Sunday, September 2, 2007

Black Forest Cake OR Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte



Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, quite an impressive and elegant name, right ? :) The literal translation of the same, as per Wiki, is "Black Forest cherry cake" and it is a popular dessert in Germany and throughout the world, generally known as Black Forest Cake or Black Forest Gateau. It is a layered sponge cake with two complementary flavours of chocolate and cherry, frosted with whipped cream and flavored by Kirschwasser Or Kirsch, a cherry liquor which is one of the main ingredients.

While pondering on my options to bake a cake to celebrate a special occasion in my life, the idea of Black Forest Cake struck my mind and got glued like anything. I wanted an authentic recipe and my first impulse was to contact my aunt in Germany, who is a Deutsche lady but rewinding the telephone conversations we have had in the past, I thought it is better not to get into an adventure, to get a recipe even before all that baking escapades to follow. Whenever I call my uncle and if she picks up the phone, we greet each other saying “Hello” and “how re you?” and after that we both start giggling and laughing, wondering what to say next, as she is not at all comfortable in English and I cant speak her language too. During my childhood, my father taught me to greet her saying, “Guten Morgen ”, on one of her visits to our place and I still remember her straight-face when I uttered that word. Now I understand that my accent was too weird for her to understand what I said was a German word or not!!!! :) :) After that incident, I never ventured out to impress her with my multilingual proficiency!!

Being a product of Google generation, my next option was to depend on the World Wide Web and I did hit the jackpot itself!! I came across Simply Anne’s , with lots of her sweet celebrations and Anne had a post on her family favourite Black Forest Cake. Since she had not given the recipe in the post and I could not find those books she mentioned, in our library as well, I mailed her requesting the recipe and the next morning when I woke up, I had a mail from Anne with the recipe!!! I was extremely excited and when I approached her again with few doubts, she mailed me the scanned copy of the recipe from that particular book!! I admire and appreciate Anne’s responsiveness and her generous nature. Anne is an exceptionally talented baker and you will be surprised to learn that she is self-trained in cake decorating, if you check out her beautiful creations.

I am sure some of you will have the same doubts I had, when you go through the ingredient list for the sponge cake layers, which yields two 9-inch cakes. The answer is, as per the book, “Light airy sponge cake layers obtain their height from vigorously beaten eggs, which form a network of bubbles that rise in the heat of the oven. “and it is absolutely right! I used two 8-inch cake pans and my cakes had enough height. Here goes the recipe and I have tried to give maximum details as per the original recipe from the book, hoping it will help you enjoy this cake as much as we enjoyed :)

Ingredients:-

For Chocolate cake layers (makes two 9-inch cake layers):
  • ¾ cup (3 oz or 90g) cake flour (Not all-purpose Flour)
  • ¼ cup ( ¾ oz /20g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp instant coffee powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 6 large eggs separated at room temperature
  • 1 cup (8 oz/ 250 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract

