Friday, September 12, 2008

The one in which I admit my sadness over the dissoultion of the Baltimore Oktoberfest

and I admit that I am making an "easy" Black Forest Cake in response to said sadness. I was so psyched to be living further north again...and that maybe, just maybe, we could swing a week-end up home so we could take the kids to the Oktoberfest at the Armory in Baltimore. I have many fond memories of attending it with my Opa Schlosser. I did an internet search and this is what I found...

Auf Wiedersehen, 2006

Waaaah! I complained to Auntie Lori (my grandfather's daughter) and she said "Make your own German desserts." and "Get your German kitsch on ebay." (Because part of the Oktoberfest tradition required the purchase of some piece of "Germany" memorablia or t-shirt). So now that's what I have to do. And I'm still very sad. Very sad.

A long time ago, when I was a graduate student at Pitt, my boss at my internship, Marilyn Holt, made a chocolate cherry cake and brought it to work. This is the cake I am making today. She must be a German girl herself because she was a wonderful baker and probably a good cook as well (although I don't know that for sure but one could make this deduction). One thing is certain, this cake is DIVINE. When she gave me the recipe, she didn't inclue a name. In our house it is simply called "Easy Black Forest Cake". Schwarzwaldkuchen. Delicious.

I forgot to say, this cake is not for the weight conscious or diabetic. It is high in calories and sugar. I do not make it often because of this fact. Steven and I cannot seem to control ourselves if it is in our presence. And, honestly, I cannot remember when I last made this...maybe when we lived in Iceland, prior to January 2004.

Easy Black Forest Cake

1 box Devil's Food mix, prepared as directed. Add to it one can of Cherry Pie Filling. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until tests show that it is finished.

Chocolate Icing

1 c. sugar
5 tbsp butter or margarine
1/3 c. milk
1 c. chocolate chips

Combine sugar, butter and milk in saucepan. Boil 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat - stir in chips until smooth.

I allow this to set up for just a minute or two after mixing in the chips...then I pour it onto my cake. (I also like to poke a few holes in the cake so the icing goes down inside)


My Knit Picks order finally arrived! Yay!!! The Felici yarn is oh-so squishy! I cannot wait to start these socks. My package included: 2 sets of nickel plated 40" circular needles (different sizes, obviously) and a set of Harmony wood 40" circulars. Harmony cable needles. Felici yarn. A WPI tool (this is used to determine the "weight" of your yarn) and a book called "The Twisted Sister Sock Workbook". Again...yay!!! Photo below.



No big plans for the week-end...maybe some swimming and some Indian cooking. Recipes to follow if they are tasty!

2 comments:

frksnupp said...

Oh that cake sounds divine! A friend of mine, now living in Tthe UK, used to make a cherry/blackberry/chocolate pie similar to these ingredients...and the yarn! I think you´re well prepared for the weekend...

Shannon said...

Cherry/blackberry sounds yummy, too! I'm working as fast as I can to complete my Tasha shawl. I've finished one side and am rounding the corner now to the second side. I bet it will be at least a week before I can start the socks. But it's fun to squish the yarn!!! =)