for icing, should we need to make the powder of white sugar(in blender)?

    1. You will need powdered sugar. So you can powder white sugar in a mixie or blender. Sieve it and then add in the cream. The time to beat cream will be same irrespective of the type of sugar added. To stabilize the cream frosting, you can add 1 teaspoon corn flour.

      1. Thanq mam…one more simple doubt

        Can we replace wheat with maida in this recipe?

  4. Thankyou so much for your detailed description. I made chocolate lava cake and it came out well.

  5. Hi Dassana,
    Firstly, I want to thank you a ton for the easy and great recipes you post. They never go wrong, I have tried your baking recipes and it’s always been a hit!

    I needed your help in letting me know if I can bake it in cooker and for what duration, as I have no access to my oven, and I really want to bake it today for my sister’s birthday.
    Best,
    Dee

    1. Thanks a lot Dee for the lovely feedback on the baking recipes. This particular cake would be difficult to bake in a pressure cooker or pan on a stovetop as the batter is on the thinner side. In my experience when I used to bake in pressure cookers, I have had tough time baking cake batter which had a thin or loose consistency. So my suggestion would be to opt for any other eggless cake recipe from the blog.

  6. Hello Mam,

    I am a big fan of your website and tried a couple of recipes already however not tried this one. Wanted to understand couple of things in this recipe as I have tried cake couple of times from other websites but has not turned fluffy and spongy. I wanted to try this one. Please help clear my doubts –
    1. Secondly for cooling the cake, I don’t have wired cake. What’s the alternative for it?
    2. I had used yogurt in my cake recipes earlier (following other website recipes). What difference does it make if we use lemon juice/white vinegar?
    3. What should be the consistency of batter? Can you help understand?
    4. I think we can use milk instead of water. Is that correct?

    1. hi minakshi, thank you much. i have answered your queries below. you can try this cake and you will love it.

      1. keep the cake on a clean cotton napkin or a cotton kitchen towel . the cotton napkin will allow for the steam to pass through. you can also use a flat channi (sieve) or a channi plate if you have one.

      2. yogurt makes the cake to have a soft texture, but won’t help in getting an airy, fluffy and spongy texture. due to yogurt, there will be some heaviness in the cake. by heaviness, i do not mean denseness or hardness, but the cake will feel heavy. though it will have a soft, porous crumb and a rich taste.

      3. the consistency is medium-thin in this recipe. it is not thin or very thin.

      4. yes, of course, you can use milk instead of water. milk will make the cake rich in taste.

  7. Dear Dasanna ji,
    I baked this blackforest cake along with a few friends for a party . It was awesome ….appreciated by all. We took 3 times the measure this recipe mentions , to cater for 25 persons . On the whole it was a great experience baking it as the outcome was great . But I felt the taste of baking powder was a little overpowering….so maybe I could take a little less than three times the measure for a 2 to 2.5 kg cake .
    Thank you so much …..
    You have made me a baking sensation in a foreign land where buying cakes for birthdays n anniversaries is a very costly affair .
    Regards
    Geeta5 stars

    1. thanks a lot geeta for this lovely detailed feedback. Did you use baking powder or baking soda? try using aluminium free baking powder and baking soda, as the metallic aroma is not felt, even if a little extra is added in the batter.

      i am so glad that the black forest cake recipe was awesome and appreciated by all. thanks once more and happy baking.

  8. Hi Dassana ji ,
    It’s a pleasure learning to bake following your recipes! Specially because it’s eggless , simple and well explained by you . Thank you so much . Had a query on this Black Forest cake … need to bake a 2 to 2.5 kg cake ( for a 25 guests ) so how do we extrapolate the quantity needed from the recipe?

    1. thank you geeta. in the recipe card increase the servings to 2 and you will get to make 1.5 kg cake. increase the servings to 3 and you will be able to make 2.1 kg cake. when you increase the servings, the ingredients also increase. but when making a 2 to 4 layered cake, it is always better to bake the cake in 2 or 3 or 4 separate pans of the same size. hope this helps.

  9. you can use fresh pitted red or black cherries or cherries which are preserved in sugar syrup. avoid using canned maraschino cherries as they taste full of preservatives. once i had got a can and i had to discard the entire can. the taste was horrible both of the cherries and syrup. even dried cherries can be added. for dried cherries soak in water overnight or in warm water for a few hours.

  10. Tried this one today, came out amazing. Thank you for making cooking seem so simple ????4 stars

  11. HeLlo…i m going to try this recipe today..just one confusion about wheat flour.i hv never used wheat flour for cake..pls give me suggestion…pls…5 stars

    1. wheat flour is atta that we use for making chapatis. if you do not want to use atta, then use maida (all purpose flour).

  12. Hi dassana,
    I read in the comments section that whipping cream can be made at home using malai. Can I mix malai with some amount of milk to create like 60-70% cream? I was thinking that use of pure malai will make the cake very heavy.

    1. ruchi, yes you can easily make whipping cream at home with malai. you can do this way. the cream will be slightly thinner. thats it. but for the cake, this cream+milk cannot be used. reason being it won’t whip. the milk in it won’t allow the cream to have stiff peaks. so for the cake you will need to use the malai for cream without adding milk. for gravies, soups, baked dishes etc you can use the cream+milk.

        1. welcome ruchi and thanks again for letting me know about the search option.

    1. harshit, instead of cream, you can use unsalted white butter or cream cheese. but then the cake will be a chocolate cake with butter icing or cream cheese icing.

  13. I am feeling very skeptical. Never done an eggless cake that does not either have milk or curd. But the amount of positivity in the comments makes me feel to close my eyes and follow. So here i go 🙂

  14. Tried this today. Omg twas wonderful… And I decorated same as yours looked awesome. But I didn’t cut into halves as it was already short lengthwise you know as the cake was made with wheat flour and water instead of milk so tasted bit different than other cakes I tried from you. Can I use milk instead? Thanks, you are amazing.4 stars

    1. thank you deeksha. you can use milk instead of water. welcome and happy baking.

    1. yes it is. if you don’t have lemon juice, then you can add vinegar or buttermilk instead. if you have convection mode in the microwave oven, then only you can bake it.

      1. I have to make 1 kg
        Kindly guide me as I am bit confused with the ingredients to make 1 kg5 stars

        1. smrati, i cannot give measurements for 1 kg as the ingredients will change and i do not know if the cake when baked turns out good or not. with these measurement its a tried and tested recipe. it yields about 700 grams of cake which is lesser than 1 kg.

  15. Hi,
    Which OTG do you use coz I want to buy?
    I want to learn baking but don’t have time to go to the classes, so thought of trying at home with the help of your recipes.
    Luv your recipes and its so easy to understand. 🙂5 stars

    1. thanks sneha. i use bajaj OTG, 35 litres. previously i was using philips 18 litre OTG, but they have discontinued this model. bajaj OTG is good. its almost been a year now using it.

