I have a customer wants a carved cake, so it has to be relatively sturdy, and she mentioned black forest cake.

It's for Easter weekend, so I'm going to have to have it assembled and ready to decorate by Thursday.

I told her I wasn't sure how stabilized whipped cream would a) hold up under fondant or b) last 2-3 days before serving.  Plus I don't think I am going to have room in my fridge for it once it's decorated.  Before she sprung on me that her husband was diabetic, I had originally said a chocolate cake. cherry (pie) filling and a vanilla butter cream to get the flavours of a black forest cake.  Any other ideas?  I've got a post going about baking for a diabetic as well.

Thanks,

there's pie filling sweetened with splenda but when i bake for my diabetic neighbor i do an uniced vanilla pound cake in a pretty shaped pan -- no frills --

something like that with fruit might explode encased in fondant for 2-3 days at room temp idk

So you need to make a carved black forrest cake covered in fondant that will not be refrigerated, needs to be complete on Thursday, eaten on Sunday, for a diabetic?

Wow, I would suggest you make a cherry flavored buttercream for the filling, instead of the pie filling because the pie filling is too wet and oozy for a carved cake, also as k8 pointed out, you may have issues at room temp with the filling. Then I would do a vanilla BC or chocolate ganache under the fondant. It will be inspired by black forrest cake.

Unfortunately I have no suggestions about making it diabetic appropriate, the fondant and BC are pure sugar. Maybe she can serve a bowl of cherries with sugar free whipped topping, sprinkled with cocoa powder on the side for the diabetic.

Good luck!

Unfortunately it's the gentleman's 60th birthday party and his wife is asking for the black forest.  Giving him the uniced vanilla pound cake wouldn't go over very well. LOL.

And yeah, LeanneW, I hear you.  It would be completed on the Thursday or possibly Friday and eaten on the Saturday,I really would prefer a cake that doesn't require refrigeration which is why I leaned towards the vanilla buttercream.  Your idea about the cherry butter cream may work as a filling, then the vanilla buttercream under the fondant.  I told her I couldn't do black forest but could probably achieve the flavour of cherry and chocolate.   As for the cherry butter cream, I guess I could fold in a cherry preserve or maybe the pie filling?  Do you think that would work for the two days?

It would be another guitar cake, so I would probably carve it first and then fill it to allow for a proper icing damn.  Maybe with a layer of buttercream between the cake and the pie filling (if I used it), it would survive?  I have a feeling she would be looking for actually cherries or pieces.  

I have a local place that flash freezes sour cherries....think i could make a sour cherry curd for the filling?

sure if you keep it in the fridge

within all these parameters you've been asked to do something just about impossible -- and i would never accept the responsibilty to provide a decadent dessert for a diabetic --

good luck

Yeah  I know, 
I think I'm going to tell her what I can do for her, and thell her I can't address the diabetic component.

I didn't mean to sound pessimistic, or make a tough situation worse. I would love to hear how this works out, please let us know what you end up doing!

One final suggestion, assuming you can make cake, cherry filling and whipped cream with sugar substitute, could you tint the whipped cream and make a guitar pick, like a giant one, instead of a guitar? That way it could be refrigerated.

LOL, you didn't.  Don't worry about.  I'm realistic about my own abilities and limitations, and quite frankly I don't really want to do the substituting.  I have a full time job.  I don't have the time (or spare cash) to do testing and such for one cake.

As for the shape, unfortunately the guitar shape is the requirement.  She has another quote from some one who said they'd do a sheet cake with an edible image of a guitar.  That didn't go over well. LOL

I'm thinking of using a 9x13 pan and carving from that and since it will be 4" high, it's 50 servings.  She also mentioned wanting cupcakes that had the letters for Happy Birthday Mark on them, so that would be 17 servings there (for the kids) so I figure after carving there should be 35 servings left.  I intend to quote her on 2 dozen cuppies anyway.  Having made a guitar before, I don't think I'll have to carve a ton off to get the shape.

If I can get the cake to fit (on an angle) in it's entire on an 11x17 board (I do want to be able to put it on a board that will fit in a box) I may be able to slide that into my fridge.  Thankfully I have two, so it won't interfere with the day to day stuff. :)  Then it can stay refrigerated until delivery which may have to be Saturday morning.  And to top it off, it's a surprise, so she has to be able to store it somewhere....hence the no refrigeration part too.  I think I'm back to using an ABC with a cherry jam or preserves mixed in, and perhaps spread between the layers as well.

I'll let you know what I end up doing if she accepts my quote, LOL.

hmmm... i would use a wilton guitar pan (we can rent shaped pans at our local Bulk Barn), atleast you don't have to carve and lose servings.  then use a diabetic chocolate cake recipe.  this once uses spenda, if you search on google for the recipe:

"Died and Went to Heaven Chocolate Cake,diabetic Version"

and then use a Sugar Free Swiss Meringue Buttercream, one recipe uses xylitol as a sugar substitute. that could mimic the taste of whipped cream, but hold up to the weight of the fondant. then add cherry flavor and a bit of chopped cherry pie filling to the SMBC for the filling.

 good luck :)  

wow mattyeatscakes for the win -- great post!

and in other news -- fwiw - psa -- don't let your dogs get/eat the xylitol nor dark chocolate -- can be fatal

we now return you to your regularly scheduled cake board 

lol! thanks k8 :) yes, i remembered your post about your poor pup that ate sugar free gum :( i'm glad the little cutie's ok :)

Black forest cakes belong in the fridge, no questions about that. But all the schnapps and cherry juice and cream is keeping it moist enough.

 A guitar shape is not that difficult and I'm sure you can achieve it with the original version. More or less...

 I would make sure all the sour cherries are cut into very small pieces.

 Also there is a little trick we use in Germany for the fresh cream and Crum crust if needed: Mix a small amount of the fresh whipped cream with agratine or gelatine and then with the rest of the cream. Place a cake ring around the cake and assemble it inside that ring. Refrigerated over night. Then remove ring and frost with fresh whipped cream (and stabilizer.

 Reading Black forest cake and fondant in the same sentence makes me want to cry! No, no, no!!! Use whipped cream only please or don't call it black forest cake, lol.

@mattyeatscakes  Thanks for the recipes.  They look good.  Have you ever made either of them?  Do you think the cake recipe will multiply?

@julia1812   Don't worry.  I never considered this a black forest cake.  I've made them in the past (my favourite actually) and I'm well aware they are whipped cream, chocolate, kirsch and cherries.  I did tell her that I would be making a chocolate cherry cake with a vanilla (or cherry butter cream).

i'm interested in the two recipes that Mattyeatscakes mentioned, but unless I make both of them as a trial run, I'm not apt to use them for this cake.   I'd be willing to make the cake recipe, but since I could be using cherry pie filling or something sweet in the icing to make the filling, it kind of seems like the "sugar free" part would get lost.