For Cherry Syrup:
  • ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60ml) water
  • ¼ cup (2 oz/60 g) granulated sugar
  • 2tbsp Kirsch OR Kirschwasser
  • ½ lb (250g) Bing cherries or any fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved and some for garnishing.
For Filling and frosting:
  • 2 ½ cups (20 fl oz/625ml) heavy (double) cream
  • 3tbsp Confectioners Sugar
  • 1tbsp Kirsch OR Kirschwasser
Directions:
  • For the cake: With rack in the middle, preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper, butter the paper and grease the sides and sprinkle lightly with flour.
  • Combine cake flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder and salt; sift the dry ingredients. This process help to combine the ingredients better and aerates the flour.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and ½ cup of the granulated sugar and beat on medium –high speed for about 3 minutes or until thickened, pale yellow and when the beater is lifted, the batter should fall back on itself like a ribbon. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the bowl sides. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
  • In another large mixing bowl, add the egg whites and beat on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating for about 2-3 minutes, until the whites look shiny and smooth and form soft peaks. Turn the mixer on medium speed and beat in the remaining ½ cup sugar at a rate about 2 tbsp every seconds. After the sugar has been incorporated, beat the whites for 1 minute longer and when you stop the mixer and lift the whip, the peaks will be firm and straight or will be looking like stiff peaks. Note: It is important that the egg whites are beaten in a clean and dry bowl without any trace of grease/fat/water; otherwise the whites will not expand to its full volume.
  • Add one-third of the egg whites on the top of the yolk mixture and using a rubber spatula, fold the mixtures together very gently, (Do not beat) until no white streaks are visible. This first addition will light the batter. Add the remaining egg whites to the mixture and fold them again until egg whites are thoroughly combined.
  • Next, fold in the flour mixture in 4 additions. Sprinkle about one-fourth of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and then using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture, until no streaks of cocoa powder are visible. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture. The batter towards the end will be light and foamy. Note: Sprinkling the flour makes the folding easier and this step takes a bit of patience and time. The dry ingredients are added in small quantities to prevent their weight from deflating the egg mixture.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly and bake the cake undisturbed for 18 minutes. If the cake looks set and the surface is slightly browned, touch the tops gently. If they feel firm, insert a skewer or toothpick and if it comes out clean then the cake is done or if it comes out wet or with crumbs clinging to it, bake for another 2-5 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. Note: The baking time varies from oven to oven, and also depends on the pan size and positioning in the oven. The thumb rule is to bake until the skewer or toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes and later invert them onto a wire rack and let it cool completely for about 45 minutes. The cake layers will shrink lightly as they cool. The cakes are now ready to be filled and frosted.
  • To Make the Cherry syrup: In a small saucepan, stir together water and granulated sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot. Stir in 2 tbsp Kirsch. Remove from the stove top and add pitted and halved cherries to the syrup and let it sit for about 30 minutes. At this stage, sieve the cherry mixture and separate the cherries and let the syrup cool.
  • For Filling and frosting: Combine heavy cream, confectioners sugar and 1 tbsp Kirsch in a stainless steel or glass bowl and beat on medium-high speed, until it forms soft peaks.
  • Assembling the cake: Cake should be completely cool before applying the frosting. When ready to assemble, brush 3 tbsp Cherry syrup onto the top of each cake layer and spread about 1 ½ cups whipped cream evenly over the first cake layer and arrange the cherries (the ones saved from the syrup) in an even layer over the whipped cream and press gently to level the filling. Now place the second cake layer and frost the entire cake, sides and tops, with the remaining whipped cream. Note: To be on the safer side, I applied a very thin layer in the beginning to lock in all the crumbs and immediately after that final frosting was applied. If still few crumbs are visible, use a toothpick to remove those crumbs. Decorate the top with chocolate shaving and fresh cherries. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
To Make the Chocolate Shavings: In a microwave, place your favourite chocolate bar (without nuts) and warm for 15 seconds and check if the edges of chocolate give slightly to gentle fingertip pressure and if not, warm for another 10-15 seconds until it reaches the right stage mentioned earlier. If chocolate bar is at the room temperature, it will take only 15-20 seconds. Now place a parchment paper on the counter and holding the chocolate in one hand, using a vegetable peeler, pull the peeler gently and firmly. Repeat the process until you get the required amount of shavings. If the chocolate firms again as you work, you can reheat the chocolate bar again in the microwave. You can make the chocolate shavings in advance and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

To Make the Chocolate Leaves: You can decorate your cake anyway you want. I wanted to have some chocolate leaves. The best method to make chocolate leaves is to melt some chocolate in the microwave and brush the melted chocolate on to any non-toxic leaves (without any traces of water), leave them on a parchment/wax paper and refrigerate until chocolate harden. Peel away the leaves gently and one side of the leaf will have all the impressions of the fresh leaf, including the veins. Rose leaves and ficus leaves are said to be non toxic. Since I don’t have a rose plant, I tried with my bonsai ficus leaf and the result was quite impressive but since I was not sure of the non toxic aspect of the bonsai variety and also did not want to use up all those leaves, I resorted to another easier method for which I melted the chocolate ( I used chocolate chips and melted at 30 seconds intervals until it reached the creamy consistency) and poured it into a plastic bag, pushed it into a corner and snipped off the edge a bit and squeezed out, on to a parchment paper, to make leaves. You can follow a free –hand method or draw your desired shape first and then spread the chocolate. Refrigerate until firm and ready to decorate. You can make this in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container.

I suggest the first method, if you can find non-toxic leaves, as that gives a natural look to the leaves which will come in various sizes and impressions.


