My Almost 39 Year Old Husband and the Deconstructed Black Forest Birthday Cake

David will turn 39 tomorrow and he has requested a cherry chocolate cake for his birthday. Actually, he wants Michele's German Chocolate Cake, which he is convinced cannot be made by anybody but Michele. I understand his hesitancy with my cakes. It was not so long ago that every cake I attempted flopped. Although I now can add cakes to my culinary repertoire, the memories of some of my former cakes have scarred this family.

The search for chocolate cherry cakes has resulted in some interesting options. I was all set to make a Molten Chocolate Cake with Cherries until I found a unique cake from the January 2005 issue of Bon Appetit. It is a Deconstructed Black Forest Cake. You make all of the components of the cake and serve the parts, rather than a slice of the whole. The components will be a brown sugar chocolate cake, red wine-infused cherries, a chocolate fudge pot, a shot of kirsch, and whipped cream. It looks fun and different. I can't wait to make it.

In addition to the cake, David's birthday dinner request is Brown Sugar and Bourbon Ribs, corn on the cob with citrus butter, and corn bread. We made this dinner for the first time when hosting our friends Betsy and Steve and their daughter (my adopted sister) Leanne, and Michele before Ironwood's excellent production of the musical Chicago. The recipe for that follows the cake.

Now back to David's birthday. We are heading to Rochester after today's Badger game to shop for a present (I have to do it with him because I am ALL out of ideas!), see a movie, and eat at
Sontes, a wine bar that serves tapas. I've been to a similar restaurant, Solera in Minneapolis with my friends Chris and Sue and we loved it, so it is time to enjoy it with David. Hopefully it will be as good as Solera was.

Here's the recipe for the Deconstructed Black Forest Cake. We'll let you know how it tastes.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup hot coffee

Chocolate Fudge Pots
2 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar

Cherry Compote
4 cups frozen (unthawed) pitted cherries (about 1 pound)
2/3 cup plus
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup dry red wine

Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chilled whipping cream
Chilled kirsch (clear cherry brandy)

For cake:Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 14x10x1-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line sheet with parchment; butter paper. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and eggs; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in next 4 ingredients. Beat in flour alternately with sour cream in 2 additions each. Gradually add hot coffee; mix until smooth (batter will be thin).

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack. Cover and chill until cold, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

For chocolate fudge pots:Preheat oven to 325°F. Place chocolate in bowl. Bring cream and salt just to boil in medium saucepan. Pour over chocolate; whisk until melted. Whisk yolks and sugar in bowl to blend; whisk in hot chocolate mixture. Transfer mixture to same saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes (do not boil).
Divide chocolate custard among ten 1/3-cup ramekins (about 1/4 cup in each). Place ramekins in large roasting pan. Add enough water to pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake until custards are almost set, about 37 minutes. Remove ramekins from pan; cool 15 minutes. Chill uncovered until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)

For cherry compote:Stir cherries and 2/3 cup sugar in large saucepan over medium heat 2 minutes. Add wine; simmer until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Drain cherries over medium bowl; return juices to saucepan and reserve cherries in same bowl. Boil juices until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Pour over cherries; cool.

Using 3-inch-diameter cookie cutter and dipping edges of cutter into cocoa powder, cut 10 rounds from cold cake. Let cakes come to room temperature. Using electric mixer, whip cream and 1 teaspoon sugar in bowl until peaks form. Pour kirsch into 10 small glasses. Place 1 cake, 1 chocolate fudge pot, spoonful of cherries, whipped cream, and glass of kirsch on each of 10 plates and serve.