      1. Can I bake in Microwave oven? I have Samsung 30ltr Microwave convection oven. And is there any difference in baking in Microwave oven & OTG?

        1. sneha, you have to use the convection mode of the microwave oven for baking. in the convection mode the baking is like baking in an OTG. in the microwave mode, the cooking happens through the microwave rays.

  16. Hi ,
    I am a big fan of u and tried many vegetable recipes …When I was going to try this cake I got a little confused to see baking soda …can I use same quantity of baking powder in place of baking soda as mentioned in this recipe5 stars

    1. thanks pamila. in this recipe baking soda cannot be substituted with baking powder. so baking soda is required. but you can use eno (fruit salt) instead of baking soda.

  17. HI,
    I have food processor with whip knob and whipping attachment for making butter,chas n lassi. can I use that for making whipped cream?I have bought Blue Bird whiping cram powder.will that work?or shall I buy Amul whipping cream? And can I make whipped cream before hand like 2 days before and refrigerate it for further use?

    1. priyanka, you can use this whipping attachment. i have also used it before for making butter as well as for whipping cream. i had used malai to whip. you can use amul cream. but i am not sure about the whipping cream powder. yes you can make whipped cream 2 days before and refrigerate.

      1. Thank you so much for this reply.Iwas thinking to buy electric blender but now I will try whipping cream on food processor. And also let you know about Powder whipping cream.
        – Priyanka

  18. Hey thanks a lot for this perfect recipe.I made black forest first time this valentines day and it turned out awesome.Everyone just loved it.5 stars

  19. Hello Dassana,
    Tried the cake but some queries are there. Pls help as I want to try it again.
    The bottom of tin was sticky? (the pan wasn’t clean)but the cake came out perfect. Greased the cake tin too. The cake cracked also that I think b’cos i took it out from the tin immediately.
    I preheated the oven as mentioned. Is it b’cos of msmts as ur recipe says 1cup =250ml and mine is of 200ml.
    The cake shud be taken out immediately or shud b left for 5mins in oven and then taken out as this happens with me almost every time otherwise the texture the taste everything is perfect.

    Thanks a lot ?5 stars

    1. firstly always for any cake, let the cake cool down completely. if the cake is removed when it is hot or even warm, the cake will break or fall apart. stickiness is because the cake was still hot when it was removed. i do not think 200 ml cup should make a difference.

      after the cake gets done, remove it from the oven. then keep the pan on a wired rack, so that less condensation happens at the bottom of the pan. when the cake is completely cooled at room temperature, then remove it from the pan.

  20. Hi Amit
    I am a big fan of u. I use most of ur recipes specially for baking as ur recipes call for wheat flour (which is good for health) instead of maida. Just one query can we use vinegar in place of lime/lemon juice in ur cakes and in this cake u have mentioned cold water it has to be fridge chill or u mean the normal water.
    Thanks a lot for these awesome recipes ?5 stars

    1. hema, the water has to be chilled or cold. and you can use lime or lemon juice in place of vinegar in most baking recipes.

  21. Hello Amit

    I am a big fan of u.I usually use ur recipes to bake eggless cakes as u use whole wheat flour(as its good for health) instead of maida. Just one query many of ur recipes call for the use of lime juice. Can I use vinegar instead of lime juice in ur cake/muffin recipes.

    Thanks a lot and keep posting new recipes too ?5 stars

    1. Welcome Hema. Yes you can easily substitute vinegar with lemon or lime juice. Thanks for your kind words.

  22. Hello
    May I know the shelf life of this cake? Can store this cake in fridge for 2 days? Because I am planning to bring ready made whipping cream (amul) from the market and we are only two people at home!

    1. annaporna, you can easily keep the cake in fridge easily for 2 to 3 days.

  23. Hi have tried ur recipe bt my came is not spongy from inside even have baked it fo 40 minutes4 stars

    1. jagriti, can you tell me more on how was the texture of the cake. i can deduce what must have gone wrong.

  24. Thank u Dassana, I tried this cake and it turned out to be awesome… It just made our Wedding anniversary more Special… Thank u so much… U r my most favoured chef, and I prefer ur recipes for every new thng to try… U r like my cooking lifeline …
    GOD bless you..4 stars

    1. thats great ambika and thanks for the encouraging as well as lovely feedback.
      wish you a happy belated anniversary. all the best.

  25. hi dassana xan u please tell me if i can cook this cake in pressure cooker with the same pan used in sponge cake i dnt hv big pan….

    1. megha, yes you can use the same pan used in sponge cake recipe and make in the pressure cooker. a few readers have tried this cake successfully in the pressure cooker, so you can also easily make it.

  26. thanks my Cooking Guru….why I am saying cooking Guru as I do already have a Guru in my life and learnt meditation from which I do every morning….so she is my mentor for salvation……but for cooking it’s only you and no one else promise.

    now about the cake which I baked today girl tomorrow my husband was so tempted that he said don’t want to wait till tomorrow so we end up cutting it today although he is not big fan of cake….but with this one he couldn’t stop and it turn out to be fantastic thank you so much for this cake recipes.
    I also like to say something to readers that if like to achieve results positive please make sure you follow every word of Dassana don’t ignore her emphasis on something.

    A very big thank you to Dassana please keep it as life so gets difficult without your recipes.

    lots of love
    urvashi shah5 stars

    1. urvashi, thanks for calling me your cooking guru. i am humbled as well as grateful. from whom have you learnt meditation. if you don’t mind, you can tell your guru’s name.

      glad to know that all of you liked the cake. isn’t it such a good feeling to bake a birthday cake (does not matter who’s birthday is it – oneself or family members) and cut it too.

      thanks again urvashi. hugs and love 🙂

      1. Hi Dassana sorry for late reply I was in India for my daughter’s Christmas holidays……ahh not at all My Guru Maa’s name is Maa Biyaya and she is from Patna……

        Do you believe on meditation? as the one I am doing is not only about meditation it’s all about spiritual life nothing material…..so what I mean I’d you stay in this world and do everything like your duty , enjoyment etc but perform your meditation every morning.

        hope it will help you to understand bit more.

        hugs and lots of love
        Urvashi

        1. no problem urvashi. thanks for the info. i used to meditate first but now due to lack of time do not do often. but after doing meditation for so many years, it has become a part of me. now i can easily come to the space of no mind and no thought zone by just sitting silently.

          what you are doing is good. morning times are the best for meditation as well as yoga. keep it going as all these things eventually help us in our life and even after it.

          hugs and take care.

