This is the often requested celebration cake for family birthdays, holidays, and other events. Adapted from All Tastes German.

• Cake Batter
  • 5 eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract or powder
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 tbsp. corn starch
  • 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• Cherry Filling
  • 1 glass 26 oz. tart/sour cherries (i.e. Morello cherries)
  • ⅔ cup corn starch
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 6 tbsp. Kirschwasser cherry brandy
• Cream Filling/Topping
  • 34 fl.oz. heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 5 pouches whip it cream stabilizer
• To Moisten the Cake Layers (optional)
  • 3.5 fl. oz. Kirschwasser or cherry juice, if you are out of Kirschwasser
• Decoration:
  • 4-6 oz. high quality dark chocolate
  • 14-16 cherries

Cake Layers

1. 1. Grease and flour a 10-inch springform pan and preheat the oven to 350F.
   2. Separate the eggs into two bowls.
   3. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
   4. Beat egg yolks with sugar and vanilla extract until light and creamy.
   5. Place egg yolk mixture onto the egg whites and fold in.
   6. Combine flour, baking powder, corn starch and cocoa powder and sift on top of the egg mixture.
   7. Pour mixture into the springform pan and bake for 20-30 min.
   8. Remove the ring from the springform pan. Turn cake onto a parchment paper lined cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Tip

Place the bowl and the whisk that you will use for whipping the cream into the freezer and chill for about 15 min. before you start the cherry filling.

Cherry Filling

1. Drain cherries and reserve the cherry juice.
2. Mix corn starch and sugar with ¼ cup of the cherry juice.
3. Bring ¾ cup of cherry juice to a boil. Add the corn starch mixture and simmer lightly for a couple of minutes while stirring.
4. Place cheries into a bowl, let cool for a bit and stir in the Kirschwasser.

Cream Filling/Topping

1. Beat heavy cream with sugar, vanilla sugar, and cream stabilizer until stiff peaks form. Preferably you do this in 2-3 batches.

Cake Assembly

1. Cut the cake twice horizontally to get three equal sized cake layers.
2. Place one cake layer into the springform pan.
3. Brush or sprinkle with Kirschwasser. (optional)
4. Top with the cherry filling and ⅓ of the cream filling. Usually Black Forest Cake has only 1 layer of cherry filling.
5. Place the second cake layer on top. Brush or sprinkle with Kirschwasser. (optional)
6. Place about ¾ cup of cream into a piping bag and place into the fridge.
7. Spread half of the remaining cream topping on top of the cake layer.
8. Place remaining cake layer on top. Place cake for about 15-30 min. into the fridge.

Decoration

1. Prepare chocolate shavings
2. Cover cake with cream on top and the sides.
3. Garnish with cream tuffs on top of the cake and place a cherry on each tuff.
4. Cover top and sides with chocolate shavings.