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Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)

As with the undeservedly maligned fruitcake (don’t even) how one understands this very famous cake depends on where one lives. In our parts, it usually means a fairly underwhelming chocolate cake layered with whipped cream and cherries. It gets better or worse from there, the latter including delightful mid-century kitschtorten that involve Betty Crocker, Cool Whip, and tinned pie filling. Science cake!
We're going to go the other way.
This one is heavier and richer and, happily, includes booze and buttercream. You’ll have to hunt down kirschwasser (or kirsch) which, as the helpful clerk at the liquor store seemed to think, is not at all the same thing as cherry brandy or schnapps. It’s not hard to make, but does involve time and planning and more than one cake pan.
Have a fancy function coming up? This is a great cake to transport, as it’s best assembled just before serving—meaning you can carry it in its component pieces. And I do promise once it’s done and you take a bite, it will have been worth every bit of extra effort you made.
It’s a long one… here we go!
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
- 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
- 1 cup flour, sifted
For the syrup:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons kirschwasser
The buttercream filling: I usually make twice as much as the recipe suggests—I’d rather have too much than not enough.
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar / icing sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons kirschwasser
For assembly and decoration:
- 2 cups preserved sour or black cherries, drained
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ / icing sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 1 cp fresh cherries for decorating (traditionally this cake is made with black cherries but I can never find them)
CAKE: Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until thick and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Alternately fold chocolate and flour into the egg mixture, ending with flour. Pour the batter in even amounts into three 8-inch cake pans that have been well greased and floured.
The layers will be quite thin (see photo below). The cat looks concerned, but it's really fine.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 5 minutes; turn out on racks to cool completely.
SYRUP: Make syrup by mixing together sugar and water and boiling for 5 minutes. When syrup has cooled, stir in kirsch. Place your cooled cake layers back into their pans, prick the layers with a fork or skewer, and pour syrup over all 3 layers. You don't have to soak them, but try to distribute evenly.
Let them rest and absorb the liquid for at least an hour (or a few, if you can spare them).
BUTTERCREAM FILLING: Beat together sugar and butter until well blended. Add egg yolk; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Fold in kirsch.
CAKE ASSEMBLY: Place 1 layer on a cake plate. Spread evenly with buttercream—about a 1/4 “. I make it a bit thicker just at the outside edges because it sucks to run out of buttercream before you run out of cake.
Place a layer of cherries, which have been patted dry, evenly over the buttercream. Place second layer on cake. Repeat. Place third layer on top and, if you’re decadent like that, top with a thiiin layer of buttercream (but no cherries).
Before serving, whip your cream and fold in 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar. Cover the sides and top of the cake with whipped cream. Decorate as you like with halved or whole cherries and shaved or grated chocolate.
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previously posted on a private blog







I love this cake! I know it without buttercream and kirschwasser though, the former being replaced by regular whipped cream. Buttercream sounds excellent!
Well hello! I'm not surprised you'd know and love this one. There are lots of recipes with slight variations that are delicious. (Germans really do make marvellous cakes.)
Buttercream was something I'd not seen before this recipe, either (my mom only used whipped cream). But it adds such a lovely richness, I'm not sure I'd go back.
I'll have to try this variation sometime. Though the only occasion would be when the family gets together during holidays, and I think my grandma might be offended if I "replace" her... 😀
Hee, understood.
Here's a totally unrelated question for you, though... Have you ever had or heard of Kogel Mogel? Apparently it's a mixture of raw egg yolk and sugar. I was looking up a recipe for Frankfurter Kranz and it said when butter was scarce they'd replace buttercream with "Kogel Mogel." I'm totally curious about it!
I've never heard of that word, but I know whipped and baked egg yolk and sugar as Baiser. Maybe because here in the West we're close to France?
Ah, baiser--they're egg whites, I think. (My brother adores them.)
This concoction (kogel mogel) is a cream almost like eggnog. According to the description, it was served both hot and cold, and often as a cure for a sore throat, and I was confused how this texture could be subbed in for buttercream, which is quite solid. I thought I'd ask you, as a go-to expert on all things German. Ha.
I'm not surprised you've not come across it. I get the impression it's very old-fashioned. Maybe your grandma would know!
I assumed egg yolks were egg whites, oops. I don't often talk about baking in English! That makes more sense - baisers wouldn't be a good replacement at all!