  27. Hi Dassana

    I have made this cake today wanted to send you pictures haven’t tried yet will try on my birthday tomorrow my 2.5years old love cake and she wanted me to bake one with her it was fantastic will let you know about taste tomorrow5 stars

    1. great urvashi. its feels so good doing baking with kids. sure, do let me know how the cake turned out. wish you a happy birthday in advance. have a great day.

  28. HI
    Big fan of your recipes (I am a bachelor who loves to cook)
    During my stay in Germany in a german family, I learnt this pastry from the granny.
    I have a few suggestions with respect to the ingredients based on her recipe.
    Using dark red sour cherries instead of red ones gives a beautiful contrast with the sweet cake. Sour-ish cherries, sweet cake and dark chocolate

    It also ensures that the pastry doesn’t get too sweet
    And instead of rum or wine, there is a cherry liquor called Kirschwasser. It gives the cake a totally different flavour.

    1. thank you sahil for these suggestions from your granny. i believe this must the original german black forest cake. i agree the sour cherries with the combination of a sweet cake and dark chocolate must be tasting too good. i need to try this combo if i can get sour cherries and also the cherry liquor here. thanks again.

  29. Hii mam..!! It’s my humble request to u that please upload the recipe of an eggless fondant cake..actually my daughter’s 1st birthday is coming..and I want to make her cake myself ..hope U’ll help me in dis..actually I hav seen many videos of making fondant cakes and I know this can’t help me bcoz the step by step pics and easy method of urs help me a lot and this only can give me a huge satisfaction and gr8 outcome..I’ll b very thankful to you ????

    1. thank you inderpreet for this comment of yours. unfortunately, for fondant, there are certain ingredients required, that are not available where i live, like corn syrup or fructose syrup etc. so i am unable to add the recipe. i have got a few requests for fondant recipe, but due to the unavailability of these ingredients, i have not added the recipe. whenever i am able to get these ingredients, i will add the recipe of a fondant. moreover fondant making is tricky as things can go wrong. i have learnt how to make it, but it been many years i have not made it at home. you can try a frosted cake and that will be easier than making a fondant.

  30. I have juicer,mixer and grinder options only in my mixy but I have a chopper also ..is this can help me making a whipped cream or not..

    1. don’t use chopper for preparing whipped cream. the cream won’t get whipped if chopper is used or a chopper blade is used. there is whipping blade that comes with mixer-grinder and is usually used for blending lassi or curd. this blade has to be used for whipping cream.

  31. My choclate cake got burnt can i pls know the reason.. And ur recipes r awesome

    1. did you bake in an OTG or baked in the microwave mode of microwave oven. let me know.

      1. Microwave mode in microwave oven .. When should i preheat the oven ?? At the beginning or few minutes before baking????5 stars

        1. okay. microwave mode will burn the cake. in microwave mode, you just need to keep for 4 to 5 minutes. this cake recipe is meant to be baked in an OTG or the convection mode of microwave mode. but some readers have tried the recipe in the microwave mode and microwaved the cake for a few minutes. more than 5 to 6 minutes in the microwave mode and the cake will get burnt. in microwave mode, you cannot preheat the oven. oven can be preheated only in the convection mode.

  32. hello dear ..lovely rrceip..well u need sm favour. .plzzxx my idol do paste rrceip for eggless cheese cake ..its my favourite. ..n sadly I don’t know how to make it.:-(

    1. pratibha, thanks for calling me your idol 🙂 i have eggless cheese cake recipe in drafts. one of the best vanilla cheesecake i have made. i will try to add the recipe in some time.

  33. hello mam, i have gone through many of ur recipes n have tried some of them. they ol turned out well i wanna try this one also bt the prob z that i do not hv an oven. can u plz suggest the pressure cooker recipe of this. i vl b really thankful to u. plz help

    1. thanks charu, have taken your request for eggless black forest cake in pressure cooker recipe request on our file. allow us some time to post the same.

    1. by hand blender i am assuming its a wired whisk. difficult with a wired whisk, if you use amul cream or 25% to 35% fat cream. if the cream has a 50 % or more of fat content, then you can use a wired whisk. if you are meaning an electric hand blender, then you can use it.

  34. Heyy can i make cream from icing sugar and malai in normal mixer which we have at home ?? And does that homemade cream tastes same like whipped cream which is made from amul whipping cream??

    1. you can make cream with icing sugar and malai. there was a time, i used to make cream at home, as we used to get fresh milk and not packaged ones. the taste of whipped cream is same. in fact homemade one taste better than store brought one. but just don’t over do and use the whipper blade in your mixer. any other blade might ruin the consistency.

  35. Hi, i dnt have a oven,,,,,do u hv a recipe to bake the cake in pressure cooker?????

  36. Good aftrnoon..can u plzz tell me wat kind of pans we can use in oven to make this cake4 stars

    1. pratibha, generally aluminium pans are used. you will get them in super stores or in shops which sell bakery stuff. non stick pans are also available and even silicon based ones, but i prefer the conventional aluminium pans.

  37. Hi, I tried this recipe earlier twice it came out good, thanks. But now I wanna double the ingredients to get a big cake! Can I ? Pls reply5 stars

    1. anuradha, you can double the recipe. a few readers did double the recipe with success.

  38. I tried ur basic chocolate cake recipe many a times, and loved the results, now i want to try this one but do not have the electric beater, can i beat the cream in a mixer? Thanks 🙂

    1. thanks manjiri. you can whip the cream in a blender or mixer. but use the whipping blade. if you use the dry grinder or wet grinder blade, then there will be difficulty in getting the cream whipped well.

    1. take all the ingredients as mentioned in the recipe, except the following:
      1.5 tablespoon cocoa powder
      1/4 teaspoon baking soda
      1/2 tablespoon lime juice
      1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

  39. The recipes on this page are too good. Accurate measuring of ingredients and perfect authentic taste of all food!!??? keep sharing n helping us reach our husbands’ hearts??

  40. very nice and easy. made it for my kids bday. can u pls share how big a pan to use when doubling the recipe and the time too.

    1. thanks gayathri. generally, the batter should cover 2/3 of the pan. it very difficult to exactly tell the correct dimensions.

  41. Can I use the same recipe to make cupcakes? And then probably remove a tiny bit of the center, add in a cherry and top with whipped cream and chocolate shaving? How else can I incorporate the blackforest taste in a cupcake?
    Thanks in advance!

    1. usually cupcake batter have a thick to medium consistency batter. you can try this recipe too. i think it should work.

  42. Made this black forest cake and was pleasantly surprised with the result. Wanted to share some of it with my neighbour but husband did not let me. I already have been requested to make it again. You are absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much.5 stars

    1. most welcome lopamudra and glad to know. isn’t it better to make it at home and get surprised with the result 🙂 thanks a lot.

  43. Hi,

    I want to try Black Forest cake for a long time and I came across your site… Just a quick question, where can I find/buy red cherry. I tried finding it at an Indian grocery store but couldn’t. If you can please let me know where I can buy, greatly appreciate it.

