Recipe for Black Forest Cake/European and American Measurements

Do you  want to try your hand at making a Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte?

What exactly is a Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte?

This cake was invented  by Josef Keller, a pastry chef,  in 1915 at Bad Godesberg.

We have heard that the Café Schaefer in Triberg has the orginal hand-written recipe and serves that recipe at their restaurant.  We will definately go there and blog about that at another time. I must caution you that most American recipes have adapted to the American "sweet" taste and do not taste anything like the proper Black Forest Cake served here.

This is Cafe Lilie's in Triberg version of the cake.

It became painfully obvious that I would need to give you two recipes because  American's use measuring cups, whereas the European's measure their ingredients on a scale.  Let's  start with the American version.

Remember that Kirschewasser is alcohol so if you use this, don't give the cake to children!

I decided to use the version from the postcard I purchased at the Elbe Clock Park.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla

4 eggs

1/2 cup finely ground almonds (I sometimes use ground hazelnuts)

1 cup of grated semi-bitter chocolate

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Ingredients for your filling:

7 tablespoons Kirschewasser   (this is optional and not usually recommended for American's taste OR children)

4 1/2 cups pitted sour cherries (drain them if you use them from a can)

1 pint whipping cream whipped with 3 tablespoons of sugar

Beat together butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Now stir in your ground almonds and grated chocolate. Next stir in your flour and baking powder. Place the batter in a well-greased and floured springform pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

When the cake has cooled use a serrated knife to split the cake in three sections.

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To assemble, place one cake layer on cake plate. If you are going to use the Kirschwasser, drip kirsch over the bottom layer, cover it with sour cherries and spead some whipped cream on top. Now place your second layer onto the first, drip kirsch over it and cover it with just the whipped cream.  Place the third layer on top and drip kirsch onto it as before.  Spread whipped cream across top and around the edges of the cake. Garnish with grated chocolate and cherries.

 

Now for you Europeans:

 

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees C

100 grams butter

100 grams sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla

4 eggs

75 grams finely ground almonds (or ground hazelnuts)

100 grams grated semi-bitter chocolate
100 grams of flour

2 level teaspoons baking powder

 

Filling:

7 tablespoons of Kirschwasser

750 grams sour cherries(pitted) drained or fresh

1 pint of whipping cream whipped with 3 tablespoons sugar

 

Just follow the directions above in the American version.

Enjoy.