Black Forest Cake

Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)

Germany's iconic Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte stacks kirsch-soaked chocolate sponge with whipped cream and sour cherries, finished with chocolate shavings. The kirsch syrup is what defines an authentic version — never skip it.

Prep

45 min

Cook

30 min

Total

75 min

Serves

10-12

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz) all-purpose flour
• •60 g (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-processed for a darker crumb
• •200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• •2 tsp baking powder
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine salt
• •4 whole (4 large) eggs, separated, at room temperature
• •120 ml (½ cup) whole milk
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) neutral vegetable oil, sunflower or canola
• •2 tsp vanilla extract
• •700 g (24 oz) sour cherries, jarred, drained; pitted Morellos (Sauerkirschen) are traditional — frozen pitted sour cherries thawed and drained also work
• •120 ml (½ cup) cherry juice (from the jar)
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) kirsch (Kirschwasser), authentic Schwarzwälder kirsch — do not substitute generic cherry brandy
• •30 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar, for the syrup
• •800 ml (3¼ cups) heavy whipping cream (Schlagsahne), cold, ≥30% fat; German Schlagsahne is 30%, U.S. heavy cream is 36% and works fine
• •40 g (⅓ cup) confectioners' sugar
• •1 tsp vanilla extract, for the cream
• •3 tbsp kirsch, to stabilize and flavor the whipped cream
• •100 g (3½ oz) dark chocolate (70%), for shavings; use a bar, not chips, for clean curls

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 23 cm (9-inch) springform pan and line the base with parchment.
2. 2 Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 200 g sugar until pale and thick, about 2 minutes by hand mixer. Stream in the oil, milk, and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Fold in the dry ingredients just until combined.
3. 3 In a clean, dry bowl, beat the 4 egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold one-third into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites in two additions, keeping the mixture airy.
4. 4 Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the top, and bake on the middle rack for 28-32 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs and the top springs back. The internal crumb should read about 95°C (200°F).
5. 5 Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Once cold, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight — a cold sponge is much easier to slice cleanly.
6. 6 Drain the sour cherries well, reserving 120 ml of the juice. Make the kirsch syrup by simmering the reserved juice with 30 g sugar until the sugar dissolves; cool, then stir in the 80 ml kirsch.
7. 7 Whip the cold cream with the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and 3 tbsp kirsch to medium-stiff peaks — it should hold soft swirls and pipe cleanly. Stop before it goes grainy. Refrigerate until assembly.
8. 8 Slice the chilled sponge horizontally into 3 even layers using a serrated knife. Place the bottom layer on a serving plate and brush generously with about one-third of the kirsch syrup, letting it soak in.
9. 9 Spread a thin layer of whipped cream over the bottom layer, then arrange half of the drained cherries. Top with another layer of sponge, brush with syrup, and spread another thin layer of cream to anchor the cherries, then add the remaining cherries and a final thin cream layer to seal.
10. 10 Place the top sponge layer on, brush with the remaining syrup, then mask the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream, smoothing the sides and top. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set the cream before finishing.
11. 11 Make chocolate shavings by drawing a vegetable peeler firmly along the edge of the chocolate bar; chill the bar for 10 minutes first for cleaner curls. Press the shavings onto the sides and pile them on top of the cake.
12. 12 Garnish with a few whole drained cherries on top. Chill the finished cake for at least 2 more hours (ideally 4-6) so the kirsch syrup can fully penetrate the sponge. The cake is best served chilled and consumed within 2 days. Note: kirsch-soaked cake contains alcohol that does not fully cook off; if serving to children, reduce the syrup kirsch to 40 ml and top with non-alcoholic cherry juice.