    1. shalini you could buy red glazed cherries from any kirana, grocery store they are easily available.

  44. Hi, I have tried many of your recipes and it has made a chef in my home.. All thnks to ur tasty recipes,. I do tried this cake last night. It taste good but it became dry n hard at corners.. Can u tell me where I got wrong?

    1. thanks mansi. its got baked too much. hence the dryness and hardness at the corners. oven times vary with the size, model and type, so when baking its always better to keep a check. some ovens bake faster and some slower.

  45. Hello ,
    I really like your recipes … They really turn out very well.. Wanna try this cake as well for my 1st anniversary but have some questions in my mind…
    1. I live in US and nt getting icing sugar … I am getting powdered sugar … Does that work
    2. The cake pan i am getting is 9in diameter and 1.5 inch depth…will that work?
    3. Also i have ashirwad multi grain flour …will that work?
    4 . Can any brand of heavy whipping cream work?

    1. late in replying as we had some issues with the comment section.

      1. you can use powdered sugar. but just add 1 tsp corn starch to it.
      2. 9×1.5 inch can be risky as we want a cake which is more in height, so that it can be sliced and then frosted.
      3. don’t use multi grain flour. just use atta or whole wheat flour. any brand will do.
      4. any brand of heavy whipping cream will do.

  46. Hi mam i prepared this cake for my son’s bday party yesterday and it came out awsome just like other recipes that ihv tried from yr blog.thank you so much mam.i would like to share some pics too.

    1. wow. thats great. i am sure the birthday boy must have loved it as well the guests. most welcome sonal and do continue to bake. try different recipes. most kids love baked goods and if they are healthy than nothing like it.

  47. Hi mam ihv prepared this cake last year n it was awsome i posted the comment also.now i want to prepare it for my son’s bday so that it could serve almost 20 people n im confused abt the size of the tin n the quantities could u plz help me mam.thanks a lot.

    1. sonal for 20 servings, you will need 2 cakes of the same weight as the recipe. i would not suggest you to double the recipe as i do not know how the end result will be. so you will need to bake the cake twice and then slice and layer each of the cake. hope this helps.

      1. Thank you mam for being so readily helpful always.i think you r right preparing two cakes would be safer than doubling the quantities.any ways thanks a ton once again.you r just THE BEST.

  48. I hv tried to bake a cake about six times. Once, it was perfect.
    But other times, my husband declare my cake as not baked totally.knife test does not work.
    Today also I tried reading your steps carefully. Knife was so clean and the outer looks was also good. I demould the cake and let it be some cool. Then when I cut, it was not cooked properly from inside.
    Though taste was good.
    It always breaks my heart.
    Do the size of baking mould also matters? My mould was leas than half covered with the batter.

    1. vaishali, baking is all about learning, trials and more learning. first of all folding or mixing the batter is a important technique. too much or too less can spoil the final texture of the cake. using fresh ingredients is another important point. if the batter is mixed or folded too much, it will pass the knife test after baking, but the texture will not be light and soft. the texture will dense or hard, but the cake will be baked. the size of baking moulds also matter. generally the batter can be filled upto 2/3rd in the pan.

  49. Hi dassana

    I plan to make a 2 tier cake for my kids 2nd birthday. As he loves minion I want to make it minion style. Thought of using blue icing on d bottom n yellow icing on top. What kind of food color do I use which r easily available n how to add colors. I he th8 of using banana cake (bottom)and basic chocolate cake(top) will dt be fine?
    Waiting eagerly to hear from u.
    Thank u so much.

    N to tell u m baking everyday with ur recipes. Be it banana cake, orange cake, fruit cake, cookies etc etc etc. .? u made me fall in luv wid baking. Amazing recipes. For me a day without baking is a day wasted. Thnx a ton.

    1. neha, i have replied to the email that you had also sent regarding the same query. do check.

  50. first off all thanx for this awsmm recipe… this is my fav web page… whenever i think of making something diffrent for my family, especially for my small brother i always perefer ur recipes nd they are just awsmm.. nd this cake i am thinking of making this on my small brother birthday.. he was asking me to make a chocolate cake for him from a long time nd now after seeing ur recipe i am definitely gonna try it nd i am sure this is gonna be very tasty… ???

    1. always welcome sanjana 🙂 thankyou for your kind and encouraging words. surely try and let us know how the cake was? wishing a great birthday on our behalf

    1. you have to just take the grated chocolate in your palms and sprinkle from the sides. keep on rotating tray or plate. rotate the tray/plate and sprinkle from the sides.

  51. Hello Dasanna. First of all thank u so much for the wonderful recipe. I am gonna try this now. Just had a doubt. Is it fine if i don’t sieve the wheat flour and cocoa powder as I do not not have the shaving plate handy.

    1. thanks asha. its always better to sieve the flour. if there is too much bran in the flour, it can spoil the texture. you can even use a thin cotton cloth or muslin to seive the flour.

  52. Can u tell in ur recipe 1cup = 120 gms
    And 3/4 cup=150 Gms
    I guess one cup = 226 gms approx …,

    1. it depends on what you are weighing. different ingredients depending on their density have different weight in grams. 1 cup is equal to 250 ml. but when you weight atta or sugar in the same cup, their weight in grams differs. eg 1 cup of atta is 120 grams, 1 cup of maida is 125 grams, 1 cup sooji/rava is 200 grams.

  53. Can we whip the cream in mixer grinder using the whip option?
    For how many minutes should I whip if the above is possible?

    1. yes you can whip with the whipping blade in a mixer-grinder. the time depends on the fat content in the cream and the grinder machine capacity. if you use cream with 40% to 60% fat content than the whipping will be quicker. i cannot tell the exact time. what you can do is whip for a few minutes and then check.

  54. Hi , I am a big fan of ur recipes n tried almost many recipes n now I wanna know whether we can use whole wheat flour for eggless black forest cake or not or should we use only maida,Please reply as I wanna do it for this Christmas! Thanks 🙂5 stars

    1. thanks anuradha. you can use whole wheat flour for any cake that you make be it without frosting or with frosting. if you want, you can make this recipe with maida also.

  55. Hi ,
    For this recipe if I had to use vanilla pod instead of extract,how much of the pod needs to be used?

  56. Baked this for my sister s bday last weekend and it came out very good.I used the whipped cream powder instead of fresh cream for the icing and was very happy with the finished product!4 stars

  57. Hi this cake looks yummy wanna try it but can u tell me the method to whip amul fresh cream into whip cream

    1. use an electric beater to whip amul cream. you have to whip for a long time atleast 7 to 8 minutes on medium to high speed to get soft peaks.

