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Black Forest Cake

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Introduction

The Black Forest Cake, a delectable concoction hailing from the verdant slopes of southwestern Germany, is renowned for its rich layers and luscious cherries. Its name pays homage to the dense forests where the region’s signature dark chocolate and cherries are harvested.

Tips for this Recipe

To achieve a smooth, fluffy texture in your Black Forest Cake, ensure ingredients like eggs and butter reach room temperature before mixing. Precision is paramount; hence use a digital scale to measure ingredients accurately.

Why you will love this recipe

This Black Forest Cake captivates with its harmonious blend of chocolate, cherries, and cream. The layers of moist sponge cake, complemented by the richness of dark chocolate and the tart burst from sour cherries, offer a symphony for the palate that is both timeless and irresistible.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pan
  • 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup superfine sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ounce kirsch
  • 4 cups heavy cream, room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups drained Spirited Sour Cherries or a 24-ounce jar sour cherries such as morello or amarena
  • 8 fresh cherries with stems (optional)
  • About 2 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, at least 60% cacao
  • About 1/2 cup ground dark chocolate or chocolate cookie crumbs

Advised Equipment

  1. Stand Mixer (Essential for efficiently mixing cake batter and other components such as whipped cream)
  2. Cake Pan (10-inch), perfect size for a traditional Black Forest Cake layer
  3. Double Boiler Set, useful for melting chocolate or incorporating heavy ingredients smoothly
  4. Whisk and Hand Mixer Set, necessary tools for whipping cream to top the cake with cherries
  5. Digital Scale (Accurate measurement of ingredients is crucial in baking)
  6. Measuring Cups (Various Sizes), essential for accurate measurements
  7. Fine Mesh Strainer or Sieve, useful for sifting cocoa powder and sieving cherries
  8. Silicone Baking Mat (For evenly baked layers without any discoloration at the edges)
  9. Spatula (Flexible), ideal for folding whipped cream into other ingredients, and spreading over cake layers
  10. Cutting Board, useful when preparing cherries or assembling the cake
  11. Piping Bag with Star Nozzle (For a decorative touch on top of the Black Forest Cake)

History of the Recipe

The origin of Black Forest Cake dates back to the early 1900s in Germany’s Black Forest region, where it was first created for a local festival. The traditional version consists of three layers—sponge cake with cherries and whipped cream sandwiched between two chocolate layers. Over time, variations have emerged to suit different tastes worldwide.

Fun Facts About This Recipe

Black Forest Cake has become a symbol of German gastronomy and is often associated with romance due to its layers representing love’s complexity. Interestingly, the name ‘Black Forest’ was inspired by the dark hues from the local chocolate rather than the dense forests themselves.

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Black Forest Cake

Black Forest Cake

amanda

Equipment

  • - Stand Mixer (Essential for efficiently mixing cake batter and other components such as whipped cream)

  • - Cake Pan (10-inch) (Perfect size for a traditional Black Forest Cake layer)

  • - Double Boiler Set (Useful for melting chocolate or incorporating heavy ingredients smoothly)

  • - Whisk and Hand Mixer Set (Necessary tools for whipping cream to top the cake with cherries)

  • - Digital Scale (Accurate measurement of ingredients is crucial in baking, especially for a recipe that requires precision)

  • - Measuring Cups (Various Sizes) (Essential for measuring dry and wet ingredients accurately)

  • - Fine Mesh Strainer or Sieve (Useful for sifting cocoa powder and sieving cherries)

  • - Silicone Baking Mat (For evenly baked layers without any discoloration at the edges)

  • - Spatula (Flexible) (Ideal for folding whipped cream into other ingredients, and spreading over cake layers)

  • - Cutting Board (Useful when preparing cherries or assembling the cake)

  • - Piping Bag with Star Nozzle (For a decorative touch on top of the Black Forest Cake, piping whipped cream into stars)

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for buttering cake pan

  • 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting cake pan

  • 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa

  • Pinch of salt

  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 3/4 cup (4 3/4 ounces) superfine sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) kirsch

