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Black Forest Cake

Prep
15 min
Bake
50 min
Total
1 hr 5 min
Makes
12

Ingredients

Sponge

  • 6large eggs
  • ¾ cup150 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 2 tspvanilla sugarOptional. 1 packet = 2 tsp (8 g). Sugar flavored with real vanilla, sold in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets from the baking aisle, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet.
  • 1 ⅓ cups170 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 2 tbsp15 gcornstarchA fine starch, usually made from corn, used to thicken creams and lighten cakes. In the US use cornstarch; in the UK, cornflour.
  • 3 tbspunsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tspbaking powderGerman baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. In the US and the UK use baking powder, 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp per 15 g packet.

Filling

  • 1 large jarmorello cherrieslarge. A large German jar holds about 24 oz (680 g), about 12 oz (350 g) drained. Sour cherries, usually bought in jars in their juice. In the US use jarred morello cherries, or canned tart cherries in water (not pie filling); in the UK, jarred morello cherries.
  • 5 tbsp60 ggranulated sugar
  • 3 tbspcornstarch
  • 3 ⅓ cups800 mlheavy creamice-cold. German cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • ⅓ cup70 ggranulated sugar
  • 4 ½ tbsp70 gwater
  • 4 packetswhipped cream stabilizerA packet of modified starch and sugar that keeps whipped cream firm; one packet is used for about 1 cup (250 ml) of cream. In the US use whipped cream stabilizer powder (sold online and in some baking aisles), or about 1 tbsp nonfat dry milk powder per cup of cream; in the UK, cream stabiliser powder (sold online), or a spoonful of mascarpone whipped in with the cream.
  • kirschto taste. A clear cherry brandy. In the US use kirsch (kirschwasser); in the UK, kirsch.

Method

Sponge

  1. Separate the eggs. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) conventional (top and bottom heat) or 325°F (165°C) convection (fan). Line the pan with parchment paper.

  2. Whip the egg whites with a generous pinch of salt. After two minutes, gradually sprinkle in three quarters of the sugar. Keep whipping until stiff peaks form.

  3. Sift the flour, baking powder, cornstarch & cocoa powder together thoroughly & set aside.

  4. Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar for a few minutes, until they have doubled in volume & turned much paler.

  5. Fold the beaten egg whites into the yolks, then very gently & with lots of love & patience fold in the dry ingredients.

  6. Pour everything into the pan right away & put it straight into the oven. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Then turn it upside down onto a wire rack & let it cool in the pan.

Filling

  1. Bring the water & sugar to a boil in a saucepan or in the microwave and let the syrup cool completely.

  2. Pour the cherries into a sieve, and please save the juice!

    Bring the juice to a boil with the sugar, but first take out a little of the juice and stir it into the cornstarch. Then add the cornstarch mixture to the rest of the juice and bring everything to a boil, stirring regularly. Let it boil for 1 minute, then take it off the heat and stir in the cherries. Let everything cool a little.

  3. Cut the sponge in half horizontally or into three layers. Divide the sugar syrup in half and add a splash of kirsch to one half, then use it to soak the layers. Soak both layers, then spread the cherry filling (it can still be warm!) over both layers. Let everything cool completely.

  4. Whip the cream until stiff, sprinkling in the whipped cream stabilizer just before it is fully stiff. Sweeten the cream to taste with the other half of the sugar syrup. Spread half of the cream over the cherry layer, smooth it out and repeat with the second layer and the rest of the cream. Smooth everything inside the cake ring and chill for at least 3 hours.

  5. Decoration: whip 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream and use it to frost the chilled cake. It's best to mark the cake into at least 12 slices and pipe rosettes on top with a piping bag. Garnish with chocolate shavings and cherries.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/black-forest-cake/