  58. Hi,
    Baking soda & baking powder are different? If no baking soda is available then can baking powder be substituted, if yes, then what will be the measurement.5 stars

    1. pooja, both baking soda and baking powder are different. baking soda is just sodium bicarbonate. whereas baking powder is a dry mixture of sodium bicarbonate, an acidifying agent like cream of tartar and corn starch. you can substitute baking powder with baking soda but not the other way round. baking soda is 4 times stronger than baking powder. in this recipe baking soda cannot be substituted with baking powder.

      1. which is the best …………baking soda or baking powder……for health..

        1. if using baking powder, the use aluminium free baking powder. its better for health than using regular baking powder. baking soda is just pure sodium bicarbonate. can be used in minimal amounts in eggless baking.

  59. Hi,
    I wish to know this cake can I make in my microwave n I have ifb model in microwave with all convection and grill modes but there is no option or button for pre heating .so wat n how can I prepare.
    Please guode me with your valuable knowledge.
    I am obliged

    1. i also have a ifb oven with convection and grill option. there is no preheating button but the company demo person had shown me how to preheat. difficult to explain how, but the preheating is automatic and the preheating is only for 5 minutes, after which the oven starts to give a beep sound.

      i preheat the oven manually. i set the oven to 180 degrees celsius and keep the oven on without any pan in it for 12 to 15 minutes. then after 12 to 15 minutes, i stop the oven and place the cake pan. again set the temperature to 180 degrees celsius and start the oven.

      you can call the company and ask for a demo. they will send some person to give the demo.

  60. Dassana..thank u so much for this wonderful recipie..made it for besties birthday and it was my first cake..tasted well
    I Just have one doubt…my cake just cracked when i removed it from the pan..like the cracks extended till its edges when i transfered it into the plate (though the icing saved it).can u tell what my mistake could be?4 stars

    1. thanks megha. if the cake is removed when it is still hot or warm, then it cracks. allow the cake to cool completely and then remove it. over baking can also crack the cake.

  61. i prepared this cake at my home & love…. it .your recipies are so good .Whenever i feel hungry i make this cake at my home.

    1. thankyou rohit glad to know your cake was appreciated 🙂 you are welcome.

  62. Hi mam,I tried this recipe.. It came out well..but as u shown in that pic,cracks r der (allover for me)which makes it difficult for me to cut it into 2 for making it a black forest pastry cake.how can I get it perfect for cutting n transferring to another surface?vt all things I need to b cautious?

    1. just slice the cracked part very thinly, so that you have an even surface for frosting. you can use a dental floss for slicing the top of the cake thinly. if there are a lot of crumbs, then apply a crumb coat. a crumb coat is the thin icing applied on the cake before you spread the proper icing. since we are using cream here, just apply a thin layer of whipped cream. then keep the cake in the fridge and let the cream set for 20 to 30 minutes. remove and then spread the whipped cream icing. meanwhile keep the whipped cream in the fridge.

      keep everything ready before you start icing. also keep the cake on a plate which has been wrapped with aluminium foil. its easy to turn this plate while spreading the icing. also you don’t have to lift the cake later to another serving plate.

  63. Dear Dassana, this recipe is so awesome. Am going to try this in few hours from now as it’s my son’s birthday tomorrow. Your recipes are easy and great to follow. Thanks a ton.5 stars

  64. Hi I made this cake and followed as per your process but my cake came out soggy uncooked and sticky. Why did this happen

    1. try baking for some more time. perhaps the cake has not been baked enough.

  65. Hi Dassana..
    Your recipe is looking awesome…
    But I wanna try this recipe in my new air fryer..
    it has a pre-heating option.. so can i try this recipe in the air fryer..
    or only convection oven will do??
    Plz tell as I hav to make this cake today only…4 stars

      1. hi Dasanna…
        Have tried your recipe with exact proportions n ingriedients…
        but my cake was not fluffy inspite of baking it for so long time…
        My upper crust became so hard may be because of over baking or over heating…
        but inside the cake was soggy… please tell me where i was wrong…
        moreover plz tell me which cocoa powder do you use…
        because my cake was not as dark as your is looking… but liquid mixture of the cake was exactly looked(in color) as yours is… 🙁

        1. hi pooja, the baking was uneven. the crust has become hard due to over heating and baking. sogginess could be due to the cake being cooled in the pan and again uneven baking. did you bake in the air fryer or in the convection mode of the microwave oven. if convection mode, then for low you preheated the oven. i have used hintz cocoa powder. the color of the cake will be from brown to dark brown depending on the color of the cocoa powder.

  66. Hello there,
    I liked the way you showed and i would like to do but the only problem i can manage all ingredients but i don’t have any oven. So can i use pressure cooker or any other pots to cook ? Please help me. My wife’s birthday is coming so i wanna make.

  67. Hi dassana. Can i use a whisk to beat the cream. And what can be the substitute of icing sugar. Plaease tell me soon . I wanna make this cake on my friend’s b’day.

    1. If you are using a heavy whipping cream, then you can use a whisk. If you are using amul cream, then don’t use a whisk. For amul cream you will need electric beater. Powder 4 tbsp regular sugar with 1/2 tsp corn starch or arrow root flour in a grinder. You can use this as a substitute for icing sugar.

  68. Hi,
    I want to know this black forest cake serves how many? I intend to make the same with 6.5 inch cake tin. Can you tell me the measure of the ingredients? I will use this recipe. Do I have to chill the heavy whipping cream also before use?

    1. janaki, 6.5 inch will be small. try making in 7.5 or 8.5 inch. it will serve 7-8 people provided they take one slice of cake.

  69. You are a genious mam.I made this cake for my anniversary and it was awsome.you just made my day thanks a lot5 stars

  70. Hi I tried in exactly the same way…but cake was in liquid form only from middle even after baking for 50 mins….n secondly my cream was also not stiff even after blending for long time it was in liquid form only….pls rpl what could be the reason

    1. liquid in the center means the cake is not baked. so some more time is required for baking. different ovens have different temperatures and so the baking time varies. how long you blended the cream? for amul cream which is a low fat cream, it takes about 6 to 7 minutes on high speed to get soft peaks.

  71. Hi I have vanilla essence not extract or powder i not found in my city. then what is proportion for it. i mean there 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract / powder = how much vanilla essence i have to use.?

  72. hey its very yummie recepie.. i need ur help plz suggest me dat where should i have to put the pan in microwave for baking process, on glass tray??, on metal rack ( the rack for making pizza) ?? or crusty plate?? or direct without any tray?? sm frnds suggested me to remove glas tray and sm suggestd dat no need to remove d glas tray i m cnfused plz help me mam 🙂

    1. the round glass tray that comes with the microwave need not be removed. in the microwave, you will have to use the convection option for baking and not the microwave option. place the pan on the glass tray. when the baking happens in the convection mode, the round tray rotates and this leads to even baking.

