Black Forest cake facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Black Forest gâteau |
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| Place of origin | Germany |
| Main ingredients | Chocolate cake, cherries, whipped cream, maraschino cherry |
The Black Forest Cake, also called the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, is an authentic German cake is made up of a chocolate layer cake with cherries in the middle and whipped cream on top. They are traditionally made with fresh Morello cherries, poached in a sugar syrup and pitted. It is a variation of the chocolate cake, and sometimes decorated with chocolate curls.
History
The dessert is not directly named after the Black Forest mountain range in south-western Germany but rather from the speciality liquor of that region, known as Schwarzwälder Kirsch(wasser) and distilled from tart cherries. This is the ingredient, with its distinctive cherry pit flavour and alcoholic content, that gives the dessert its flavour. Cherries, cream, and Kirschwasser were first combined in the form of a dessert in which cooked cherries were served with cream and Kirschwasser, while a cake combining cherries, cookies / biscuits and cream (but without Kirschwasser) probably originated in Germany.
Records
The record for the world's largest authentic Black Forest gâteau was set at Europa Park, Germany on 16 July 2006, by K&U Bakery. Measuring nearly 80 m² and weighing 3,000 kg, the cake, which was 10 m in diameter, used up 700 litres of cream, 5,600 eggs, 800 kg of cherries, 40 kg of chocolate shavings, and 120 litres of kirsch. 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 in Singapore. The 500-kg cake was made from 165 litres of cream, 1,500 eggs, 68 kg of cherries, 60 kg of chocolate shavings, and 10 litres of kirsch.
Swedish "Black Forest cake"
A Swedish cake called Schwarzwaldtårta is related to the traditional Black Forest gâteau only by name. It consists of layers of meringue with whipped cream in between. The whole cake is also covered with whipped cream and decorated with chocolate.
Gallery
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A Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte
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Cherry Black Forest Cake
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Another Black Forest Cake
See also
In Spanish: Pastel de la Selva Negra para niños
