Cookbook:Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)
CategoryDessert recipes
Servings12
Timeabout 3 hours
Difficulty

Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Equipment | Techniques | Cookbook Disambiguation Pages | Recipes | Pastries and desserts | German cuisine |

Schwarzwälder kirschtorte, or Black Forest gateau in English, is a German dessert.

Ingredients

edit
Ingredient Count Volume Weight
Shortcrust base
All-purpose flour ¾ cup 125 g
Cocoa powder 1 tsp 10 g
Baking powder ½ tsp 3 g
Sugar ¼ cup 50 g
Vanilla sugar 1 packet 2 tsp 8 g
Egg white 1 ea.
Butter, cut into pieces ¼ cup 50 g
Cake
Eggs 3 ea.
Egg yolk 1 ea.
Warm water 2 tbsp
Sugar ½ cup 100 g
Vanilla sugar 1 packet 2 tsp 8 g
Bitter almond oil 3 drops
Ground cinnamon ⅛ tsp
All-purpose flour ½ cup 75 g
Cocoa powder 1 tbsp 10 g
Cornstarch 3 tbsp 25 g
Baking powder ½ tsp 1½ g
Filling
Sour cherries, stoned 1 can 24 oz (750 g)
Sugar 6 tbsp 80 g
Cornstarch 5 tbsp 40 g
Kirschwasser 2 tbsp
Powdered gelatine 2 tsp
Cold water 3 tbsp
Heavy cream 2 cups (500 ml)
Vanilla sugar 1 packet 2 tsp 8 g
Sugar 1 tbsp
Shaved chocolate for garnish 40 g (2 oz)
Glacé or maraschino cherries for decoration [1] 1 jar

Procedure

edit

Shortcrust base

edit
  1. Mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl. Mix the eggs with the sugar and vanilla sugar, then pour into a well in the middle of the flour.
  2. Mix the liquid into some of the flour until it forms a porridge-like mass
  3. Add the cold butter, and rub into the dough.
  4. Mix in the rest of the flour and knead briefly into a ball.
  5. Rest the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  6. Roll the dough out to fit the base of a 20 cm (8 inch) springform cake pan.
  7. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 20 minutes.

Cake

edit
  1. Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and cocoa powder with a whisk.
  2. 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.
  3. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, and beat in the rest of the sugar a little at a time.
  4. Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
  5. Sprinkle the flour mixture onto the egg mixture and carefully incorporate.
  6. Pour into a 20 cm (8 inch) springform pan lined with parchment paper.
  7. 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.
  8. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Filling

edit
  1. Drain the cherries in a sieve. Reserve the juice.
  2. Begin heating ¾ of the juice in a saucepan, and mix the cornstarch with the rest.
  3. 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.
  4. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Mix in the cherries in, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  5. Add the Kirschwasser.
  6. Sprinkle the gelatin onto the 3 tablespoons of water, and allow to bloom for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  7. Heat the gelatin carefully until melted. Allow to cool to room temperature, but don't let it set.
  8. 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.

Assembly

edit
  1. Spread ½ the cherry mixture then ⅓ of the whipped cream mixture onto the shortcrust base.
  2. Cut the cake horizontally into two layers using a length of cotton thread.
  3. Press one cake layer onto the filling.
  4. Spread the rest of the cherry mixture onto the cake, along with half of the remaining whipped cream.
  5. Cover the filling with the last layer of cake, and spread the remaining whipped cream on top.
  6. Strew the top of the torte with shaved chocolate, and decorate with glacé or maraschino cherries.
  7. Refrigerate for 4 hours or longer before serving.

Notes, tips, and variations

edit
  • The cake layers may optionally be sprinkled with Kirschwasser before assembly.
  • The bitter almond oil can be replaced by 2 tsp almond extract.
  • If possible, use only cherries in real maraschino liqueur, not the imitation maraschino cherries found in grocers and supermarkets.
  1. (If possible, use only cherries in real maraschino liqueur, not the imitation maraschino cherries found in grocers and supermarkets)