    2. Hello sir thanks a lot for u r previous suggestion. I need some suggestions how wipped cream in summer because its not get set. N how long I can preserve unwipped cream .Its get spoiled even I keep in refrigerator. Plz suggest me .

      1. refrigerate the bowl in which you will whip the cream and also chill the cream before you whip. whipped cream will stay good for a day or two in the fridge.

  73. Hello dassana, I have a Que to you. will you plz tell me , can i use normal sugar instead of icing sugar? I couldn’t find icing sugar in market.
    Thank U

    1. welcome neha. you need icing sugar otherwise the cream will not have stiff peaks. try in some good super store. or you powder the normal sugar in the mixer and add 1-2 tsp corn flour in it. this should work. but i have had one feedback from a reader where this tip didn’t work. icing sugar is basically powdered sugar with corn starch.

  74. Very yummy looking recipe….really wants to try this..u r a fantastic cook
    ..one doubt….1 cup equals to 200 ml…is it?
    U have written 250 ml…so was in confusion… N can u just tell me in gms maida n sugar…u have written 120 GMs maida n 150 GMs sugar

    1. the cups i use have 250 ml as their volume. cups with 200 and 240 ml are also available. since i use 250 ml, i have mentioned the same. use 125 grams maida. i have used 120 grams atta. 1 cup maida in weight is 125 grams and atta is 120 grams. 3/4 cup sugar weighs 150 grams. each ingredients based on their density weighs differently.

  75. It is really a wonderfull recipe.I expect more recipes like this.Thankyou5 stars

  76. thanks asha. you can double the ingredients,but you might need a larger pan than 9.5/4.

  77. hiii sir thanks for the recipe can u please post some new forms of blackforest

  78. thanks for your recipes sir its too simple and yummy and its a,request please post more cream cakes recipe so that we come to know more creams receipe

  79. thank u sir.. the best n simple cake i can prepare for my mom’s b’day.. thnk u sooooo muchhhh sir.. a big big thank you.. regards..5 stars

  80. Thnx sir for posting such a delicious recipe of eggless black forest cake. It looks very tempting so I have decided to make it at home. But I have one problem which I always have been facing while cooking i.e. the difference in tablespoon and teaspoon.
    I know that tablespoon is bigger but that is not making me clear to choose which one. Sir, I will be extremely obliged if u will send me there pics or post those on your website.5 stars

    1. welcome ankisha. 1 tbsp = 3 tsp. i will try to add a separate page on it. but it will take time.

  81. I really like to do the cake I.e. black forest. Thank you very much for the best recipe. I really glad.

  82. Wow…:) from u i came to know that baking is not that much tuff job..i juzzz loved the recipe and itz easy to ….i have made this on my anniversary and my husband n my boy juzz loved it…thank u so much…:) 🙂5 stars

    1. welcome anubhi. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.

  83. Thank you so much for the recepie. I made this for my daughter’s b day and she was thrilled.

    Regards5 stars

  84. it luks wonderful , great recipe but i m doubtful cuz its my first time making choc cake and i have hell lot of doubts , whether should i use atta ? or can i use all purpose flour (maida) ? if yeah then what is the timing far all purpose flour and what about milk ? will it be better without milk ? in some other recipes that i have heard either buttermilk or milk is used . baking powder or baking soda ? will this recipe really work ?! the last time when i tried to bake a cake it became stiff like buiscuts and turned like plastic , a total failure , why is that ? and i tried it with eggs , will eggless cake be alright ?!

    1. you can use either atta or maida. it will be the same time. milk is not added in this recipe. when milk or buttermilk is used, then there would be some other ingredients also that complement them. you have to try this recipe. as a baker, i would tell you that over mix or fold your batter. if this done is spoils the texture of the cake. so mix or fold the batter lightly. i won’t be able to tell you why the previous cake recipe you baked became like plastic. since i do not have the recipe. eggless cakes work very well, if you follow the recipe correctly.

  85. Hii,
    Kaise ak cooker mein cake banta he uska tarika hume bataenge plss.quki mere pas cke banane ka oven nehi he.kindly batange to i m vry thnkful to u.byy.tke cre.
    From
    Soma rakshit

  86. I tried ur kadai mushroom recipe. It was very tasty…. I like d explanation given by you… It make following the instructions easier…. Thanx a lot!

    1. welcome poonam. glad to know this. thanks for sharing your positive feedback.

  87. I dnt hv microwave or oven, can I use pressure cooker fr d same recipe? If I use a pressure cooker for how much time should I bake n also tell abt d flame?5 stars

  88. Hi Dassana,
    It looks great .I have one question. Can u tell me that what is the perfect setting for cake , grill or Fan force ? will wait for your reply dassana…
    Thanks

  89. Dear dassana… Your recipes are AMMMAZINGGG… Thank you sooo much. I’ve tried your doodhi soup, zeera rice and dal tadka so far. Came out excellent. Plan to try out much more. The clarity in your explanations is so helpful for a novice. Dassana, what’s the difference in taste between egg cakes and eggless ones? And can you please advise when to add eggs in the recipe for those who want an egg based cake? Also can you please share how to make Baklava, with home made phyllo/filo dough?5 stars

    1. thanks azra. in egg cakes eggs are used to help in rising and leavening the cake. they also give structure to the cake. in eggless cakes the role of eggs is done by various substitutes like condensed milk, curd/yogurt, baking soda or fruit purees. the leavening depends upon the various ingredients used in the recipe. addition of eggs depends upon the type of cake and the recipe. for example for a sponge cake, you need to beat just the egg whites till stiff and then add one yolk at a time and beat. then add sugar then beat again. then fold in the dry ingredients. for a regular cake, the whole egg can be beaten and then mixed with the batter. each recipe is different so you will have to figure out accordingly. its easier to convert an egg cake to an eggless cake, but vice versa is difficult. as one has to get rid of all the ingredients that are used as substitute for eggs. plus baking is specific to the recipe and oven temperature. any minor change can affect the cake in terms of texture or taste.

      i have put a hold on baklava as i am still working on making a good puff pastry recipe. failed many times here. the pastries would not puff. tried many recipes, but always not got the perfect texture. so once i master the puff pastry, i will start working on baklava as its the same elements used.

  90. Hi Dassana , I want to prepare this blackforest cake on my son`s b`day. but I have the pan size 7.5×4 or 10×2…..What to do ? which one will need how much time while baking the cake ? plz let me know what could be the best ?

  91. Hi I make blackforest cake it was super ur recipe is too easy I like it but I have one answer why my some cake get crack I can’t get in blackforest cake also get crack can u give me resoan why?

    1. thanks keyuri. oo much of baking powder or soda can crack the cake. other reason could be, if the batter is mixed too much, if the batter is too thick or the amount of liquids is less in the batter or if the cake pan has been kept near the top heating element or if the oven is too hot.

