Chocolate and Cherry Cake

17/11/2023

The chocolate and cherry cake, also known as “Black Forest” or in German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, is a classic pastry that originates from the Black Forest region in Germany. However, I will propose a version with an Italian twist. Here is the recipe for an Italian-style chocolate and cherry cake:

Ingredients

150 g of type 00 flour
30 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
200 g of sugar
4 eggs
100 g of soft butter
1 packet of baking powder
1 pinch of salt
300 g of pitted cherries (you can also use cherries in syrup if it’s not the season)
Rum or maraschino to flavor the cherries (optional)
Icing sugar for decoration (optional)

For the cream:

250 ml of fresh cream for whipping
2 tablespoons of icing sugar
100 g of dark chocolate, grated or in flakes

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180 °C and butter and flour a cake pan about 24 cm in diameter.
In a bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until you have a frothy and clear mixture.
Add the soft butter to the egg and sugar mixture and mix gently.
Incorporate the dry ingredients (the flour and cocoa mixture) into the wet mixture, mixing gently to not deflate it.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the cherries on top, pressing them slightly into the batter.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold it and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
In the meantime, whip the cream with the icing sugar until it becomes firm.
When the cake is cold, spread the whipped cream on top and decorate with the grated chocolate or flakes.
If you wish, you can sprinkle the cake with icing sugar before serving.

An Italian touch can also be given by macerating the cherries in a bit of rum or maraschino before adding them to the batter, to enhance the flavor and add a light liqueur aroma.

Curiosity

The original Black Forest chocolate and cherry cake requires the use of a cherry brandy called Kirschwasser, which contributes to giving the dessert its characteristic flavor. The Italian version focuses on a simpler tasting of the basic flavors, often letting the chocolate and fruit speak for themselves.