Roasted Hamster

Let's Bake A Cake - From the Black Forest

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte or Black Forest Cherry Cake is one of my husband's favorite cakes. He is German and German cakes, in general, differ greatly from American cakes. First, they are usually sponge cakes (the ones that are decorated), which are light and fluffy, thanks to the addition of a lot of eggs. Second, they frequently have a crust. Third, they often feature fruit. Fourth, the frosting is commonly lightly sweetened whipping cream. Fifth, they are almost always much, much less sweet. Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte is no different. The lightness of the sponge cake is achieved by beating a lot of air into both the egg whites and the egg yolks. Therefore, if you only have a hand mixer, I suggest you recruit help, as total beating time between the two averages about 10 minutes.

What you will need

The last item requires a bit of an explanation. If you purchase a recipe book in Europe or a book with recipes based on European specialties (particularly bread), you will find that they almost exclusively state the quantity in grams and milliliters, rather than the cups and teaspoons and tablespoons we are used to in the States. This is a much more precise way of baking, guaranteeing uniform results, which is particularly important for certain baked goods, like bread and cakes. You can purchase a scale on-line for a relatively small amount of money. You don't need a fancy one. You do, however, need one that measures in grams (the link is to a scale that measures in grams and ounces and it measures up to 15Ib, which I like because I have had issues in the past with measuring bread ingredients on a scale than maxes out at 10Ib). Most manufacturers sell scales that measure in both ounces/pounds and grams so this shouldn't be a problem.

And now for the recipe…

Ingredients

Shortcrust Shell Sponge Base Filling and Frosting Instructions

Shortcrust Shell - Preheat the oven to 430 F or 200 C. Put all of the ingredients for the shell into the food processor and process until thoroughly mixed. If you don't have a food processor, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the butter in small pieces and cut it in with a fork. Once you have a mixture that clumps in pieces about the size of a pea, add the egg yolk and mix it all together with the fork or your hands. Place a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of a springform pan (otherwise you won't be able to get it out and this cake is more easily cut and served from a cake stand or a plate). Put the sides on around it, pulling it tight. I don't bother to cut it into a neat circle because it is easier to get out when there is extra paper on the sides. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan, making sure that it is the same thickness all around. Bake for 10 minutes, then look at it. If it is browned, remove it from the oven and let cool. If not, leave it in for another 5 minutes and check it again. If your oven runs hot or you aren't sure if it does or not, check it at 7 minutes.

Sponge Base - Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C (or turn it down, if it is still on). Combine the egg yolks with the sugar and a little water and beat until light yellow and fluffy. This will take between 5 and 6 minutes on high speed. The desired shade of light yellow is approximately the color of a baby chick. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites, including the one from the shortcrust, until peaks form. This will take between 5 and 6 minutes on high speed. Note: If you are using a stand mixer, transfer the egg yolks into a separate, large bowl, wash the bowl of the mixer, then beat the egg whites. Spoon the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Sprinkle the flour over the top with the grated hazelnuts, salt, cocoa powder and vanilla (if using a bean, cut it in half long-wise and use the tip of the knife to scrape the black vanilla grains into the bowl. You can put the leftover bean into a sealed container of sugar to make vanilla sugar if you want to or you can simply discard or compost it). Combine well. This has to be done with some delicacy so as to not deflate the egg whites. The best way I have found to do this is to use a large spatula and to fold the liquid at the bottom of the bowl over the top again and again until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and there are no more large bits of egg white visible. Line a springform pan with parchment paper as you did with the shortcrust shell and pour the cake batter in and level it off. If you only have one springform pan, you will need to wait 10 or 15 minutes for the shortcrust to cool before taking it out and putting a new piece of parchment in. Bake it for 30 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the cake to test for doneness. If it comes out wet, put it back in for 5 to 10 minutes. If it is dry, the cake is done. Set it aside to cool. It must be completely cool before you add the cherries and the frosting. If you are in a hurry, I suggest that you put it into the refrigerator (wait at least 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven or it will generate humidity when you put it into the refrigerator and become tacky, which will make it harder to frost). Once completely cool, run a knife around the sides of the springform pan and take the sides off and lift the cake off of the base. Don't take it off of the paper yet.

Frosting and Assembly - Take the shortcrust off of the parchment paper and put it into the bottom of the springform pan, then spread the raspberry jelly over it and put the cake on top of it (after taking the parchment paper off). Cut the cake in half (my Mom used to insert toothpicks in the middle of the cake at approximately inch intervals around the outside (she used a ruler to make sure they were all the same height). Then she took floss (don't use mint flavored or your cake will taste like chewing gum) and went over the first toothpick and under the next all around the cake, finally pulling the two ends of the floss tight. This is the best way to cleanly cut the cake so that both halves are flat). Carefully lift the top half off and put it onto a plate and then put the sides back onto the pan. This is important as it prevents you from making a huge mess. Sprinkle half of the Cherry liquor over the bottom cake half. Drain the cherries and spread all but 14 of them onto the cake half (I personally pour them into a sieve when I start making the cake so that as much liquid as possible can drain off).

For the whipping cream - Beat the whipping cream with the Whip It (or the cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture), the vanilla, and some Cherry liquor if you like until it is stiff. Taste it about half-way through and add a tablespoon or two of sugar if you wish but keep in mind that this frosting is not meant to be more than lightly sweetened.

Spread whipping cream over the cherries to cover them and then place the top of the cake on top of it. Put the cut side down. If you don't, you will find frosting the cake a hassle because the crumbs from where you cut it will make chocolate flakes in the frosting. Now, take the sides off of the pan and slide the cake, with crust, onto a flat plate or cake stand (I use the bottom of a tart pan). Sprinkle the top of the cake with the remainder of the Cherry liquor. Frost the sides and top of the cake with all but one to one and a half cups of the remaining whipping cream. Put the remaining whipping cream into a decorating bag fitted with a tip for making rosettes. Pipe 14 rosettes onto the top of the cake and place a cherry on each one. Then sprinkle the chocolate over the top. You can also put it onto the sides. I don't because it doesn't stick well and the end result is a counter-top that is covered in chocolate. For shaving your own chocolate, I recommend the Microplane Professional Series Large Shaver.

The whipping cream will hold its shape because of the Whip It (or the cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture) but keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it just to be on the safe side. Take it out of the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes before serving. You will need a relatively long and sturdy knife to cut through the cake because of its height and because of the crust.

A completed Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. The cherries on top of this are real maraschino cherries from Luxardo (the original maraschino cherry). You can purchase them at some alcohol shops that sell Luxardo Maraschino Liquor (used as a sweetener in many classic cocktails) or online. I like them better than the cherries in water for the decorations because they have a firmer texture and a lovely color.

I made this particular cake for my nieces 1st birthday.