  92. Hello dassana,my cake didnt turn out very well.first i got stuck with backing as i bakd for almost 55mins and still it was soft in centre.den sonehow i tried convection n microwave option and it got lil better.den at second step that is cutting it into two halves,it didnt happen as it was sticky in centre:( den for making icing,i used amul cream and tried mixing thriugh hand blender but didnt get expected consistency,as back up i had kept hone cream from milk but that was also ok…not very happy so pls help me where i went wrong.
    But it tasted very nice::)).
    thanks.

    1. hi maitry, i replied to your earlier comment 🙂 soft in the center means the cake needed to be baked more. oven temperatures are different so the time varies. since you used both microwave and convection options later, the cake has become sticky from the center. amul cream is difficult to beat with a hand blender. you need a good electric blender or stand mixer to whip it. with a hand blender it will not form soft or stiff peaks.

  93. Hi dassana.can u help me at the monent as i am trying ur cake.i kept it on concevtion oven for 40mins but still toothpick comes put wet.cqn u help u

    1. just continue to bake till the tooth pick comes out clean. i hope the cake turned out well.

  94. Your recipe was superhit Dassana …made it for my son’s bday party …..atleast 12 people must have asked for recipe …;)…..was on top of the world …..all thanks to you for this healthy n detailed recipe n procedure. …god bless you … not sure why the website is not allowing me to give you 5 stars ….3 is what its allowing me 🙁3 stars

    1. thanks a lot prachi for this awesome feedback. glad to know this. its a software glitch which does not allow to give 5 star rating at times. but your feedback is more than 5 star rating for us.

      1. Sir i made this cake using maida and belive me the cake was awesome in taste
        Thank u so much for such a nice recipe

  95. Want to make it tomorrow. Just a quick question can we use eno instade of baking soda? If yes how much?
    Thanks

    1. manju, you can try with Eno. add 1/2 tsp eno. but i have never tried making this cake with Eno.

  96. Hey
    Thanks to u and ur blog that I enjoy baking now and try new recipe every weekend.
    When the end result is good I give a tap on my back and try new ones.
    My hubby is a huge bakery products fan and this seems a way to treat him over the weekend 🙂
    This cake was one such success! The cream tasted awesome too!

    1. welcome nivedita. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on black forest cake. even i feel good when a cake or bread turns our excellent. happy baking.

  97. hi Dassana,

    I am planning to prepare this cake today. Is it fine to keep the batter out for some time before putting it to the oven? Does it make the cake hard?

    1. anu, the batter should go immediately in the oven. don’t keep it out.

  98. Hi, can u pls tell me how to make this cake in microwave without d convection mode5 stars

    1. shraddha, it cannot be made in the microwave without the convection mode.

  99. Dasaana I
    made this cake but it come out very hard.what may be the reason I used the same process but baked in for 40 min in convection…

    1. avita, the baking soda may not be fresh or good quality. many readers have tried this cake recipe successfully.

    1. amy, i have never made whipped cream from the cream powder. you can follow the direction on the pack.

  100. Dear ,

    I m a big big fan of ur cooking. Umake it easy n clear all doubts even if it’s very small,
    .keep going. N thanks

  101. Hi dasana can I use vinegar instead of lime juice.tnx.please reply as I am making the cake tommorow for my husband birthday.tnx4 stars

  102. Hii dasanna

    Thank u for such a lovely recipe.one question can I use fresh chopped cherries after applying whipped cream on the base of the cake.

    Thanks

    Grishma

    1. welcome grishma. if the cherries are sweet then you can add them. if they are sour then avoid adding them as they will give sour taste.

      1. Thank u so much for the advice I will be careful. In regard to the whipped cream i f I purchaceva whipped cream do I need to whipp it again with icing sugar.

        Secondly what kind of chocolate shall I use for the decoration can I use the cadbury milk chocolate

        1. welcome grishma. i have never purchased the whipped cream so i don’t whether one needs to whip it again or not. because i have not seen it. you will have to see the cream and then decide. yes you can use cadbury chocolate.

  103. Dear Dassana,
    I am planning to bake this cake today.Wanted to ask you one thing.You mentioned about adding sugar to cold water.Should it be kept in the fridge? Or normal drinking water should do??

    Regards
    Karthika

  104. Nice receipe. Black Forest cake is my favorite cake. I will try this recepie soon. I always buy black forest cake from online shop of monginis; hope it will give same taste.

  105. I tried baking the cake today and it turned out to be awesome. Very soft, light and moist– too good for an eggless, butter less, wheat cake!

    Thank you for posting such great recipes!5 stars

    1. welcome sarah. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on black forest cake.

  106. Is baking soda and baking powder is the same thing or soda bi carb is called baking soda?3 stars

    1. both are different. baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate or soda bicarb as you mention. when moistened it releases carbon dioxide which helps in rising of baked stuff. baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, an acidifying agent (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). baking soda is more strong than baking powder.

  107. Hii..Ur recipe for eggless black forest cake is wonderful …but can I know the recipe with using egg..please..thanks.5 stars

  108. Nice presentation of each receipe, easy to learn, I think making cake and momos is difficult job ,but going through ur recipe, it really very easy. Thanks

  109. Hi, I follow your recipes quite often. They are very easy and simple to understnd. I have a question regarding this Black Forrest cake. Can you tell me the change in recipe if I would use eggs? Thanks!

  110. Yummmyyy cake….i made it for my husband’s bday…and it was deliicciioouusss…thank u soo much for posting these beautiful and delicious recipes in a very simple way…:)

    1. welcome nidhi. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on cake.

  111. Hi dear,
    thank u for all beautiful recepies can I use baking power to make this cake5 stars

  112. Hi Dassana,
    You are my favorite cook author so far. I have tried man recipes of yours and they work awesome each time. Keep posting coz I’m always to follow!!! 😉

    In this cake I want to know, what changes should be done if I use maida instead of whole wheat flour?

    Thanks in advance!

    1. thanks a lot nupur. no need to make any changes. you can just follow the same recipe. happy baking 🙂

  113. Hi
    Thanks for posting this
    A request do u remember initially this cake was introduced with biscuit base I sorely miss that whenever I eat this cake could u give me a recipe for the base as would love to make this cake .

    1. after reading your comment, i remember. i miss it too. hmmm… let me see. if i can post another cake recipe with this biscuit layer. it would be a baked cookie dough layer that is placed below. or else you just take 1/2 cup flour, 2 tbsp butter. 2 tbsp powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp baking powder. with a spoon or wired whisk, beat the butter with the sugar very well till creamy. then seive the flour with baking powder. add the sieved flour mixture to the creamed butter. gently mix. don’t knead. mix and gather to a dough. add more flour if required. refrigerate for 30 mins. then roll to a circle the size of the cake. place on a greased baking tray. bake in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees celsius till golden from top. i have just given tentative measurements. so this is not a tried and tested recipe. but according to me it should work.

