Black Forest Cake
Germany's iconic chocolate cherry cake — layers of chocolate sponge, whipped cream, and kirsch-soaked cherries.
Comfort Food
Date Night
Ingredients
- For the sponge:
- 6 eggs
- 200g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 160g all-purpose flour
- 40g cocoa powder
- 50g butter, melted
- For assembly:
- 500ml heavy cream
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 600g canned sour cherries, drained (reserve juice)
- 4 tbsp kirsch (cherry brandy)
- 100g dark chocolate, shaved into curls
- Maraschino cherries for decoration
Instructions
- 1 Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line two 23cm round cake tins.
- 2 Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until thick and tripled in volume, about 8 minutes with an electric mixer.
- 3 Sift flour and cocoa over the egg mixture. Fold gently. Drizzle in melted butter while folding.
- 4 Divide between tins. Bake 25-30 minutes until springy. Cool completely, then slice each horizontally to make 3 layers total.
- 5 Mix reserved cherry juice with kirsch. Brush each cake layer generously with the mixture.
- 6 Whip cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks.
- 7 Place first layer on a serving plate. Spread cream, scatter cherries. Repeat with second layer.
- 8 Place top layer. Cover entire cake with remaining cream. Press chocolate shavings around the sides.
- 9 Pipe cream rosettes on top and place maraschino cherries on each.
- 10 Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
About This Recipe
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte is Germany's most famous cake, named after the Black Forest region. Layers of chocolate sponge are brushed with kirsch (cherry brandy), filled with whipped cream and sour cherries, then decorated with more cream, chocolate shavings, and cherries on top.
The key is the kirsch — it's not optional. That boozy cherry punch is what makes a Black Forest cake a Black Forest cake. Without it, you just have a chocolate cream cake.