Ingredients
- 180 ml Québec maple syrup
- 4 large eggs
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 45 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 120 ml neutral oil
- 120 ml buttermilk
- 500 g pitted sour cherries
- 250 ml cherry juice
- 30 ml kirsch
- 500 ml heavy cream
- 80 ml maple syrup for the cream
- 100 g dark chocolate shavings
Method
- Whisk eggs, 120 ml maple syrup, oil, and buttermilk; fold in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- Bake in two 20 cm pans at 165 °C for 25–30 minutes; cool and split each cake.
- Simmer cherries, cherry juice, and 30 ml maple syrup until lightly thickened; cool and add kirsch.
- Whip the cream with 80 ml maple syrup, then layer cake, cherries, and cream; finish with chocolate shavings.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 250 g granulated sugar in the cake, cherries, and cream
Conversion used: Use 200 ml maple syrup for 250 g sugar; reduce the buttermilk by 30 ml and cherry juice by 20 ml. Bake at 165 °C instead of 180 °C, reducing the oven by 15 °C.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple adds depth to the chocolate and tart cherries without competing with the traditional kirsch profile. The substitution highlights a local Québec sweetener in a German forest-cake structure.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →