Black Forest cake
Germany’s Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte: chocolate sponge soaked in kirsch, layered with sour cherries and whipped cream.
- 95 min60 prep · 35 cook
- HardDifficulty
- 460 kcalper serving
Ingredients
- Eggs6
- Sugar250 g
- Plain flour100 g
- Cocoa powder40 g
- Cornflour55 g
- Baking powder1 tsp
- Butter, melted50 g
- Jarred morello cherries700 g
- Kirsch6 tbsp
- Whipping cream750 ml
- Dark chocolate, for shavings50 g
- Fresh cherries12
Missing something? Ingredients with × can be left out.
Steps
- 1
Heat the oven to 180 °C and line a 24 cm springform tin. Whisk the eggs with 200 g of sugar until very thick and pale.
- 2
Sift in the flour, cocoa, 40 g of cornflour and baking powder, fold gently, then fold in the melted butter. Bake until a skewer comes out clean.
- 3
Let it cool completely, then slice it horizontally into three layers.
- 4
Drain the cherries, keeping 250 ml of juice. Heat the juice, thicken it with the rest of the cornflour mixed with water, stir in the cherries and let cool.
- 5
Whip the cream with the remaining sugar to firm peaks.
- 6
Brush each layer with kirsch and stack them with cherries and cream in between. Cover the whole cake with cream.
- 7
Decorate with chocolate shavings, swirls of cream and fresh cherries, and chill before serving.
Tips and questions
- Can I make it without kirsch?
- Brush the layers with the cherry juice instead. It’s no longer the German original, but it’s great for children.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Bake the sponge a day ahead and assemble on the day. The finished cake keeps 2 days in the fridge.
- Why did my sponge sink?
- The eggs weren’t whisked enough or the flour was stirred too hard. Whisk until the mix leaves a ribbon and fold very gently.
Enjoy your meal!
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