Last week, out of the blue, my wife decided to make a Black Forest Gateau.
She does brilliant things like this a lot. And I did absolutely nothing to stop her. I was already licking my lips. It is one of the true classics of cake-making, and although it’s not half as ubiquitous as it was in the 1970s perhaps, it’s still one of the best cakes in the world.
Like all great dishes, it transcends being merely a cake. It’s probably the cake we’d draw if we had a set of crayons and a sheet of blank paper. It is woven into the fabric of our society in many ways – it’s the punchline to jokes, it’s used disparagingly as reviewer’s shorthand when one wants to describe a rather dull restaurant, along with its cousin the prawn cocktail. Rather unfairly, in my opinion. A good prawn cocktail is a thing of beauty, a clash of fresh flavours and textures. We should revisit this other heavyweight of 70s cuisine at some point.
The Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, to give it its full kennel name, has rather obscure origins. Some say it was created in 1915 at the famous Café Agner in Bad Godesberg, near Bonn. Hundreds of miles away from the Black Forest itself, but plausible nonetheless. Personally, I’m of the opinion that it, like many recipes, was born out of necessity and desperation. The cake is finished with a liberal dousing of Kirsch, and I reckon that our resourceful German patissier had to knock up a special cake in a hurry, and ‘refreshed’ a slightly stale chocolate sponge with some cherry spirit, and lashings of whipped cream.
Whatever its origin, the finished cake is a magical combination of rich, dark chocolate cake, juicy cherries, a splash of booze and cold, rich whipped cream. It is the perfect cake for the afternoon slice, to be served in the proper manner, on tiny plates with cake forks and a china cup of strong coffee. The Germans have a fantastic word, ‘Kaffeeklatsch’, which has no direct translation, but means any informal gathering with cake and conversation. I like that.
I know we’re all insanely busy these days, but we should try to revive the art of coffee mornings, and of course the sun must never be allowed to set on the classic afternoon tea. So here’s the perfect Kaffeeklatsch cake for you. Ring up a few friends, get out the good china, and bake your way back into the mists of time!
For this recipe I used a specific type of preserved cherry, the Amarena, made by an Italian confiserie called Fabbri. They come in beautiful painted jars, and can be found in select delicatessens. If you want to buy the large tins, which are a whopping 4kg, they can be found at the Vivaldi cash and carry on Leeds Road.
80g bitter chocolate (at least 80% cocoa)
75g unrefined caster sugar
100g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
175g self-raising flour
25g good-quality cocoa
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
150ml fresh whole milk
700g preserved black cherries in syrup
3-5 tbsps kirsch (or cherry brandy if necessary)
400ml fresh whipping cream
A few tablespoons dark or white chocolate shavings
A good-quality 8-inch cake tin (preferably non-stick and with a removable base)
Preheat your oven to Gas 3 / 325°F / 170° C. Butter and line an 8-inch cake tin with greaseproof paper, or better still, use the non-stick one I mentioned above. Gently melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup, then add the chocolate and allow to melt completely. Remove from the heat and allow to cool but not solidify. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl, and using an electric mixer slowly beat in the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs and milk slowly, and beat the whole mixture until it becomes thick and fluffy. Spoon gently into the tin, smooth the surface and bake for 30-40 minutes until firm and bouncy. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes.
Strain the cherries from the syrup, and measure a few tablespoons of the syrup into a small bowl. Add Kirsch to the syrup to make a pourable liquid.
With a serrated bread or cake knife, carefully cut the cake into three discs. I find that constantly turning the cake and sawing gently works well. Sprinkle the kirsch syrup over the three discs and allow to soak in.
Whip the cream to a firm peak, and spread almost all of the cream evenly over two of the three discs of cake. The topmost slice should have only a thin covering of cream, to allow the chocolate shavings to stay in place. Divide the cherries between the two well-covered discs, leaving a few for garnish. Carefully stack up the cake, and sprinkle the chocolate shavings all over the top, adding the reserved cherries. Transfer to a smart cake plate and serve as soon as possible.
