Origin of the Black Forest Gateau

I’ve been lucky enough to go on a river cruise along the mighty Rhine and enjoy the spectacular views of the beautiful European countryside. The river gets its name from the Celtic word renos which means “raging flood” but fortunately, the weather was mild enough and there was not even a trace of a flood. The cruise started in the Netherlands but my favourite part was when we got to the Alsace region – Germany on one side of the river, France on the other.

We disembarked in the little village Breisach and went on a tour through the forests of Germany’s Shwarzwald, the fabled Black Forest. Our local tour guide told us that no one really knows the origin of the forest name. Some people assume it’s because the forest consists mostly of conifer trees and they are much darker green. Other people think that the enchanted forest is so dense that hardly any light can reach the ground. Whatever the reason, the mythical emanation of the Black Forest has inspired many authors to write dark tales and enthralling stories that capture our imagination.

I believe you already have a hunch who I am talking about… the famous German brothers Grimm. So if you have ever wondered why there is a dark enchanted forest in “Snow White”, “Hansel and Gretel”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Rapunzel”, “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Rumpelstiltskin”, now you know why.

But let’s go back to our tour where we stopped at the beautiful Hofgut Sternen Hotel – a loyal keeper of Black Forest traditions. We attended a demonstration of cuckoo clocks, glassblowing and learned how to make Black Forest Cake for which this region is known. That’s right, right from the source!

The First Black Forest Gateau

The first cake was created by Josef Keller in 1915 and at the time it was called “Schwarzwaelder Kirsch”, or “Black Forest Cherry”. After his time in the military, he opened his own café in Radolfzell. Josef gave his friend and colleague August Schaefer his recipe book which contained the original recipe, which later on he passed to his son. And thus we can all enjoy this chocolatey goodness today. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 600 ml whipping cream
• 440 g fresh black cherries or canned cherries
• 440 g brown sugar
• 375 g all-purpose flour
• 375 ml hot water
• 250 g butter
• 200 g dark chocolate
• 60 ml cherry liqueur
• 2 eggs
• 25 g cocoa
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tbsp. instant coffee
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence

For Black Forest Cake decoration (optional):

• grated chocolate or chocolate sprinkles
• fresh cherries

Preparation:

1. Line a round baking tin with parchment paper.
2. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. 
5. Stir in the chocolate, coffee and sugar until incorporated. Don’t let it boil.
6. Pour the mixture into a big bowl and leave it aside to cool a little bit but not until completely cool.
7. Preheat the oven to 170° C.
8. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl until fluffy.
9. Once the chocolate mixture is nicely warm, mix it on low speed.
10. Gradually add the flour mixture while beating.
11. Mix in the whisked eggs and vanilla. 
12. Pour the chocolate batter into the baking tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes.
13. Leave it to cool for a few minutes in the baking tin then transfer onto a cooling rack until completely cool. 
14. Cut three equal sized layers and remove all uneven surfaces.
15. Prepare a serving plate or a cake stand and place the first chocolate layer. Using a teaspoon sprinkle 20 ml of the cherry liqueur on top.
16. Whip the cream until fluffy peaks form and divide it into three equal parts.
17. Pour one part of the whipped cream over the chocolate layer and smear it. Place half of the cherries on top. 
18. Place the second layer of the cake and repeat the procedure – cherry liqueur, whipped cream, cherries.
19. Top with the last layer and cover with the last third of the whipped cream.
20. Decorate with grated chocolate and fresh cherries and leave in the fridge to cool for at least 6 hours, overnight is even better.

Bon appetit!

Tip: If you want to make a smaller cake, you can use half of the ingredients and bake the layers in a 18 cm baking tin. The Black Forest Cake on the pictures is smaller and 3 of us managed to eat it in 3 days.

The racipe is adapted from the cookbook Schokolade – Ein süsses Stück vom Glück; www.weltbild.de