Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)
Schwarzwälder kirschtorte, or Black Forest gateau in English, is a German dessert.
- Prep
- 58 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 16 min
- Total
- 3 hr 14 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl. Mix the egg white with the sugar and vanilla sugar, then pour into a well in the middle of the flour.
Procedure
Mix the liquid into some of the flour until it forms a porridge-like mass
Procedure
Add the cold butter, and rub into the dough.
Procedure
Mix in the rest of the flour and knead briefly into a ball.
Procedure
Rest the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Procedure
Roll the dough out to fit the base of a 20 cm (8 inch) springform cake pan.
Procedure
Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 20 minutes.
Procedure
Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and cocoa powder with a whisk.
Procedure
Whisk the 4 egg yolks with the warm water until it is foamy, and little by little add ⅔ of the sugar, the vanilla sugar, almond extract, and cinnamon.
Procedure
Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, and beat in the rest of the sugar a little at a time.
Procedure
Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
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Sprinkle the flour mixture onto the egg mixture and carefully incorporate.
Procedure
Pour into a 20 cm (8 inch) springform pan lined with parchment paper.
Procedure
Bake at 160°C (325°F) oven for about 35 minutes until a wooden skewer or toothpick comes out clean when the cake is pierced.
Procedure
Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Procedure
Drain the cherries in a sieve. Reserve the juice.
Procedure
Begin heating ¾ of the juice in a saucepan, and mix the cornstarch with the rest.
Procedure
When the juice starts to boil, pour a little hot juice onto the cornstarch. Mix well, then stir it back into the saucepan. Cook until the mixture has thickened.
Procedure
Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Mix in the cherries in, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Procedure
Add the Kirschwasser.
Procedure
Sprinkle the gelatin onto the 3 tablespoons of water, and allow to bloom for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Procedure
Heat the gelatin carefully until melted. Allow to cool to room temperature, but don't let it set.
Procedure
Whip the cream to soft peaks, and fold in the cool but still liquid gelatin. Whip until stiff, adding vanilla sugar to taste. If you don't have vanilla sugar, use 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and granulated sugar to taste.
Procedure
Spread ½ the cherry mixture then ⅓ of the whipped cream mixture onto the shortcrust base.
Procedure
Cut the cake horizontally into two layers using a length of cotton thread.
Procedure
Press one cake layer onto the filling.
Procedure
Spread the rest of the cherry mixture onto the cake, along with half of the remaining whipped cream.
Procedure
Cover the filling with the last layer of cake, and spread the remaining whipped cream on top.
Procedure
Strew the top of the torte with shaved chocolate, and decorate with glacé or maraschino cherries.
Procedure
Refrigerate for 4 hours or longer before serving.
Notes, tips, and variations
The cake layers may optionally be sprinkled with Kirschwasser before assembly.
Notes, tips, and variations
The bitter almond oil can be replaced by 2 tsp almond extract.
Notes, tips, and variations
If possible, use only cherries in real maraschino liqueur, not the imitation maraschino cherries found in grocers and supermarkets.
Photo: mcouty@2devs.com - http://www.2devs.com · CC BY-SA 3.0 · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 33 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe yet.
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