Cook and Scale
German Black Forest Cake
10 servings · 70 min total
Rich chocolate sponge layered with kirsch-soaked cherries, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings. The showstopping Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.
Ingredients
- 200 g wheat flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 200 g white sugar
- 3 egg
- 1¼ dl vegetable oil
- 1¾ dl buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 dl kirsch
- 700 g cherries, pitted, fresh or jarred
- 3 tbsp white sugar, extra, for cherries
- 6 dl heavy cream
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 80 g dark chocolate, shaved
Contains: Gluten, Milk, Egg, Soy
Allergen info is best-effort — please verify yourself.
Method
- 1.
Bake the sponge cakes — Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda together. In another bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth, then fold in the dry ingredients. Divide between two greased 20 cm cake tins and bake at 175°C for 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- 2.
Split the sponge layers — Cool the sponges completely on a wire rack, then split each in half horizontally to make four layers.
- 3.
Prep cherries and cream — Simmer the cherries with the extra sugar for 5 minutes until syrupy, then stir in half the kirsch and let cool. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar to soft peaks.
- 4.
Layer the cake — Brush each sponge layer with the remaining kirsch. Stack the layers, spreading whipped cream and cherry filling between each, ending with cream on top.
- 5.
Frost and chill the cake — Cover the top and sides with the remaining whipped cream, scatter with chocolate shavings, and chill for at least 2 hours before slicing.