As with most recipes steeped in history (and booze), there are a few Black Forest cake origin stories. Some corners of the internet claim the German dessert, also called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, has been around since at least the 16th century—an unlikely theory since chocolate wasn’t readily available in Germany until the early 1600s, and at the time was primarily used as a medicine. Others say Josef Keller, a pastry chef in Bad Godesberg, penned the world’s first Black Forest cake recipe in 1915.
Whatever its provenance, the perennial favorite is traditionally made with a chocolate sponge cake batter. Its airy texture comes not from leavening agents, like baking soda or baking powder, but by whipping whole eggs with sugar and vanilla until voluminous before folding in the dry ingredients.
As with many fancy desserts, says legendary pastry chef Hubert Keller, the assembly for this German cake is easy; it just takes a lot of words to describe. A good Black Forest cake should be very moist and have a distinct flavor of kirsch, a cherry liqueur native to Germany’s Black Forest region, so be sure to use a good-quality spirit. Keller uses kirsch two ways: to preserve the sour cherries that get sandwiched between the cake layers and in the syrup he uses to soak them. Outside of cherry season, he says you can use frozen cherries—or shop for jarred or canned sour cherries (look for Morello or Amarena cherries; steer clear of candy red maraschino cherries). If you’d prefer to make this cake without alcohol, choose sour cherries in 100% cherry juice and use the strained liquid instead of the liqueur and water in the cherry syrup.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘Souvenirs’ by Hubert Keller. Buy the full book on Amazon.
If using canned cherries in syrup, drain them, reserving both the syrup and the cherries. Measure the amount of syrup and set aside. Macerate the cherries in a glass bowl in ½ cup of kirsch for 1 hour, tossing them occasionally. Drain the cherries, reserving them and the kirsch separately. Pour the syrup into a small saucepan with the kirsch and add sugar, if needed, to make a slightly sweet, cherry-flavored syrup. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside until needed. You need about 1 cup of syrup for the cake. Use the rest as a sauce for ice cream.
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