Traditional Black Forest Cake Recipe | German Homemade Pastry (2024)

Traditional Black Forest Cake – Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

The Traditional Black Forest Cake is called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in Germany.

Ingredients for Shortcrust Pastry for Traditional Black Forest Cake:

• 150 g (5.3 oz) of flour, all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 75 g (2.64 oz) of sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pouch of German vanilla sugarOR 1teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 100 g (3.5 oz) of butter, soft

Preparation of the Shortcrust Pastry:

Mix the flour, cocoa, and baking powder and sift into a bowl. Add sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt and mix again. Spread the soft butter on top and knead with your hands until the shortcrust is smooth. Cut a circle of baking paper to cover the bottom of a springform.Form the shortcrust into a ball and place it in the springform (pan size 10″ or 11″). Spread the crust evenly on the bottom of the form using a pastry roller. Make small holes in the crust with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 185° C (365°F). Place the cake on the middle rack and bake for about 15 minutes. Open the springform and let the cake cool down in the form before you take the ring of the springform off.

Ingredients for Sponge Cake:

• 4 eggs, XL
• 2 tablespoons of water, hot
• 100 g (3.5 oz) of sugar
• 1 pouch of German vanilla sugarOR1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 75 g (2.64 oz) of flour, all-purpose
• 50 g (1.76 oz) of cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1½ teaspoons of baking powder

Preparation of the Sponge Cake:

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites using an egg separator. Mix the egg yolks with the hot water until it’s creamy. Add sugar, your vanilla flavoring of choice and mix until smooth. Beat the egg whites with a handheld mixer until stiff and place the beaten egg whites on top of the egg yolks. Combine the flour, cornstarch, cocoa, cinnamon, and baking powder and sift over the eggs. Using a pastry blender or a large whisk, slowly fold the beaten egg whites and the flour mixture into the batter. Work in circles from the outside in. Do not beat or stir. Pour the batter in a buttered springform, the same size as the one used for the shortcrust cake.

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and place your cake on the middle rack. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Once the cake is done, take your cake out of the pan immediately and let it cool down on a cooling rack.

Ingredients for Cherry Filling:

• 750 g (26.45 oz) of pitted sour cherriesOR1 can/jar of Bing cherries
• 75 g (2.64 oz) of sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons of Cherry Brandy (Kirschwasser)

Preparation of the Cherry Filling:

Pour the cherries in a colander and save the juice from the can in a saucepan underneath. Take 4-6 tablespoons of juice and keep it in a separate cup on the side. Add sugar in the rest of the juice and bring it to a boil. Next, take the saved fruit juice and add the cornstarch. Mix it into the boiling juice to thicken. Add cherry brandy and remove from the stovetop. Before you add the cherries to the juice, set aside 12-16 cherries for decorating the top of the cake or use Maraschino Cherries for the decoration. Let the cherry mixture cool down.

Ingredients for Decoration of the Traditional Black Forest Cake:

• 944 ml (32 oz) of heavy whipping cream
• 4 pouches of “Whip it” whipping cream stabilizer
• 1 pouch of German vanilla sugarOR1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 125 g (4.4 oz) dark chocolateORchocolate sprinkles

Beat the whipping cream and add powdered sugar and “Whip it” to stabilize the cream.

Finishing of the Traditional Black Forest Cake:

Place your shortcrust cake on a plate or on a rotating cake stand. Use half of the cherry filling and spread it on the cake. Use about⅓of the whipped cream and spread it on the top of the cherry filling.

Cut the sponge cake horizontally in half. I usually start by making a small initial cut all around the side of the cake with a knife. After that, I use a thread and place it in the notch around the cake. Cross the thread and pull on both sides until the cake is sliced evenly in half.

Place one-half of the sponge cake on top of the filled shortcrust cake. Spread the rest of the cherry filling on the sponge and⅓of the whipped cream before you place the second half of the sponge cake on top. Spread the rest of the whipped cream on the sides and finally on the top of the cake. Keep some whipped cream on the side for finishing off the top with a decorating tip.

Sprinkle the grated chocolate or the chocolate sprinkles on the sides. Mark the cake on the top to get even slices. You can use either a knife or a cake marker, which is available for 10, 12, 14, or 16 slices to press lines on the top.Use a cake lifter to place the cake on the serving plate before finishing the decorations on top. Place the Black Forest Cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes to harden.

Decorating of the Black Forest Cake

Use adecorating tip to finish the top of the cake with the rest of the whipped cream and the cherries you set aside or Maraschino cherries to your likings. You can easily prepare the cake ahead of time and store it in the freezer. To try the Danube Wave Cake Recipe click here, the German Chocolate Log Cake click here, and the Dresdner Eierschecke click here.