Verdict: This recipe is a keeper for sure and a new addition to my baking repertoire. I will be making this again, during the cherry seasons for sure. The two complementary flavours of chocolate and cherry, marrying the refined Kirsch flavoured whipped cream with the mild and delicate cocoa flavour emanating from the Dutch-process cocoa powder, used in chocolate cake layers, gives a light, airy and delightful taste to the cake, tempting you to go for one more slice. It does not have an overwhelming flavour of Kirsch as well. I could never stop with one slice! The sponge cake has a nice homemade texture which is not overly moist and sweet, unlike the box cakes. It is to be noted that the texture of the cake mainly depends on the way it is beaten. I used a hand mixer and still it yielded a good texture but I am sure, if a stand mixer is used, then it must be real spongy and not at all an effort to beat to get the stiff peaks from the egg whites. The only challenge I faced was, one of the cakes got stuck to the parchment paper and had to separate it, which has never happened to me and I still don’t know the reason. I recommend this recipe and it is definitely worth taking all the effort.

Well, most of us know that there has been a deluge of an award tag in the food blog world and some of my blogger buddies were kind and thoughtful enough to send few of the titles in my way. It is a nice feeling when you get recognition and appreciation from the fellow bloggers and I sincerely thank Cynthia, Sunita, Mallugirl, Sandeepa, Archana, Sia, Pravs and Mathew for this nice gesture. I also thank all my fellow bloggers and readers for encouraging and supporting me and helping me maintain the same energy in all my posts. It would not have been possible with your appreciation and encouraging words. And for all those ghost readers out there, “Thank You” for coming back to my site and trying out the recipes :)


I assume most of the food bloggers have been awarded with these titles, let me pass this to two of my favourite bloggers who really makes me think, trough their posts.
  • Mathew of Spark, a born satirist makes everyone laugh and think at the same time, with his brilliant sense of humor. His humorous take on everyday life situations is absolutely impressive. Some of his touching and insightful posts, revealing certain simple universal truths, make the reader probe into his/her own responsibilities.
  • Nanditha of Miles to go before I sleep, a talented dancer and truth seeker dresses up her each and every posts with stories and incidents which has a spiritual aspect and in-depth meaning, making the reader think how the simple pleasures of life are to be enjoyed and stresses the importance of living in the moment.
Nanditha & Mathew, I truly enjoy your posts and looking forward to many in the future :)

UPDATE: Based on some of the responses I received, let me make a small note here. Kirsch OR Kirschwasser is generally available in liquor stores and might be hard to find in supermarkets here in US; take the help of a liquor store assistant and check for Kirschwasser, flavored brandy with natural cherry flavour. If Kirsch is not at all available, use rum or brandy in lesser quantity as they do not have a refined taste and smell like Kirsch. If the target group consists of children, you may consider avoiding them too. Instead of that make the syrup (1/4 cup water+ 1/4 cup sugar) and when it is cold, add 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract (depending on the taste you want), just before assembling the cake.

As for the cherries, if fresh ones are not in season or unavailable, two options are there, 1) go for dried cherries which will be quite plump when soaked in the moistening syrup for 30 minutes. 2) Use the glace cherries , but don't go for the pie filling which will be extremely sweet and will spoil the taste of the cake. But you can never beat the taste of a Black Forest cake made using Kirsch and fresh cherries when you make so much of variations.

As for the Dutch Process Cocoa- powder, either stick to the brand I have given in the link or use a good quality product for the sole reason that if you use any not-so good products, it will spoil the cake. Dutch process cocoa- powders are light and mild and not bitter unlike the regular cocoa-powders. For instance, Hershey's dutch process cocoa- powder may not be suited for this recipe as it is too bitter.


Thank you !
Shn


No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

82 comments:

  1. Guten abend, Shn, dear! And you call me adventurous!? What was the special occasion? I can't help but ask, because it seems this cake would make any occasion special :)

    Utterly beautiful!

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  2. hey Mismash.. lovely blog u hv.. first time here.. very lovely cake can i take a bit? thnx for sharing..

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  3. Lovely cake sweetie! And Happy...whatever occasion you did celebrate with the cake!! :) Nicely done icing, esp the leaves. I'd have put more chocolate shavings on the cake ;)I have a desi version of this recipe without eggs or kirsch(!) and it tastes great!! :)

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  4. Many Happy Returns Shn... beautiful cake. I will hide mine in the closet from now onwards. :-)

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  5. Wishes for bday/anniversary or whatever and whosoever! :)
    Thats a lovely cake.. Last time I had this cake was in its land of origin, during our trip to Black Forest in Germany!That too just 2 months back :d

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  6. Oh Shn, this is soooo beautiful!!!!! I can't take my eyes off that cake! Really. :)

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  7. It was a pleasure reading your post. Everything was well said and most importantly you came up with such a beautiful cake! I loved your chocolate leaves. I would like to try making it one day :)

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  8. my good wishes too for special occasion:)
    and boy!!! that cake looks moist and spongy and creamy and delicious... ur step by step instructions will surely come handy. beautiful cake mishy

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  9. Shn, in comparison to yours, the "luxurious" black forest we get in the pastry shops here in India looks dry! I've even tried a cashew-studded black forest, the less said about it the better!

