Schwarzwaelderkirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)

Ingredients and preparation

For the shortbread pastry base:

125g (1 1/4 cups) flour

60g (1/4 cup) butter

45g (1/3 cup) powdered sugar

1 egg yolk

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl or on the table. Stretch the mixture over a baking pan -- which should be the same one you use for the sponge cake -- and cook it an oven preheated at 175°C (325 Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes. Then leave to cool.

For the sponge cake:

210g (2 cups) flour
8 eggs

120g (1 cup) sugar
40g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon yeast

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar until it forms peaks. Mix the flour with the cocoa and the yeast. Whisk the yokes until they turn white. Sieve the mixture of flour, cocoa and yeast and add it to the yolks. Take a tin with a diameter of 26 cm (10 in), grease it and sprinkle with flour, or line it with baking paper, before adding the mixture. Put the tin with the mixture into an oven preheated to 150°C (300 Fahrenheit) and cook for 55 minutes.

For the filling:

A jar of cherries, approx. 400g (4 cups)

Three tablespoons cornstarch

Drain the cherries, but keep 1/4 liter (1 cup) of the liquid. Take four spoonfuls of liquid from the 1/4 liter and mix it cold with the cornstarch. Put the rest of the liquid to boil. Once boiling, add the mixture of cherry liquid and cornstarch. Keep the cherries for decoration (about 16 of them).

Cream, jam and chocolate shavings:

1 liter (1/2 cup) cream
5 small packets of gelatine

50g (1/4 cup) cherry jam

50g (1/2 cup) chocolate shavings

15 spoons kirsch (cherry brandy)

Making the cake

Heat the cherry jam. Cut the chocolate sponge horizontally through the middle, or if you want a three layered cake then cut through the sponge twice horizontally.

Spread the cherry jam over the shortbread base and put one of the slices of sponge on top.

Whip the cream with the sugar and the stabilizer. Sprinkle the sponge with kirsch. Spread some of the cream on top and put the mixture of cherries on top. Sprinkle some more drops of kirsch on the cherries and then put the second slice of sponge on top. Spread the rest of the cream over the top and the sides of the cake and decorate with cherries and the chocolate shavings.

Guten Appetit!