Chef Christy Stewart-Jenkins, Executive Pastry Chef at L’Artusi, b’artusi, L’Artusi Supper Club, and Via Porta, is known for her ability to transform classic desserts into refined, modern experiences. In this recipe created for Cacao Noel, she reimagines the traditional Black Forest cake with bold, aromatic elements like black cardamom and burnt vanilla. The result is a beautifully balanced dessert that layers rich chocolate, tart cherries, and subtle smokiness into a plated experience that highlights both technique and creativity.
This dessert reinterprets the classic Black Forest cake through layered components, each contributing texture, flavor, and aroma. Below are the individual elements that come together to create the final plated dish.
Butter, Soft 142g
Sugar 304g
Eggs 135g
Egg Yolks 14g
Buttermilk 146g
Flour 192g
Cacao Noel Black Cocoa Powder 56g
Baking Soda 6g
Baking Powder 1g
Salt 4g
Combine flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Sift and set aside.
In a mixer, cream together softened butter and sugar with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs and yolks, one at a time, until well mixed.
Begin to add your sifted dry ingredients and buttermilk to your egg mixture, alternating between wet and dry, scraping the bowl well in between.
Once fully combined pour 900g of cake batter into parchment lined 1/4 sheet tray.
Bake at 325F in a convection oven for 28-32 minutes, rotating halfway through.
Once fully cooled, cut into small cubes.
Glucose Syrup 40g
Whole Milk 58g
Heavy Cream #1 178g
Vanilla Beans 9g
Cacao Noel Blanc 30% 210g
Gelatin Sheets 4.5g
Heavy Cream #2 422g
Torch whole vanilla beans until well charred. Once cooled, split open pods to release seeds.
In a small pot, bring glucose syrup, milk, heavy cream #1, and charred vanilla bean pods and seeds to a boil.
Stir in bloomed gelatin sheets and strain over white chocolate. Reserve spent vanilla beans, rinse, and dehydrate for later use.
Immersion blend to emulsify. Pour in heavy cream #2, and immersion blend again until smooth.
Store in refrigerator overnight.
Whip to smooth, fluffy texture before piping.
Whole Milk 467g
Black Cardamom Pods – 4 each
Gelatin Sheets 7.5g
Cacao Noel Noir 72% 584g
Heavy Cream 935g
Lightly smash cardamom pods and place in dry pot over medium heat to lightly toast and release aroma.
Add whole milk to pot with cardamom and heat to a boil.
Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let the milk and cardamom infuse for 10 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap and reheat milk. Once milk comes to a boil again stir in bloomed gelatin.
Strain milk over chocolate and immersion blend to emulsify. Add in heavy cream to mixture, and immersion blend until smooth.
Reserve spent cardamom pods, rinse, and dehydrate for later use.
Store in refrigerator overnight.
Frozen Morello Cherries 480g
Maraschino Cherry Liqueur 41g
Cornstarch 3g
Sugar 6g
Black Cardamom Pods 2 each
Lightly smash cardamom pods and place in dry pot over medium heat to lightly toast and release aroma.
Mix together cherry liqueur and cornstarch to make a slurry.
Add frozen cherries, sugar, and slurry to pot with cardamom pods.
Lightly cook over medium heat until juices from cherries thicken slightly and starch is cooked out.
Remove cardamom pods, rinse, and dehydrate for later use.
Remove from heat and cool.
Spent Black Cardamom Pods 2g
Spent Vanilla Beans 18g
Combine dehydrated spent black cardamom pods and vanilla beans in spice grinder and grind until a fine powder is achieved.
Cut acetate into 1”x13” strips.
Temper chocolate.
Pour tempered chocolate into piping bag and pipe swirls onto acetate strips.
Before completely set, shape acetate strips into circles, chocolate side in. Use tape to hold the ends together.
Once completely set, carefully cut tape and unmold from acetate.
Creating desserts like this starts with high-quality ingredients. Cacao Noel’s couverture chocolates offer the consistency, flavor, and performance needed for professional pastry applications. From rich dark chocolate to smooth white varieties, their products help chefs bring elevated concepts to life with precision and creativity.