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  10. Shn, so how much of this gorgeous cake is left? It's good to see a chocolate sponge now and again; we are so accustomed to vanilla. A big, beautiful effort, but the rewards are big and beautiful, too. : )

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  11. :-) :-) :-)
    I think am floating and almost near the celing after reading the generous comments on my blog...Thanks a lot!Am simply humbled with those comments.Considering that there are so many outstanding bloggers out here and am truly honoured with this..

    Btw the blackforest looks simply awesome..looks exactly like the ones I see in bakeries out here..I have been relishing on it quite frequently out here and they taste quite different from what they call black forest back home..They serve it as dessert in my office too and the helping which they serve is almost one third of the snap you have put..Despite best efforts I dont manage to finish it!! ;-P

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  12. Thank you, thank you, for the detailed recipe for my favorite cake EVER!! It looks gorgeous! The combination of chocolate and cherries is just so special.

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  13. Oh my Shn! What an exquisite cake! Wonderful wishes coming your way from Germany for the special occasion!

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  14. Wow what a cake.
    Hope you enjoyed the special occasion.
    I always wabted to make this cake, but it always looks so difficult to make.
    My hats off to you.

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  15. Wow that cake makes my eyes rolling n rolling over and again, I can only imagine to eat such cake from any store, never dare to make one...Incredible and loved those photos so much, I know there is lot of h/w put in! but its superlative 4 me right now

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  16. S,
    Valare nannayirikkunnu, adipoli...Hope you have enjoyed the spcl occasion..

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  17. Congrats on all the awards. Beautiful cake...the black forest cake i used have back in India didn't have the white, whipped cream frosting covering the cake...so in the first look for me this cake looked different. I think the whipped cream was in between the layers in the cake i had. This being the original black forest cake... this is something to try.

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  18. I am honored!thanks a lot for the wonderful words ....i am flattered!....
    hey , this is favorite dessert!
    i really have to plan a trip to ur place ! ....you are tempting me...!
    my wishes for ur special occasion!
    :)

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  19. Hey Shn, what a lovely cake it is! Best wishes for the special occassion :). This cake surely is a nice thing to go with it. Its really mouthwatering, oooooooh! Yummy, yummy! and great, detailed instructions too! Thank you :).

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  20. need i say Anything on this post? u know better!!!!love ur photos and i didn't know u had german relatives!

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  21. I am drooling! Your cake looks gorgeous!!!! Its been so long since I had black forest cake...I used to love the Baker's Basket one back in India. You sure have a lot of patience....:) Thanks for this lovely recipe, I hope to try some day, unless somebody bakes it for me ;)

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  22. Mismash,
    OMG I am drooling, such a beautiful cake and Many Many Happy Returns of the Day !!!

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  23. Shn, darling you are such a talented woman and I am honoured to call you friend. Just look at that magnificent cake! Hope your celebrations were fun and filled with joy and happiness.

    Hugs.

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  24. Shn, that looks absolutely gorgeous...I'm always excited about black forest cake...btw, happy...whatever it was:)

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  25. So good to see this cake again..

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  26. A very hap Hap happy Birthday Dear Shn.
    If not Birthday replace by Anniversary or any occasion that you celebrated :)
    And what a delightful cake. I am totally awed !!! I didn't know real people could bake such cakes, always thought such heavenly things are supposed to be obtained from the Bakery:)

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  27. What an absolutely gorgeous cake!

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  28. good god
    that is a fantastic cake...I bet it must have not lasted long...

    thanks for the recipe!

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  29. Shn dear

    You absolutely have me drooling. I dont think I will be ever able to make something so gorgeous!!

    Hats off to you.

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  30. your artistry permeates your food. it's so great to see an authentic recipe for kirschtorte, rather than the knockoffs we often get.

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  31. the cake looks so beautiful and very professional. what is the special occasion?

