Can a Homemade Black Forest Cake Beat One made by Caroline's Cakes (Featured on Oprah!)

🍒 HOMEMADE vs. CAROLINE’S CAKE: BLACK FOREST CAKE SHOWDOWN! 🍫 Can a homemade Black Forest cake really compete with a professional bakery cake? Today, we’re finding out! 😳 I’m taking on Caroline’s Cakes and putting my homemade version head-to-head against their famous Black Forest Cake. We’re judging both cakes on Appearance 👀 | Taste 👅 | Texture 🍰 | Cost 💰 Will homemade come out on top… or will Caroline’s Cake send me back to the kitchen with my tail between my legs? 😂 🔥 WATCH UNTIL THE END to see which cake wins! And let me know in the comments: Would you choose HOMEMADE or CAROLINE’S CAKE? 👍 If you enjoy these homemade vs. store-bought battles, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE & TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS because there’s plenty more cake chaos coming! #BlackForestCake #HomemadeVsStoreBought #CarolinesCakes #CakeChallenge #HomemadeCake #CakeReview #FoodChallenge #Dessert #Baking #CurtisHood Ingredients CHOCOLATE CAKE: 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (270g) 2 cups granulated sugar (400g) 1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (50g) 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder ⅔ cup boiling water (160ml) ½ cup whole milk (120mL) ½ cup sour cream (120g) ½ cup vegetable oil (120mL) 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract CHERRY SYRUP AND FILLING: 1½ pounds whole cherries pitted and halved (about 2½ cups of halved cherries) ¼ cup granulated sugar ⅓ cup kirsch or cherry juice WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING: 4 cups cold heavy whipping cream (960ml) ½ cup powdered sugar (60g) 2 tablespoons kirsch (optional; replace with 2 teaspoons vanilla extract) ASSEMBLY: ½ cup chocolate ganache (120ml) (optional) Chocolate shavings or sprinkles for garnish (optional) Fresh whole cherries (optional) Instructions FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two (8-inch) round cake pans with butter or baking spray and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. (I highly recommend using soaked cake strips for baking flat cake layers.) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place the cocoa powder and espresso powder in a medium bowl. While whisking, slowly pour in the boiling water, and whisk until the cocoa powder is fully dissolved. Whisk in the milk, sour cream, and oil until combined, then add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk well combined. Pour the cocoa mixture into the flour and whisk together until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated and the batter is smooth. (The batter will be runny.) Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the springs back when gently pressed and the sides of the cake start to pull away from the pan. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully invert the cake layers onto the wire rack, place parchment paper-side down, and let cool completely. FOR THE CHERRY SYRUP AND FILLING: While the cakes are cooling, place the cherries, sugar, and kirsch in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Cover and let cherries macerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Drain off the syrup that has collected in the bottom of the bowl. Add enough cold water or more kirsch to the syrup to make ⅔ cup (160ml), if needed. Set aside. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING: Place the cold cream and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl if using an electric hand mixer), and beat on medium speed until the cream starts to thicken, about 1 minute. Then increase the speed to medium-high, and continue beating until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Drizzle in the kirsch and beat just until the cream forms stiff peaks, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup of the whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a closed start tip and place it in the fridge. FOR THE ASSEMBLY: