Traditional Black Forest Cake
Have you ever tasted a slice of homemade Black Forest Cake? If there’s one iconic German dessert that stands out, it’s this one, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Known for its rich history and irresistible layers, it’s a true gem of German baking.
So, what’s the main difference between a traditional German Black Forest Cake and the American version? While the American style is often richer and heavier with chocolate, a true Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte is light, fluffy, and made with cocoa powder. It’s filled with tangy sour cherries and soaked in Kirschwasser, a cherry liqueur that adds an authentic kick. This classic German dessert recipe has taken me some time to perfect, and I’m excited to share how you can bake an authentic Black Forest Cake from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Whether you’re new to German baking or a seasoned pro, this recipe will give you all the tips to recreate this stunning dessert and impress your friends and family! This post contains affiliate links
Traditional German Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 360°F . Grease one 10 inch cake pan. I like to put parchment paper on the bottom.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, then sift the mixture through a sifter. Avoid stirring the flour mixture again to maintain its light and airy texture.
- Separate the eggs, and whip the egg whites until fully whipped. Make sure to not over whip.
- In a separate bowl add the egg yolks, water, and sugar and with a whisk attachment whisk until doubled in size airy.
- Gently fold in the flour mixture, making sure not to overmix, but ensuring the flour is well incorporated.
- Last fold in the whipped egg whites. You want to be careful to not use to much force and keep as much air in the batter as possible.
- Pour your batter into a prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- Strain Cherries, making sure to save the juice. Set aside 12 cherries for garnish.
- In a small saucepan, combine the 150ml reserved cherry juice, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the drained cherries. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- If using powdered sugar gradually add it, continuing to whip until stiff peaks form. I would recommend 2-3 tbs of powder sugar max. Typically the whip is not overly sweet.
- Once the cake layers are completely cool, cut the cake in 3 layers. See recommended knife for cutting below.
- Place one layer on a serving plate.
- Take 1/3 of your whip cream and fill into a piping bag with a 1M attachment.
- On your first layer, pipe a border of whipped cream around the cake to prevent the cherry filling from leaking out the sides. See Picture Below
- Spread all of the cherry filling over the top, followed by a layer of whip cream.
- Carefully place the second layer on top. Take some Kirschwasser or Cherry Brandy, and drizzle it on top of the cake layer. Frost the top with whipped cream.
- Carefully place the third layer on top. Take some Kirschwasser or Cherry Brandy, and drizzle it on top of the cake layer. Frost the top with whipped cream.
- Take the rest of your whip cream and completely frost your whole cake with the whip cream.
- Pipe 12 whip cream swirls on top, placing the cherries on top.
- Garnish with chocolate shavings.