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  32. Shn, I dont usually leave commentss but it looked special this time. The cake looks awsome!And Congratulations ( whatever that special occasion is)!

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  33. Oh Shn... I can't stop staring... U made that! OMG, and to think that u called urself an amatuer cook once... U are a pro girl, wear the chef's hat with pride.. Congrats on that special occasion...

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  34. Oh wow...what a gorgeous cake! I bet It's soooooo tasty!!!

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  35. Black Forest is my absolute favorite...havent had it in a while...urs luks ....ah...i dont have words for it Shn....really beautiful and drool worthy

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  36. Fantastic Shn;cake looks delicious!Anyway,wishes on ur special occassion!!!!
    For a long time I wanted to try a hand on this,still in my wishes only!Btw a foolish doubt-what about this whipping cream?-Is this the store brought powdered form&then beaten with cold milk or can we buy it as such?I have not much experience with decorations.
    Seeing the photos,my younger one wanted to have this as his desktop background;he loves black forest cakes very much!
    liz

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  37. Wow Mishmash...
    This is really lovely...Looks so professional..I would like to try out a black forest cake tooo...Nice work dear

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  38. That cake is outstanding! Truly! And where did you find those gigantic cherries on top? I'm so glad you provided the pointer about beating the egg whites in a clean bowl too. I learned that the hard way. ;(

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  39. OMG, what a sweet blog and yammy cake!
    Is a piece of cake for me?
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  40. Hi Mismash. A detailed nice recipe and well written. Could see your photos. It says Bandwidth exceeded here. Viji

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  41. Cool, thanks for the authentic blackforest cake! I have another easy recipe using milkmaid.. ;-) lemme know if u want to try that out...

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  42. Hi all....Thanks a lot for your wishes....I really appreciate that a lot! The special occasion was my beloved's b'day :)

    Linda, Oye...you speak Deutsche langue too ? :) Thanks so much , Linda....he was quite delighted to see the cake which doubled my happiness and satisfaction:)

    SMN, yes, please :) Thanks for dropping by :)

    Jyothsna, oh...I would love to see that version :) Making leaves is very easy.,,try for yourself :)

    Raaga,hey...I checked yours too....that looks quite good ...btw, from what I read you re an expert baker :)

    Arts, you have no idea how much I was green while reading your comment...Lucky you :) Welcome here :)

    Anh, come over....you can help yourself with the whole cake :P

    Marianne,I am so happy to see your comment here....THANKS again :)Could not have made it without your help :)

    Sia, thanks so much my friend :) Try it, am sure you will be a getting a good variety of Kirsch, if at all you re ok with the idea of adding liqueur to your food :)

    Sra, I was never a big fan of the BF cake we get in India and cashew studded ones...oh my...thats interesting :)

    Susan, not a single piece, my dear :) I must admit, I finished 60% of the cake all by myself :P

    Mathew, Are the Germans so generous ??? :)) I wish I could taste the authentic cake once!! We were planning a trip via Germany on our last India trip but did not materialise :( Btw, you deserve all those compliments...:)

    Nupur, I am glad :) Why don't you give it a try before those fresh cherries go invisible from the stores?

    Meeta, Thanks so much :) Look who's talking here :)

    Happy Cook, give it a try....its not all that difficult...you just need to be organised and plan everything. A warm welcome here :)

    Padma, you can make it dear....it might seem like a lengthy process but each and every bit is worth the effort :)

    Seena, aa comment vaayichappo nalla santhosham thonnee ketto :)

    Pravs,hmm...the ones we get back home in India is not all that good...somehow I was never crazy about this that time, but now I am :P

    Musical, enough...enough....come over :)

    Mallugirl,oh...yeah..."we" know it better :))))

    Tee, hmm...I do enjoy such things if I know for sure that he will be quite delighted :) thats my motivation. Do try and let me know...:)Thanks a lot for dropping by !

