Air Fryer Recipe
Black Forest Gateau Bites
These Black Forest gateau bites are a lovely little twist on the classic dessert, made simple in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 100g of plain flour
- 25g of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 75g of caster sugar
- 75g of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 200g of canned cherries, drained and chopped
- 200ml of double cream
- 50g of dark chocolate, grated
- Optional: Kirsch or cherry liqueur for soaking
Method
- Preheat the air fryer to 160°C (320°F).
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
- Line silicone muffin moulds with parchment or grease them, then fill halfway with batter.
- Air fry for 10-12 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Soak the cherries in Kirsch, or leave them plain.
- Slice the cooled sponges in half horizontally.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks. Spread cream and cherries over the bottom half of each sponge, then top with the other half.
- Add more cream on top and finish with a sprinkle of grated chocolate.
Why this works in an air fryer
Small silicone moulds suit air-fryer convection: hot air sets the sponge edges quickly while the cocoa batter stays moist inside. Filling only halfway leaves headroom for baking-powder lift, and mixing just to combine limits gluten so the bites stay tender rather than bready.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5-6 litre basket holding 6 muffin moulds with a little air gap; in a single-drawer model cook on the middle of the basket and rotate moulds at 8 minutes, while dual-zone drawers often run slightly cooler so add 1-2 minutes or cook one zone at a time for even rise.
Common pitfalls
- Domed, cracked tops by minute 8 mean the moulds are too full or the air fryer is running hot; fill only halfway and drop to 150°C next batch.
- Wet batter on the skewer but dry edges means the moulds are shielding heat unevenly; move the centre moulds to the outside and cook 2 minutes more.
- Sponge tastes tough or rubbery if the flour was beaten in until smooth; fold only until no dry streaks remain, as cocoa batter overdevelops quickly.
- Cream sliding out when assembled means the sponges or cherries are too warm or wet; cool fully and drain cherries on kitchen paper before layering.
Variations & substitutions
- Use frozen cherries, thawed and well drained; they add more juice, so pat dry or the cream layer will weep.
- Swap dark chocolate for milk chocolate if serving children; it melts faster on warm sponge, so grate it only after the cakes are cool.
- Use whipped mascarpone mixed half-and-half with double cream for a firmer filling; it holds better if the bites need to sit out briefly.
- Replace Kirsch with a spoonful of cherry syrup for an alcohol-free version; it sweetens the sponge without changing the air-fryer bake time.
Storage & reheating
Keep assembled bites chilled for up to 2 days, or store unfilled sponges airtight for 3 days and refresh them in the air fryer at 140°C for 2-3 minutes before cooling and filling.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
