German Chocolate Cake Recipe – German Black Forest Cake
This recipe comes straight from the Kaisersthul region in Germany, an area known to have volcanoes, which is part of the Black Forest (Schwartzwald) region. This cake is rich, with deep chocolate flavour – a very delicious treat known in Germany as “Schwartzwalder Roulade”.
German Chocolate Cake Recipe – Ingredients
Serves 8
- 1 1/2 cans or 650g of Black Cherries, pitted in juice
- 2 tbsp Kirsch Liqueur, or another Cherry Liqueur
Filling
- 1 cups Dark Chocolate (75 % cocoa)
- 2 Large Eggs, yolks and whites separated (keep both)
Cake
- 6 Large Eggs, yolks and whites separated (keep both)
- 2/3 cup Icing Sugar
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder, sifted
Topping
- 1 ¼ cup Double Cream
- melted Dark Chocolate, or Icing Sugar/Cocoa Powder for decoration
German Chocolate Cake Recipe – Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas 4.
- Line a rectangular cake pan that’s 13 x 9 x ½ inch (32 x 23 x 1 cm), with wax paper, cut and folded.
- Drain and discard the juice from the cherries; then place them in a shallow dish, and spoon over the liqueur and set aside.
Filling:
- In a bowl, break the chocolate into pieces and add 2 tablespoons of water. Using the double boiler method, melt the chocolate for 3 minutes, without stirring. Remove the chocolate from the heat and wait for the chocolate to melt before stirring until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, beat 2 egg yolks until frothy and add them to the chocolate and let cool. Once the chocolate has cooled, whisk in the egg whites until soft peaks begin to form, then gently fold them into the chocolate. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour before it is ready to use.
Cake:
- Using an electric whisk, whisk the egg yolks until they begin to thicken. Add the icing sugar and continue to whisk with caution, ensuring that it doesn’t become too thick. Stop whisking when the mixture drips off the whisk in ribbons. Fold in the sifted cocoa powder.
- Using a clean bowl and beaters, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Scoop one large spoonful of the whites and fold it into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, and gently fold in the remaining whites.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 20 minutes, on the middle rack, until it becomes spongy in the center.
- 10. The cake will sink slightly when removed from the oven. Let it cool completely, then dusting a silicone paper with cocoa powder, turn the cake upside-down over that and peel the wax paper off of it.
- 11. Strain the cherries and keep the juice and pour it over the chocolate cake.
- 12. Remove the chocolate filling from the fridge and spread it evenly on the surface of the cake.
- 13. Softly whip the double cream and spread it over the chocolate cake, but leave a 1″ border around the cake to account for its spreading, then lightly top the cake with cherries.
- 14. Roll the cake: take hold of the side of the silicone paper and lift it to bring it over the top of the cake. Don’t worry about any cracks.
- 15. Serve with drizzled chocolate, icing sugar or cocoa powder.
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