    A little light, Thanks a bunch :)

    Sreelu, thank you :)

    Cynthia, yes Cynthia...we had a nice day...and the next two days were also filled with joy and happiness coz of the availability of this cake in my fridge :P

    Sunita, Thank you dear :)

    RP, :)

    Sandeepa, My lady, you can make this and once you make it at home, trust me, you will never buy it from that bakery!!! Make the choco shavings and leaves in advance...bake the cake on friday eve...and assemble it on saturday morning and indulge in pure chocolate-cherry bliss throughout the weekend :)

    TBC, Thank you and Welcome :)

    Mallurecipes, no it did not :D Thanks for visiting :)

    Shella, oh..dont say that...you can :)

    Bee, I am honored :)

    Sharmi, thank you my friend:)

    Thush, so nice of you :) Btw, I did like your blog title...and pls keep it active :)

    Sig, hahah....I may not be an amateur but still maintain my claim that I am an average cook :))))

    Meeso, yes it was :) Welcome to my blog :)

    Priyanka, thanks so much...nice to see you here :)

    Liz, how sweet was that!! How old is your younger one? why dont you make this for him. Reg the whipping cream, it is thicker than milk but not as thick as milkmaid. I checked with two of my blogger friends who has some idea about the products you get there and they shared these links.Check out these:
    http://www.amazon.com/Nestle-Media-Crema-Table-Cream/dp/B00032B7SO
    http://www.almarai.com/client/eng/Products/Ghishte.aspx
    If you need more help, pls mail me, am sure you have noted down my recipe! All the best :)

    Annita, Thank you so much....and that means a lot as it comes from a pro:)

    Susan,I have been enjoying cherries this season, from the local store here...I know how crazy you re about cherries :)

    Krystyna, thanks a lot for those sweet comments and visiting me :)

    Vcuisine, yes there was some prob...I have corrected it , hope you can view the pics now !! :)

    Ash,ofcourse my dear :)

    Shn

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  43. mishmash......the cake looks awesome....thanks so much for the detailed recipe.......including the frosting.....
    well,I have a question to ask u...I stay in US and if I don't get Kirsch here...Is there any substitute/Can we avoid it...??
    Thanks in advance dear :-)

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  44. Can you please send me that cake?!?!?! I'm loving it :-) Would have been best if i was able to atleast take a piece of the cake and put it in my mouth :-) I will try to prepare this cake, and i hope it turns out as good as yours. Thanks for the recipe Mishmash :-)

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  45. Sirisha, Thank You :) Well, I stay in US too and I got Kirsch from a local liquor store here, so it is deft'ly available here in US...Ask for Kirschwasser or Cherry Liquor. You may not find that from local grocery stores unless and until it is a specialty store. So Liquor shops are the best option. I have read somewhere that rum and brandy is also used , in which case use very less as they have a bit strong flavour compared to Kirsch. At the worst case you may avoid it, but I suggest giving a try for Kirsch :)

    Mona, Sorry, its all over, else I could have sent it you :)) You can prepare it at home...just follow the recipe but read the recipe thoroughly before trying out and planning ahead helps a lot. All the best :)

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  46. Hello,

    Thank you for the recipe. Its a wonderful cake. I made it for my husband's b'day after seeing your post on foodblog desam. It was a hit and was gone really fast. I couldn't get Kirsh (the liquor store was out of it, so I added rum to it. I guess I added a tad bit more but everyone liked it. The only other modification made was since I couldn't find fresh cherries and didn't want to use cherry pie filling (I don't like the cough syrup taste)I used canned Oregon Bing cherries and it turned out good.
    Thanks once again for this great recipe.
    -Deepika

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  47. Oh.......queen of cake my month is watering..........Looks gorgeous.:)

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  48. mmm...i was wanting cake before i visited, now i REALLY want cake! lol!

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  49. who doesn't like black forest!! and yours looks as divine as the one in my imagination:)

    I have to thank YOU for sharing Anne's recipe with us!!

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  50. Hey Mishmash...
    loved ur black forest cake recipe....just a doubt... u said 6 eggs seperated at room temperature ... i didnt get that line.... can i use just the egg white or the egg substitute??....please suggest... i suck when it comesa to baking hehehe.... just trying my hand...

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  51. Shubha, Thanks:) 6 eggs separated at room temp means, you need to keep the refrigerated eggs in the room until it comes to the room temp; then separate the eggs, I mean yolks and white separately. This link below will help you how to do that:
    http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=9&id=403

    I dont know your skill level in baking. If you have already made some cakes, then please read the recipe 4-5 times thoroughly and start baking. Also I dont how it will come out if you substitute the ingredients! All the best., Feel free to drop a comment here if you have more doubts, I dont mind answering at all , dont feel bad at all :)

    Shn

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  52. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  53. Hi there Mishmash...thanks for stopping by my blog, so I could find my way to yours!! Fantastic blog. Loved it, and the Black Forest cake looks absolutely divine. Have been visiting Anne's blog for pretty long. Love yr avatar. Am now going to browse through the rest of your posts...Thanks again :0)

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  54. hey mish
    thanxs for the recipe.
    although before starting to bake i have a silly doubt.
    u have not used butter.is it normal?
    most recipe does use butter in their cake.
    just trying to make sure i get this right...

