Black Forest gateau

The kirsch is one of the six main ingredients, not a flavouring you can leave out and keep the dish.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (butter), dairy (double cream).

Ingredients

For the cake

• 6 eggs
• 180 g caster sugar
• 60 g cocoa powder
• 120 g plain flour
• 100 g butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling and finish

• 600 g morello cherries, stoned
• 100 g sugar
• 6 tablespoons kirsch
• 600 ml double cream
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar
• 100 g dark chocolate, in shavings

Method

1. THE KIRSCH IS ONE OF THE SIX MAIN INGREDIENTS, NOT A FLAVOURING YOU CAN LEAVE OUT AND KEEP THE DISH. The article lists them and there are exactly six: THE PRIMARY INGREDIENTS OF BLACK FOREST GATEAU ARE BUTTER, COCOA POWDER, EGGS, FLOUR, KIRSCH, AND SUGAR. A cherry brandy stands alongside the flour and the eggs.
2. AND THE ARTICLE IS CLEAR ABOUT WHAT GOES WHEN IT GOES. The liquor IS FREQUENTLY LEFT OUT in countries where most people do not drink, and rum replaces it in Trinidad and Tobago. Those are named as variations, which is the honest way to describe them.
3. THE METHOD IS A WHISKED SPONGE, NOT A CREAMED ONE. Its own order: WHISKING TOGETHER EGGS AND SUGAR, FOLLOWED BY THE ADDITION OF COCOA POWDER AND FLOUR MIXTURE AND MELTED BUTTER, then baked for TWENTY TO FORTY MINUTES.
4. WHICH MEANS THE AIR IS BEATEN INTO THE EGGS AND NOWHERE ELSE. There is no raising agent in the article's list. Whisk the eggs and sugar until the trail of the beater sits on the surface for three seconds.
5. THE MELTED BUTTER GOES IN LAST AND KILLS AIR ON CONTACT. Fold it down the side of the bowl, a third at a time, and stop the moment it disappears.
6. THE CHERRIES AND THE KIRSCH MEET BEFORE EITHER MEETS THE CAKE. Stew the cherries with the sugar for ten minutes, take them off, and add the kirsch away from the heat -- boiled, the alcohol and most of the point go off into the kitchen.
7. SOAK THE LAYERS WITH THE CHERRY SYRUP AND MORE KIRSCH. The article allows that KIRSCH CAN BE USED AS PART OF THE CHERRY FILLING AND FROSTING, so it belongs in three places: the crumb, the fruit and the cream.
8. WHIP THE CREAM WITH THE ICING SUGAR ONLY TO SOFT PEAKS. It stiffens as it is spread, and cream taken too far turns grainy between the layers.
9. BUILD IT COLD AND LET IT SIT A FEW HOURS. The syrup travels through the sponge and the whole thing firms up enough to cut.
10. SPIRALS OF CREAM, CHERRIES AND CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS ON TOP, which is the article's own finish. It also records what makes a bad one, quoting Heinzelmann on versions built with buttercream or cheap cherries: ONLY A POOR IMITATION OF ITSELF.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Germany · All recipes