      1. Hi
        I have leftover ginger bread cookie dough, can use it as a base for this type of cake? and how about baking the base with cake?5 stars

        1. yes you can use the cookie dough as a base. i have never tried baking both the base and cake together. so cannot say anything. i would suggest to bake both of them separately.

  114. Hi Dassanna

    I always love the Black Forest Cake . I am glad that this one is eggless…

    Thanks for the recipe. Will try it out.

  115. Happy New Year Dassana ..Cake looks yummy…if you stabilise the cream it will be more easy to cover the cake and to pipe the curles…

    1. Wish you also Sari a happy new year. I know but we don’t get whipped cream stabilisers here. I do get ice cream stabilisers, but i have never used them. Thanks for reminding me though. I had forgotten about stabilisers 🙂

      1. Dear , you can use gelatine as a stabiliser. For 2 cup whipping cream and 1 cup icing sugar batch ,1 to 1 and half tsp gelatine will be enough. First mix gelatin with 1 tbsp cold water then mix 1 tbsp hot water mix this mixture to a small portion of hot whipped cream and mix it slowly to the whole batch.Keep it for few minutes your stabilised whipping cream is ready for piping 🙂

        1. thanks sari for the info and the details. much appreciated. however, since gelatine is not a vegetarian product, i don’t use it. if there is any vegetarian substitute for gelatine, then i can try.

        2. You can try agar to substitute for gelatine. You use the same method to prepare the powdered kind of agar – maybe use a little less than gelatine, like 3/4 of a teaspoon.

          Another method is to use one 1 tsp corn flour per cup of cream – you add it at the soft peak stage. I don’t know how easy it is to get in India, but tapioca flour is used for similar things – perhaps that will work in the whipped cream as well.

        3. thanks a lot for the info trix. i will try with both agar and corn flour. we get corn flour and tapioca flour in india. thanks again.

  116. Hello dassana
    dassana cake is looking very tempting but I want to know is it fine to use cream which we get from milk in home,and I don’t have hand blender so how to blend it.

    1. you can use the cream which we get from milk. what you do is collect cream in a few days like 4 to 5 days or a week. keep this collected malai in the freezer. then when you wan to make cream, a day before remove the malai and keep in the fridge. then next day, take the chilled malai in a blender or mixer-grinder or food processor. add icing sugar. blend in the mixer grinder till you the cream becomes thick. then use it for the frosting.

  117. Hey Dassana…wish u a very Happy New Year…may god bless u and ur family with all the happiness and health.. 🙂

    And now a question about receipe…can i use plain flour instead of whole wheat flour..does it make any difference??

    1. wish you too a happy new year nidhi. yes you can use plain flour. just that the cake will be more lighter.

  118. Hey the cake looks delish! Could u please suggest a brand of chocolate to use for the chocolate shavings!!
    N keep up the good work!
    Cheers!
    Happy new year

    1. thanks leeja. i used compound chocolate. i have removed it and kept it in a box in the fridge. so i don’t remember the brand name. you can use dairy milk chocolate or any other good chocolate brand. but the chocolate has to be chilled. wishing happy new year to you too.

  119. Hi Dassana,
    The cake looks very delicious, do you have recipe about how to bake a cake if someone does not have a oven. (I have not yet gone through your whole website)5 stars

  120. Hi Dassana, Wishing you and your family a very happy new year ! Cake looks amazing and is on my to-make list of recipes from your recipe. Keep up the great work and best wishes that 2015 brings greater success to your website ! 🙂

    1. thanks radhika for this sweet feedback. wishing you and your family a very happy new year.

      1. Can you tell me the brand of coco powder.you said ,good quality. So if you can tell me which brand, you have used.
        btw best recipe for vegetarians. Finally search is over!!

        1. thanks kk. i have used hintz cocoa powder. its dark cocoa powder. i have also used cadbury’s and weikfield. but i felt hintz was better. but i have heard very good reviews for valrhona cocoa powder. unfortunately, its not available in india.

        2. Can I use store bought vanilla frosting for frosting the cake? How can it be used for frosting?

        3. amritha, you can use. follow the instruction on the packet. can’t say how to use as i have never used store bought one.

        4. Hi awesome website with clear recipes. It shows ur interests and experience in cuking. I hav few queries
          1. Which vanilla powder or essence brand you think as best quality or u r using. Can v use oil soluble flavours which we use in chocolate fillings. Also wat brand is ur baking soda.
          2. Am using Bajaj majesty otg. While baking should we keep cake pan in the tray or the grill
          3. Also while preheating the otg should both elements be on. And should we preheat with the baking tray inside.
          4. I use electric blender. Can u giv me approx minutes to beat 5 eggs yolk and white together. Also wat should we do to avoid egg smell. Any tips.
          5. Fold in means just mixing the batter right or is it like folding in the flour from outer to inner.

          Sorry for the long list. Would be happy if u help me clear this basic.5 stars

        5. thanks. my replies.
          – i use homemade vanilla extract. i make the extract at home from vanilla beans. also i used fabindia vanilla powder, which is basically black vanilla seeds.
          – keep in the center rack, which i think is the grill rack in your oven.
          – yes keep both the heating elements on. while baking cakes or cookies or bread no need to preheat the baking tray or pan. but when baking naan or pizza, you can heat a baking tray. i have a philips OTG similar to bajaj majestic. i don’t remove the bottom baking tray any time. i let it be like that only. while baking naan, i heat another tray and keep it in the center or on the top.
          – its been many years i have used eggs. so i have lost count on how much time it will take. just beat till the whole mixture looks frothy and is homogeneous. use vanilla as it masks the eggy smell.
          – its not mixing the way, mixing is actually done. in round and cut strokes, the dry ingredients is gently folded in the wet ingredients. you can see on youtube how its done. there are two to three ways.

        6. Can u let me know how u make the extract and for that from where to get the vanilla beans. Wat wld b the shelf life of this extract if refrigerated. Thanks for ur quick reply. Really really appreciate it….

        7. for the extract, you need to slice the vanilla beans into two and soak it in vodka or rum for about 1 month. for a more stronger flavor, soak for 2 to more months. i generally use 4 vanilla beans and soak in about 1 to 1.5 cups of vodka. i have a batch which is still getting done. i will add a post also soon. i keep outside at room temperature. stays good for a year. vanilla beans i get from a superstore. you can also buy vanilla beans online. the better the quality of vanilla beans, the better the extract is. making extract this way is better than the artificially made one as they don’t have any natural or real vanilla in it. it made from all synthetic chemical products.