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  55. Hi Shn, looks like the recipe if been looking for and appreciate the detailed instructions. Used to be able to buy a fantastic one at Kuntz in Chicago and then at Sams here in SAT. Regretfully, Sams changed suppliers and attempted to produce their own. What a disaster.
    One comment, though: You mentioned Kirsch and Kirschwasser in your update and described it as a cherry flavored brandy. This may be true for Kirsch, I don’t really know what that is, but Kirschwasser, is a 80 to 90 proof (45 % alcohol), clear, almost tasteless brandy. It is hard to get here, but I’ve found it on line in several stores. Google it

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  56. Anisha, this recipe doesnt call for butter.

    RW, both Kirsch and Kirschwasser is same and it is natural cherry flavor brandy, which is colorless but does have taste :) It is transparent and is very much available in liquor stores in US; I bought mine from a local liqour store but never found it in supermarkets.

    Shn

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  57. 100/100
    I followed your recipe to each comma and it turned out to be the best cake I had ever had. I have a tip for anyone who wants to try this. PLEASE DECORATE THE TOP LIKE SHOWN IN THIS PICTURE. I had just 6 cherries on top and sure enough the cake was cut in 6 slices by a friend. No (much wanted)left overs for the next day, :(, which, I believe, is a great compliment for the original chef.

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  58. Hi,
    I baked this with all purpose flour because I could not find cake flour in whole of Palm Beach County. Any idea which store may have it? I tried whole-foods, Fresh markets, Publix and gourmet foods.

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  59. Anonymous 1: Thanks for a lovely feedback :) Quite gratifying to note that it came out well for you and you wanted to have more of it :) Thanks again for trusting the recipe and also sharing this great feedback with me :)

    Anonymous 2 : So did you like the cake? Cake flour is available in all supermarkets like Walmarts and the brands I've used are Softasilk, Swans et al. Pillsbury also has got cake flour i guess, not sure though. If you re using all purpose flour then take 2 tbsp less for every cup of cake flour mentioned in recipes.

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  60. Hi there!
    First of all, thank you for the recipe. One of my friends made it and it was divinely delicious.
    I am making this cake this weekend and wanted to verify a couple of ingredients:
    1) For the cocoa powder - I have the Droste brand and on top it says "Imported from Holland".
    2) For the Bing Cherries- I have canned ones(pitted and in dark syrup). The brand is 'Oregon'
    3) For the cake flour - I have Swans Down. I think you mentioned this somewhere in the post.

    Are these all appropriate ones? Any tips or modifications I need to make?

    Thank you once again! Can't wait to make it.

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  61. Penguin 91, The first two ingredients, I havent used , so not sure about that.....see if you can get fresh cherries....you got the third one right! Enjoy baking and let me know the results...glad to know that the recipe worked out for your friend:)

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  62. Hi Mishmash,
    I have been looking for a good black forest cake recipe and came across yours. The black forest cakes that we get here in the US have a cough syrup taste. Just wanted to find out if any of the ingredients listed in this recipe would give me that taste and if it does, what is the alternate solution? Please write back.
    Thank you so much,
    ANB

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  63. Can you give me an idea of how long it takes to make this cake so I can plan accordingly?

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  64. Thanks a lot, my daughter wanted to celebrate her pretend birthday and wanted me to bake a cake......not get it from the baker.This is my first attempt in baking anything period.I searched the web for recipes and came across the recipe for fruit cake in your blog.We gave it a try and believe it or not it came real good. So this new team of father n daughter sends you lots of thanks.Please keep up the blog.

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  65. Riya n dad, that was one of the sweetest comments I have ever rec'd from a charming pair , thank you :) You re a sweet dad and so is your daughter...have fun :)

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  66. hey Shn,

    can u pls tell me where did u buy that dutch processed cocoa powder from.?i really wanted to try this cake..but i dont think i'm very lucky...i couldn't get kirsh anyway..they says i need to buy it online as none of the stores in pittsburgh carries that now..so they gimme some cherry wine with alchohol which tastes similar to kirsh...can i use that?What do u think?

