Black Forest Gateau (Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte)

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I'm glad I read the reviews first - corn starch is much different from corn flour! I used 3 - 8" tins to pour the batter into and baked with parchment on the bottom and sides. The first test run cake I made was a little dry, so the second time I made sure to brush the cake liberally with the syrup. I also brushed the syrup on the bottom layer, inverted it and spread the melted chocolate on the dry side. Big difference. I also left 8 of the cherries from the jar to soak a couple of days in the kirsch to put on as a garnish. On the first cake, I ran out of whipped cream, on the second, I had too much left over! Suggest putting whipped cream in a small piping bag first to ensure you have enough to decorate, then layer the cake and frost the sides. This is a do-over and I was never a fan of Black Forest cake until now.

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Some of the language was confusing: wheat flour, corn flour.
I looked up other recipes and found Robert Irvine's recipe called for bread flour. That made better sense. Corn flour was of course corn starch.

On my first practice run the egg started to cook before I got it beaten together with the sugar using a wisk so I switched to a hand mixer. The cake was light and fluffy about 2+ inches tall.

The next day I baked the real birthday cake.This time I beat the egg and sugar together until just blended before putting the bowl over the simmering water. My arm does not hold out on hand wisking for ten minutes so I used my hand mixer on lowest speed. I set the timer for 10 minutes: the temper- ature was only up to 110 degrees F. but I didn't want to over work the eggs so stopped at that point. It's in the oven now and at 20 minutes at 375 F it is not done yet but risen to the top of the pan. I used a 9 " springform with a 3" side.

I enjoyed Schwarzwalder Kirch Torte in a restaurant in Baiersbronn, Germany over 35 years ago. It was a delightful experience which I have never forgotten. It was a chocolate-cherry cake with just enough kirch to enhance the first flavors - not boozy.

Checking the cake every five minutes after 20, it is now 35 minutes and coming out clean. The edges are a little dark but fine. The oven was preheated over 15 minutes and bakes very true. My conclusion is baking time: 30 to 35 minutes.

The practice cake went to a meeting of 50+ women and was enjoyed immensely.

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all other parts went fine, but the cake didn't turn out right. It was very flat and there was no way I could cut three layers out of that.

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My husband and his co-workers, who are all Germans mostly from the southern regions of Germany, are all in love with this cake. My husband lived in the Black Forest for many years and swears that this recipe is authentic as it gets.
A few observations, from my husband and my own experiences baking this cake:
- I've found that the recipe yields a little too much syrup, so I've cut down by half.
- Ideally, one should use bottled, sour cherries in this recipe, but I've found it very very difficult to find the right cherries in my area. So far, canned pie cherries (in light syrup have worked as a decent substitute. Just remember that the cherries shouldn't be sweet or sweetened.
- My husband always complains that the recipe isn't "kirschy" enough for his liking, so I usually add x1.5 the amount of kirsch that the recipe calls for.

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This recipe is fanastic! I learned how to bake by perfecting this recipe. I will say that everyone that eats this cake is desperate for more. I only make it once per year, and that upsets people! A true winner. Finding genuine German cherry brandy is a little tough though (40 bucks per fifth!

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This cake looks difficult to make but it takes only 45 minutes after the sponge cake is ready. I couldn't find bottled cherries so I used canned dark cherries in heavy syrup. You could almost use two cans for filling so you have lots of cherries. Very delicious.

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This recipe is quite easy to follow and the end result is fabulous.