Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte — Black Forest Cake
This is the kind of German snack you’ll make on repeat — chocolate sponge cake (or sweet bread) and heavy cream, 120 minutes, big payoff.
✓ USDA-verified nutrition data
520 calories
7g protein
58g carbs
30g fat
2g fiber
Ingredients
- 600 g Chocolate sponge cake (or sweet bread)
- 3 cups Heavy cream
- 2 cups Sour cherries
- 0.33 cup Kirsch cherry brandy
- 0.5 cup Powdered sugar
- 1 cup Dark chocolate shavings
- 0.25 cup Cocoa powder
Steps
- Bake or buy three chocolate sponge layers and let them cool completely — warm cake melts cream into a puddle, and patience is a structural ingredient here.
- Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar to firm peaks; it should hold its shape when you lift the whisk. Keep it cold.
- Brush each layer generously with kirsch cut with a little cherry juice. This is the soul of the cake — dry Black Forest cake is a tragedy.
- Stack the layers with whipped cream and drained sour cherries between them, then frost the whole cake in cream. Press chocolate shavings around the sides and pipe rosettes on top.
- Crown each rosette with a cherry, dust lightly with cocoa, and chill at least 2 hours so the layers set. Slice with a hot, dry knife for clean layers.