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  67. Annita, I had linked the "Shop Natural" website in my post but after seeing your message, I checked that link, and it seems the whole page/site cannot be found...I dont know if it is a temporary problem. Else check this
    & this
    . These two I just found after a google search. As for Kirschwasser, did you check the liquour stores? The general stores like Walmart et al wont have it but some liquour store my have it. Else I think you can give wine a try.,....I have never tasted cherry wine but I think it should be okay; just taste it before you use it in cake....see if the taste satisfies you, if it has a nice refined flavour...if the taste is overpowering, try using less. I hope you find both these ingredients. Good luck :)

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  68. Hi Shn,

    I made this cake yesterday for my hubby's bday and it turned out superb :) Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. I made a slight modification to the recipe by adding a pinch of baking powder and soda powder. The taste was excellent though I didnt use cherry liquour as I couldnt buy it. Thanks a ton..it made the day special :)

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  69. Looks yum ....
    And like your photos too...

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  70. Your black forest looks great.
    Thanx for checking out my blog at saffronapron.blogspot.com

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  71. very nyummy looking cake...

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  72. hey mishmash...tried this recipe today with half the quantities mentioned. It turned out well but the cake was not very soft. It became soft after adding the cherry syrup but it was not a light and fluffy cake. The egg white did not form peaks like you mentioned. Is there any particular thing i need to keep in mind? Please help bcos i would love to make this again.

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  73. Hi,
    I tried yoyr black forest .Mine did not come as soft as u mentioned . And when i added the icing sugar to teh fresh cream it turned to be curdle so i could use it . Can you plesae let em know how to make the whipping cream for black forest .

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  74. Hey Mishmash,
    I have tried your recipe and it has come out really well. Now I am thinking of trying the same recipe but instead of a round cake I am thinking of making a sheet cake. I want to know how I should adjust the ingredients for this sheet cake. Will it be ok if I double the measurements?

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  75. Thanks.. i made the cake twice and came out well... oops cant stop eating it.. thanks.. waiting for more receipes!!

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  76. looks yummy,need to try it.
    All the recipes are written v well.Thanks for sharing some authentic recipes.

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  77. Hi Mishmash,

    I tried this recipe and it came out very well... Thanks so much. But I have some doubts..

    What temperature is should I bake the cake? I used 300 F and it required putting back the cake a number of times well after the 18 minute period was over.

    Second, I didnt have cake flour. I tried to find it in the shops nearby but couldnt. Finally I used All Purpose ( I think the cake came out ok, despite this). I figured one needs to add baking powder if it wasnt cake flour and added 1 tsp. Can you also post what amount of baking powder is appropriate if one uses all purpose?

    And finally, I also couldnt find Kirsch, so I ended up using red cooking wine. That ended up tasting fine too.

    Could you post the updates about baking powder and temperature right where the recipe is, so that one doesnt have to read all the comments to make sure it hasnt been mentioned already?

    Thanks

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  78. hey mishmash..i tried this receipe for my son's first birthday..it turned out awesome..jus wanted to thank u for such a nice receipe

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  79. Hi there..I'm not a fan of chocolate flavour, so is my hubby and son. Going through your recipe I wanted to make the black forest cake, when I told this to my hubby his reaction was "you know I don't like chocolate flavour, make something else" I told him anyways I'm making it and will give to my sis's kids.
    And I made the cake. My hubby's verdict "it's good, give half to them. If it's not hard to make, plse make again" My son goes "it's yummy mom!!"
    should I say anything more about the recipe other A BIG THANKU for sharing it. Keep up the good work.
    Anna UK

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  80. HiShn.I was looking around your site but could not find your e mail to conatct you.On a Serbian Group Food blog we are publishing Best blogs from around the world.have feature 14 countries up ton now(with permission of the blog owners).I am interested to publsih your Dchwarzwalder Kirsch Torte blog.We do translate blog in Serbian but stay true to original text and link back to your blog.My mail address si: dubravkabelogrlic@gmail.com
    Cheers

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  81. I'm glad to find someone who is interested in making this cake well! There is a maze of bad black forest recipes out there.

    However, you forgot to write when to put in the vanilla and I forgot to use it. :-(

    Also, cake flower doesn't include any rising agents, at least not the kind I got. I added a tsp of baking powder to be safe. More info on whether or not baking powder is neccessary and why would have helped me a lot.

    That said, thanks for sharing! (It's in the oven now, so we'll see how it goes!)

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