Authentic Black Forest Cake | Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte
Serves 16
35 mins prep
25 mins cook
60 mins cooling time
120 mins total
Don't be put off by the lengthy recipe! This recipe is not complicated at all but you will be rewarded with the most delicious, authentic, and stunning Black Forest cake!
For the chocolate cake:
For the filling:
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To make the chocolate cake:
Preheat the oven to 360˚F (180˚C). Line a 10-12" springform pan or cake pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the sides with melted butter or neutral oil.
To a large bowl, add eggs, sugar, and 6 TBSP water. Beat on high for about 5 mins until fluffy and doubled in size.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Either with a flour sifter or a sieve add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in 2 batches, gently folding it in.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Drop the cake on the counter twice to allow air bubbles to come out. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 mins or until set. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the cherry filling:
Drain the cherries and catch the juice. Pick out 16 pretty cherries and set them aside to decorate the cake later.
In a small saucepan over medium heat bring most (not all!) of the cherry juice to a boil. In a separate bowl mix the remaining cherry juice with the cornstarch.
While constantly whisking, add the cornstarch slurry to the cherry juice and cook until thickened. Remove from heat, add the cherries, and cover tightly with plastic wrap to keep skin from forming. Let cool completely.
To make the whipped cream:
In a large bowl whip the heavy cream on high until it just begins to thicken. Add the sugar and cream of tartar and whip until stiff peaks form.
To assemble the cake:
With a long knife or dental floss, carefuly cut the chocolate cake into 3 even layers.
With a pastry brush, brush 3 TBSP of cherry brandy on the bottom layer of the cake. Spread all of the cherry filling evenly on this layer. Spread about 3 TBSP of whipped cream on top of the cherry filling.
Put the second layer on top and spread ½ of the whipped cream on this layer.
Add the top layer. Evenly spread the remaining whipped cream on top and along the sides of the cake. Add the chocolate shavings to the sides of the cake. Use the 16 reserved cherries for decoration on top. Optional: add some more chocolate shaving or curls on top of the cake.
For the best flavor, cover the cake and refrigerate it overnight.
