Black Forest Cake, Plated
February 17, 2019
“Well this blackforest cake turned out pretty well, I'm not great at playing or presentation, but it's okay.”
Slices of Black Forest cake plated for service: layers of chocolate sponge and cream, a rosette of chocolate cream on top, a striped chocolate cigarette, and rose petals with a swipe of chocolate sauce on the plate.
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte comes from the Black Forest region of Germany, and by tradition it must contain kirsch, the clear cherry brandy of the region, along with chocolate sponge, whipped cream and sour cherries. I'm not great at plating or presentation, but these plates do use the standard restaurant toolkit correctly: an odd number of garnishes, height from the cigarette, and a sauce line to lead the eye.
This article is written in Corey’s voice for this tribute site, based on his captions and blog. His own words are the quotes above.
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)
Germany's most famous cake layers chocolate sponge with sour cherries, whipped cream and a generous dose of Kirschwasser, the clear cherry brandy distilled in the Black Forest region. Its origin is contested: pastry cook Josef Keller claimed to have created it in 1915 in Bad Godesberg, and the first known printed recipes date from the 1930s. German food guidelines still require that a cake sold under the name contain enough kirsch to taste.
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge
- 6 large eggs (300 g), at room temperature
- 180 g granulated sugar (scant 1 cup)
- 120 g all-purpose flour (1 cup)
- 40 g Dutch-process cocoa powder (scant 1/2 cup)
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted and warm (4 Tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Cherry filling
- 1 jar sour (Morello) cherries in juice, about 680 g (24 oz), giving roughly 350 g fruit
- 250 g juice from the jar (1 cup)
- 50 g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 25 g cornstarch (3 Tbsp)
- 30 g kirsch (2 Tbsp)
Kirsch syrup
- 100 g water (scant 1/2 cup)
- 100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 60 g kirsch (1/4 cup)
Kirsch cream and finish
- 800 g heavy cream, 35 to 40% fat, very cold (3 1/3 cups)
- 60 g powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
- 30 g kirsch (2 Tbsp)
- 5 g powdered gelatin (1 1/2 tsp), soaked in 25 g cold water (optional, for a cake that must hold more than a day)
- 100 g dark chocolate, in a block, for shaving
- 12 fresh or jarred cherries for the top
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the base of a 9-inch (23 cm) springform or 3-inch (7.5 cm) deep cake pan with parchment and leave the sides ungreased.
- Whip the eggs, sugar and salt over simmering water to 40°C (104°F), then whip off the heat on high until tripled, pale and holding a thick ribbon, 8-10 minutes. Fold in the sifted flour and cocoa in three additions, then fold in the warm butter.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, until the top springs back and the cake just pulls from the sides. Cool 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge, turn out and cool completely. Slice into three even layers.
- For the filling, drain the cherries and measure 250 g juice. Whisk the cornstarch with a little of the cold juice, bring the rest to a boil with the sugar, whisk in the slurry and boil 1 minute until thick and clear. Off the heat, stir in the cherries and kirsch and cool completely.
- Boil the water and sugar for the syrup, cool, and add the kirsch.
- Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and kirsch to medium-firm peaks. If using gelatin, melt it gently, whisk in a few spoonfuls of the cream, and beat that mixture back into the bowl as the cream reaches soft peaks.
- Set the first layer on a board and brush generously with syrup. Pipe a ring of cream around the edge and a second ring near the center, fill between them with half the cherries, and cover with a thin layer of cream.
- Repeat with the second layer, then add the third, cut side up, and soak it with the remaining syrup. Cover the top and sides with cream and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
- Shave the chocolate block with a vegetable peeler or the edge of a knife and press the shavings onto the sides and center. Pipe 12 rosettes around the top and set a cherry on each.
Chef’s notes
- A dry Black Forest cake is under-soaked. The sponge is deliberately lean, so use all the syrup and let the cake rest several hours before serving.
- If the cherry filling is still warm it melts the cream and the layers slide. Chill it until cold and thick before assembling.
- Do not substitute sweet cherry liqueur for kirsch. Kirschwasser is a dry, unsweetened spirit, and its sharp flavor is what defines the cake. For an alcohol-free version use the reserved cherry juice in the syrup.
- Shave chocolate that is at warm room temperature. Cold chocolate splinters into dust instead of curling.
Drawn from the methods of
- Luisa Weiss, Classic German Baking (2016)
- Bo Friberg, The Professional Pastry Chef (2002)
- Rose Levy Beranbaum, The Cake Bible (1988)
Corey has not published his own formula for this piece. This reference recipe is compiled from the published methods of the chefs and bakers listed above, written in our own words.
