Black Forest Gâteau Recipe: How to Make the Chocolate Cake

Black Forest gâteau is a multilayered chocolate cake that pairs chocolate sponge with whipped cream frosting, cherries, and often kirschwasser, a colorless brandy distilled from sour or tart cherries. You can elaborately decorate it with more whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and cherries.

This rich layer cake originated in Germany, where baker Josef Keller claimed to first create it in 1915. Its name may derive from the kirschwasser used to flavor the cake, known as Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser in the Black Forest region of Germany near Bonn. Others believe the name of the cake comes from the traditional outfit worn by women in that region, which included a hat covered with red pom-poms that looked like cherries.

A Black Forest gâteau usually has four layers of chocolate sponge cake, which you can brush with kirschwasser. Often, the whipped cream used between layers and as frosting features hints of kirschwasser. Some recipes replace the kirschwasser with rum—commonly how it’s done Austria. However, in Germany, any cake called a "Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte” (which translates to "Black Forest cherry cake”) must use kirschwasser.

The primary difference between Black Forest gâteau and Black Forest cake is the country where it’s baked. The word "gâteau," French for "cake," is commonly used throughout Europe to describe a layered cake with frosting between the layers.

People in the United States generally use the word "cake.” In the United States, some bakers make variations on the Black Forest cake that don't include kirsch or any other liquor.

You can simplify the cake decorating process. Simply follow these tips:

1. 1. Assemble the cake on two sheets of parchment paper. Place them on top of the cake stand or platter you plan to serve on. That way, you don't have to transfer the cake after you've decorated it.
2. 2. Start from the top. First, decorate by smoothing about one-third of your whipped cream on the top of the cake.
3. 3. Cover the sides. From there, spread the whipped cream around the sides using a spatula until the cake is completely covered.
4. 4. Use chocolate. Many people decorate the sides of the cake with grated chocolate, using a spoon to press the chocolate shavings gently into the whipped cream. You can also decorate the sides with chocolate bark—tall shards of dark chocolate that reach the top of the gâteau.
5. 5. Pipe swirls of whipped cream. Once you decorate the sides, use a piping bag to pipe swirls of whipped cream around the cake's rim. Add more grated dark chocolate to the center of the gâteau's top.
6. 6. Top with cherries. As a finishing touch, put a single cherry on top of each of the whipped cream swirls. Use whole pitted cherries that still have their stem attached, sour cherries, or maraschino cherries. Refrigerate the gâteau until you're ready to serve.

Black Forest cake recipes require quite a few steps. Here are four tips to keep in mind to make the process easier:

1. 1. Keep the ingredients cool. Chill all the ingredients for the whipped cream before you start to whip. Put your whisk and bowl in the freezer for extra chill.
2. 2. Decide on the cherries you’ll use. Use preserved cherries (such as sour cherries, Morello cherries, or canned cherries) for the filling. Fresh cherries or even maraschino cherries are best for decoration.
3. 3. Use specialized gloves. Wear food-service gloves when handling the chocolate bark or chocolate shavings for the side of the cake, so your body heat doesn't turn your decorations into melted chocolate.
4. 4. Substitute alcoholic content. If you don't want any alcoholic content in your cake, replace the kirschwasser with a non-alcoholic cherry liqueur or cherry syrup.