Black Forest Gateau

Preparation

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Beat butter and sugar together on high-speed until well mixed.
3. Beat in the eggs one by one, mixing well before adding the next. Mix in vanilla.
4. Sift together flour, cocoa and baking powder, and mix gently the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture until well combined.
5. Grease a 22 cm round cake tin with butter and line the bottom with baking paper.
6. Pour the batter into the tin and smooth the surface.
7. Bake the cake approx. 60 minutes or until baked, and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool completely before cutting it into 3 layers.

Cherry filling

1. Place the cherries in a saucepan with ½ of the water, sugar and lemon juice.
2. Cook at low to medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Mix the remaining water with corn starch and add it to the cherries.
4. Continue to cook at low heat while stirring – the mixture will thicken and look glossy.
5. It has the right texture when it clearly coats the back of a wooden spoon.
6. Remove from heat and add cherry liqueur to taste.
7. Let the cherry sauce cool completely before assembling the cake.

Italian vanilla buttercream

1. Mix egg whites, sugar, and vanilla seeds in a metal bowl over simmering water.
2. Whisk constantly to dissolve the sugar until the mixture reaches 70°C. Use a thermometer for correct temperature.
3. Pour the mixture into another bowl and whisk on high-speed until the mixture cools down to room temperature. It needs to be cool enough for the butter to be added without melting.
4. Gradually add cold butter cubes while whisking on medium speed.
5. Add the salt and whisk until the buttercream is smooth, light and fluffy.

Assembling the cake

1. Place a cake layer on a serving plate.
2. Spoon on a liberal amount of cherry liquor to moisten the cake.
3. Spread out evenly a 1/3 of the buttercream and top with ½ of the cherry filling.
4. Place a second cake layer on top and repeat the process with cherry liquor, buttercream and cherry filling.
5. Place a third and final cake layer on top and gently press down to make the cake stable.
6. Decorate the top with the remaining buttercream and fresh cherries.

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The traditional black forest cake – black forest gâteau

How does spongy chocolate cake, lovely cherry filling, Italian vanilla buttercream, and fresh cherries sound to you? Delicious, right?

The Black Forest Gâteau or Black Forest Cake is a delicious chocolate sponge cake with cherry filling. It has its origin in Germany and the German dessert Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.

How to make a black forest cake at home?

We have made an easy recipe for homemade black forest cake. The cake looks advanced, but do not let that trick you into thinking that you cannot make a lovely black forest cake at home.

It takes some time, but the different steps are not very complicated.

As for many other popular cakes and desserts, the black forest gâteau has seen a wide range of updates and interpretations through its history. If you are into tradition, just follow our black forest cake recipe slavishly. However, if you like to experiment and add your own touch there are several chances in this cake.

Strictly speaking, it is not possible to make black forest cake without cherries as the characteristic berries is a main ingredient and the basis of the traditional cake. However, we all have free will and you can replace the cherries with, for example, strawberries if you prefer.

You can also make a mini version of the black forest gateau. Instead of a big mould, bake the tiers in smaller moulds or cut out the baked chocolate cake to smaller ones. These mini black forest gâteaux will definitely impress your friends and family when arranged on plates and served individually – maybe with different decoration.

Frosting for black forest cake

Our black forest cake is made with a soft Italian vanilla buttercream. We use Lurpak® unsalted butter to achieve a rich flavour and a perfectly smooth texture.

You can also make black forest cake with buttercream frosting of your own choice. Add another flavour or replace the vanilla buttercream with whipped cream – for example with small pieces of strawberry in.

Decorating a black forest cake

Apart from the sinful taste, the decoration of your black forest cake is the best part. The Internet is filed with decoration ideas and you can just let your imagination run free to create a beautiful cake that matches your occasion and preferences.

This three-tier black forest cake will amaze your guests regardless of whether you choose to go all-in on decoration or you aim for a simple design with a few cherries on top.

Black forest cake for birthday

Black forest cake is a perfect birthday cake as it can easily be modified to match the preferences of the birthday boy or girl. You can change the design remarkably by adding icing colour to the vanilla buttercream. In a split second you can create a different atmosphere without having to rethink the whole cake.

Black forest wedding cake

This well-reputed cake is also a classic in the wedding world. As mentioned previously, who does not love a spongy chocolate cake with soft Italian vanilla buttercream? Classic flavours to make most people happy.

If you want a black forest wedding cake you can, of course, modify it so the flavours and the decoration suit you perfectly.