  • 4 cups heavy cream

  • 1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 2 cups Spirited Sour Cherries , drained, or a 24-ounce jar sour cherries such as morello or amarena

  • jar sour cherries such as morello or amarena

  • 8 fresh cherries with stems (optional)

  • About 2 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao) in a single block

  • About 1/2 cup ground dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao) or chocolate cookie crumbs

  • Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1

Instruction 1

Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour a 10-inch cake pan that is 3 inches deep such as a springform mold.
2

Instruction 2

Sift the 1/2 cup flour, the cocoa, and the salt together onto a sheet of parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla at high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and is very thick, about 8 minutes. When the whisk is lifted, the batter will form a thick ribbon as it falls back into the bowl.
3

Instruction 3

Lower the speed to stir and carefully tap the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. As soon as all the flour has been added to the eggs, stop the machine. Pour in the melted butter, making sure to leave the white, milky solids behind. With a large rubber spatula, using as few strokes as possible, finish folding the flour mixture and butter into the batter until evenly mixed.
4

Instruction 4

Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared pan, place the pan on a baking sheet, and bake until the cake feels just firm to the touch, about 40 minutes. Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then turn the cake upside down onto a rack to cool. This will flatten the slightly domed top.
5

Instruction 5

Place the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the kirsch and remove from the heat. Pour the syrup into a small cup or bowl and set it aside.
6

Instruction 6

In a large bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until it holds firm peaks. Do not overbeat; the whipped cream should be smooth and firm. Divide the cream into 4 equal portions and set them aside. (This helps prevent getting to the last bit of decorating and discovering you have run out of cream.) Drain the cherries and divide them into 2 equal piles. Reserve 8 to 12 cherries to garnish the top of the cake if you do not have fresh cherries.
7

Instruction 7

Place the cake on a work surface with its original top up. Trim off any hard crusts. With a long serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally into 3 even layers. Transfer the top layer to a serving plate, arranging it top side down. Brush it liberally with the syrup. With an offset spatula or rubber spatula, smooth on a 1/2-inch layer of whipped cream. Push the cream a little beyond the edge of the cake. (This prevents gaps when you settle the next layer on top.) Nestle half of the cherries into the whipped cream, scattering them evenly over the top.
8

Instruction 8

Place the middle cake layer on top of the cherries, pressing it lightly into the whipped-cream layer. Brush with syrup, spread with whipped cream, and scatter the remaining half of the cherries over the cream.
9

Instruction 9

Finally, add the last cake layer, cut side up, on top of the cherries, again settling it into the whipped-cream layer. Brush with syrup. With an icing spatula or a large rubber spatula, spread a thin layer of whipped cream over the top of the cake. Spread a thicker layer onto the sides.
10

Instruction 10

Pastry shops add a decorative scalloped edge of ground dark chocolate around the base of the cake. Fill your cupped palm with some of the ground chocolate and lift and tilt it onto the base of the cake all around the bottom edge. Rotate the cake between handfulls. It's the heel of your hand that forms the scalloped edge.
11

Instruction 11

Rotate the edge of a sharp knife against the block of chocolate to make curls or cut shavings with a vegetable peeler. Pile them on top of the cake.
12

Instruction 12

Scoop the remaining whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe fat rosettes all around the top edge of the cake. Press a fresh or spirited cherry into the center of each rosette. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours to let the flavors meld. Just before serving, dust the top with powdered sugar.
13

Instruction 13

Use about 24 ounces of preserved sour cherries in syrup. Drain the cherries, reserving the syrup and cherries separately. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil 1/3 cup espresso or strong coffee, the reserved syrup, and 3/4 cup sugar (or to taste), stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and reserve until needed.
14

Instruction 14

For our Christmas menu in 2010, we used Black Forest flavors for our bûche de Noël. We baked the génoise as a sheet cake, soaked it with the kirsch syrup, spread it thickly with the whipped cream, and then scattered the cherries over the cream before rolling up the cake. We iced it with the traditional chocolate buttercream. This makes a lighter-than-usual bûche, and our guests cleaned their plates.
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