Authentic Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte Recipe Black Forest, Germany

For the crunchy biscuit base, whisk honey and the egg in a large bowl while adding to it sifted icing sugar, flour, milk, baking powder, and salt. Incorporate the previously melted butter last. Transfer the batter into a tin lined with baking paper making sure that it’s 3-4mm (1/8-inch) thick. Place the tin in the oven preheated to 200°C/400°F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take it out and cut the base into three pieces, then place them back in the oven at 100°C/210°F for 30 minutes.

To make the aerated chocolate you’ll need a vacuum cleaner, vacuum bags and a plastic container with a small hole in the lid, as well as the whipped cream siphon. Ensure that the ingredients and the equipment are warm so that the chocolate aerates properly; keep the siphon in a pan of boiling water. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the groundnut oil into the melted chocolate. Quickly transfer the chocolate into the siphon and charge it three times and then shake. Cover the base of a 2.6-liter (2.7 qt) plastic container with chocolate, place the lid on top, and transfer the container to a vacuum bag. Position the valve over the hole on top of the lid and using a vacuum cleaner suck the air out of the bag. When the chocolate has risen, and it’s bubbly throughout, quickly close the valve; place in the fridge to set.

For the flourless chocolate sponge, first, beat egg yolks with sugar for about 10 minutes until creamy and light. Whisk egg whites separately until they form peaks, add to it sugar, then mix on low speed for another 10 minutes. Add cocoa powder to the egg yolk mix, combine, and then incorporate the melted chocolate. Now, add to the chocolate mixture one spoonful of meringue to make it less dense. Transfer the rest of the meringue into the chocolate mix and gently fold so that the air is not lost. Spoon the mixture into a baking tin, place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F. When cooled cut into three pieces.

For the kirsch cream, mix the egg yolks with sugar and stir into it hot milk, then transfer the mixture into a pan and cook it over low to medium heat. Continue stirring for 5-10 minutes or until 82°C/180°F. Transfer the cooked cream into a separate bowl and then place it in a bowl of ice water to prevent it from cooking any further. Soften the gelatin and add it to the warm cream stirring until it dissolves. Beat whipped cream until pourable, then combine with the egg yolk cream and kirsch. Transfer the kirsch cream to a baking tin and place it in the refrigerator to set.

Preparing chocolate mousse is the same as the kirsch cream except add a pinch of salt and chocolate melted in a bain-marie instead of kirsch.

For the chocolate ganache, warm butter, chocolate and whipping cream until melted while continuously whisking, then once smooth, transfer into a piping bag and leave in the refrigerator to firm up a bit.

To assemble the cake, cover the biscuit base with apricot glaze and top with aerated chocolate. Layer the ganache on each side with cherries in the middle. Right before layering, moisten the flourless chocolate sponge with a mixture of syrup from the sour cherries and kirsch and then place it on top of the previous layers. The next layer is the kirsch cream, followed by the chocolate mousse layer. Firm up the assembled cake in the freezer, that way the cake will be easier to cut. Once frozen, to get the perfect rectangle-shaped cake, trim the edges. Scoop eight holes in the top mousse layer that will later hold the decorative cherries and place the cake once again in the freezer.

The last step is decorating the cake. Melt the chocolate with groundnut oil as for the aerated chocolate. Fill the paint gun with the melted chocolate and cover the cake with a cardboard box, as that way you will not spray all over your kitchen, and then spray over the well frozen cake.

To make cherries look more authentic, make the stems. Cut the vanilla pods lengthwise, twist the ends, and then dry them. Just before serving, make small holes in the indentations of the mouse layer and pour into them some syrup from the cherries. Place cherries in the indentations on the cake and vanilla pods in the holes of the cherries. Place the finished gateau on a tray – an edible wood tray originally – and sprinkle each side of the cake with grated chocolate.

The chocolate sponge and kirsch cream can be prepared a month in advance and kept in the freezer. Aerated chocolate can also be made in advance and kept in a freezer if properly sealed. If placed in an airtight container, the crunchy biscuit base can be made a week in advance.