Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

layers of kirsch-soaked chocolate sponge stacked with whipped cream and sour cherries, finished with chocolate shavings and a crown of cherries, the most famous cake of the German Black Forest

Origin: Germany

From the journey of Cherry.

In the cool uplands of the Black Forest, the dark Schattenmorelle sour cherry and the clear cherry brandy distilled from it, kirschwasser, are the soul of the regional kitchen, and they come together in the most famous of all German cakes: the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, the Black Forest gâteau. It took its modern form in the early twentieth century, the name first recorded in the 1930s, and rose to become, in the decades after the Second World War, one of the best-known cakes in the world, an emblem of German baking carried into every café from Berlin to Sydney. It is built of layers of dark chocolate sponge, each soaked with kirsch, stacked with billows of lightly sweetened whipped cream and a filling of sour cherries, then masked in more cream and finished with a storm of dark chocolate shavings and a crown of cherries. The kirsch is essential and generous; a true Black Forest gâteau carries a real warmth of cherry brandy, and German law even requires it for a cake to bear the name. Rich, boozy, and theatrical, it is the sour cherry of the Black Forest raised to its grandest expression.

Ingredients

The Chocolate Sponge

6 eggs
180 g sugar
120 g plain flour
40 g cocoa powder
60 g butter, melted and cooled

The Cherry Filling

700 g sour cherries, stoned (fresh, frozen, or bottled Morello)
100 g sugar
2 tsp cornflour

To Soak

80 ml kirsch (Kirschwasser)

The Cream

750 ml double cream
3 tbsp icing sugar

To Finish

100 g dark chocolate, shaved, plus extra cherries to decorate

Method

Make the sponge: whisk the eggs and sugar over a pan of warm water until pale, thick, and tripled in volume, then fold in the sifted flour and cocoa, followed by the melted butter. Bake in a lined 23cm tin at 180°C for about 30 minutes. Cool, then slice into three layers.
Stew the cherries with the sugar until juicy, then thicken with the cornflour slaked in a little water; cook to a glossy compote and cool. Reserve a few whole cherries and a little syrup for the top.
Soak each sponge layer generously with kirsch (mixed with a little of the cherry syrup, if you like).
Whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft, spreadable peaks. Place the first sponge layer on a plate, spread with cream, and spoon over half the cherry compote; repeat with the second layer, then top with the third.
Mask the whole cake in the remaining cream, press chocolate shavings over the sides, and pipe cream rosettes on top.
Crown with the reserved cherries and a scatter of chocolate shavings. Chill for an hour before serving.

Notes

The kirsch is not optional in the classic; for an alcohol-free version, soak the sponge with cherry syrup and a little almond extract. Bottled Morello cherries are excellent and traditional out of season. The cake improves for a few hours in the fridge as the flavours marry, but is best eaten within a day.

The Gastrographer

Name: Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Germany
Ingredients: 6 eggs; 180 g sugar; 120 g plain flour; 40 g cocoa powder; 60 g butter, melted and cooled; 700 g sour cherries, stoned (fresh, frozen, or bottled Morello); 100 g sugar; 2 tsp cornflour; 80 ml kirsch (Kirschwasser); 750 ml double cream; 3 tbsp icing sugar; 100 g dark chocolate, shaved, plus extra cherries to decorate

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control