How to make the original Black Forest Cake - Black Forest Cake recipe from scratch - Schwarzwaelderkirschtorte

Original Black Forest Cake - Home Recipe

(Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte)

The Black Forest Cake is probably one of the most known and liked German cakes in existence. Definitely the most famous one. You can get it in special bakeries or in German and European restaurants. But how about if you try to make it yourself? Why not.

It might not be the easiest and surely not the fastest cake you will make, but it will be a big surprise for your guests and they are going to love it. The recipe we use is easy to follow and we supported the process with photos.

As always, you can send us questions or write comments. We also like to hear your recipe story if you like to share it.

Ingredients:

Dough (photo 1):

8 oz fine sugar

5 large eggs

8 oz. all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons baking cacao

5 tablespoons cooking water

1 pinch salt

Filling (photo 1+ 2):

2 pounds heavy whipping cream

1 container tart cherry pie filling

6 tablespoon Brandy or cherry Schnapps,

1                                             2

Decoration (photo 2)

Maraschino cherries and dark chocolate (dove)

1. Prepare a spring form (10 inch) with baking wax paper. Only the bottom of the form. 

Do not grease the inside of the spring form with any fat.

2. Preheat the oven to 340°F.

3. Put eggs and sugar in a big bowl and stir until the color becomes light yellow (A).Bring  a cup of water to boil and add 5 tablespoons  to bowl. Stir at least 10 minutes. The longer you stir the eggs with the water and sugar the fluffier the dough will come out in the end.

Mix the flour with baking powder, pinch of salt and baking cacao and strain it into the bowl with the eggs mix (B). Carefully mix the flour etc. with a dough scraper under the sugar/egg mixture (C).

A                                                  B                                                 C

Fill the dough in the prepared spring form and bake in the oven middle for about 18 minutes. Make the dough test with a stick after 15 minutes. Try three or four different  points in and around  the center of the cake dough (D).

D

If the cake has a good color and nothing sticks to the stick take the cake out. Let it cool down on a rack, best over night but at least for one or two hours..

4. Then take the cake  out of the form and slice two times so you have three  equally thick pieces (E,  this is tough, do the best you can with large sharp knife).

E

5. Whip the heavy whipping cream ( try not to supplement because of taste and thickness) with a package of vanilla sugar for each pound until it is nice and solid.

When you can turn the bowl with the whipping cream and it does not move the cream is perfect( F).

                                                             F

Please do this carefully. Sometimes it looks okay on the top but is still fluid on the bottom.

6. Put 5 to 6 tablespoons of Brandy ( the Brandy is for the typical taste of it. It is only a small quantity) on the first layer (try to distribute it equally) and then spread the cherry filling on the same layer(G). Put the second layer on the cherries and put whipping cream on it. Make sure you put it on thick enough. You want to a) that it looks good and b) that one can taste the whipping cream. Next put the third layer on top of the whipping cream and also cover the last layer with whipping cream. You now have the following order :

Layer, Brandy and Cherries, layer, whipping cream, layer and whipping cream!

G

7. Cover all sites with whipping cream, trying to distribute it as equal as possible. We found it is best to use a rubber spreader (H) and add little swirls around the outside as seen in H as well.

8.  If you chocolate is not graded or cut, do so with a rough grader or a peeling knife and spread it over the entire cake the center having more and then be lighter towards the outside of the cake. Also cover the swirls (I).

9. Last add the Maraschino cherries as seen on photo J.

H                                                 I                                                  J

You are done! Congratulations you just made your first Black Forest Cake and surely it turned out great.

Keep the cake refrigerated. It tastes best after at least one night in the refrigerator ( that is our personal taste. You can also serve it right after finishing it if you desire).

After doing it for a few times, you will, as with all things, get better at it. Also you will find the right amount of Brandy you will put it. As mentioned before. Cherry Liquor goes as well. You can let your imagination work, but we like the original taste absolutely best.