| Black Forest gateau | |
| Alternate Name: | Black Forest cake (United States) |
| Country: | Germany |
| Creator: | Josef Keller (contested)[1] |
| Main Ingredient: | Chocolate cake, cherries, whipped cream, Kirschwasser |
Black Forest gateau, sometimes spelled gâteau (German: (pronounced as /de/), literally "Black Forest cherry torte") and called Black Forest cake in the United States, is layer cake consisting of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream and cherry fillings and toppings. While it is most likely based on a Black Forest dessert tradition, the cake's specific origin in Germany is contested.
Typically, Black Forest gateau consists of several layers of chocolate sponge cake sandwiched with whipped cream and cherries. It is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings. Traditionally Kirschwasser, a clear alcoholic spirit made from sour cherries, is added to the cake. Other spirits are sometimes used, such as rum, which is common in Austrian recipes. German law mandates that any dessert labelled must have Kirschwasser.[2]
The origin of the cake's name is unclear. The confectioner (1887–1981) claimed to have invented in its present form in 1915 at the prominent Café Agner in Bad Godesberg, now a suburb of Bonn and actually some north of the Black Forest. The claim, however, has never been substantiated.[3] Centuries ago, cherries, cream, and Kirschwasser were combined in the form of a dessert in which cooked cherries were served with cream and Kirschwasser. This tradition originated in the Black Forest region of southwestern Germany, known for its many cherry groves.[4]
The Tübingen city archivist Udo Rauch names the Tübingen master confectioner Erwin Hildenbrand of Tubingen's Café Walz as the dessert's "inventor", dating its creation to spring 1930.[5] The city, not usually associated with the Black Forest, nonetheless belonged to the Black Forest district from 1818 to 1924. Given that Keller's initial recipe was not identical to the most popular interpretations of the cake, being instead a simpler version, it could be speculated that both confectioners influenced its creation.
was first mentioned in writing in 1934.[6] At the time, it was particularly associated with Berlin but was also available from higher-end confectioners in other German, Austrian, and Swiss cities. In 1949, Black Forest gateau took 13th place in a comprehensive list of well-known German cakes.[7] The 2007 video game Portal references a Black Forest cake, inspiring an internet meme.[8] [9]
The record for the world's largest authentic Black Forest gateau was set at Europa Park, Germany, on 16 July 2006, by K&U Bakery.[10] [11] Measuring nearly 80m2 and weighing 3000kg (7,000lb), the cake, which was 10metres in diameter, used up 700L of cream, 5,600 eggs, 800kg (1,800lb) of cherries, 40kg (90lb) of chocolate shavings, and 120L of kirsch.[12] On 9 December 2012, a team led by chefs Jörg Mink and Julien Bompard made Asia's biggest Black Forest cake at the S-One Expo[13] in Singapore. The 500kg (1,100lb) cake was made from 165L of cream, 1,500 eggs, 68kg (150lb), 60kg (130lb) of chocolate shavings, and 10L of kirsch.[14]
The cake is popular around the world more so than in Germany itself, where it is often considered uninteresting or old-fashioned. The recipe was exported from Germany through cultural exchange and emigration prior to and following World War II. The alcohol in the kirsch helped the cake keep better in warmer climates, and its ingredients could be easily adapted by different cultures—swapping the cherries for a local fruit or omitting the alcohol in Muslim countries, for example. The cake's popularity in some parts of the world has occasionally led chefs and bakers to believe that the dessert is of local origin.[15] A Swedish cake called is related to the traditional Black Forest gateau only by name; it contains no cherries at all but consists of meringue layers and hazelnuts covered by whipped cream and decorated with thin dark chocolate and cocoa powder.[16]