Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte
Layers of chocolate sponge soaked in cherry kirsch, whipped cream, and morello cherries, the famous Black Forest gateau.
German · advanced · serves 12
prep 45 min · cook 30 min
~593 cal · 8g protein · 79g carbs · 28g fat · 3g fiber · 59g sugars · 17g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, Black Forest cherry cake, takes its name and its spirit from the Black Forest region, home of both the sour morello cherry and kirschwasser, the clear cherry brandy that is its defining flavour. The cake as we know it took shape in the early twentieth century.
It layers chocolate sponge with whipped cream and cherries, each layer brushed generously with kirsch, then coats the whole in more cream and a snowfall of chocolate shavings. Whole cherries crown the top. By German law, a cake sold under the name must contain the kirsch.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 12
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
6 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups morello cherries in syrup
Hard to find? any jarred pitted sour cherries in syrup - tinned sweet cherries work with a squeeze of lemon, but the sour cherry is the true Black Forest flavour
1/3 cup kirsch (cherry brandy)
4 oz dark chocolate, shaved
Instructions
1
Whisk the eggs and sugar to a thick ribbon, fold in the flour and cocoa, and bake as a sponge at 350F (180C); cool and split into three layers.
2
Whip the cream to soft peaks, and drain the cherries, keeping the syrup.
3
Brush each sponge layer with kirsch mixed into the cherry syrup.
✎ Chef’s note
Soak the layers generously. A dry Black Forest sponge is a sad thing; the kirsch syrup is what makes it sing.
4
Stack the layers with cream and cherries, then coat the whole cake in cream.
5
Press chocolate shavings over the sides and top, and crown with whole cherries.
Black Forest baking tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Swabia. Both signature dishes hold protected EU names. Schwabische Spatzle and Schwabische Maultaschen were registered in 2012 and 2009, and the specification treats the hand-scraping of the batter from a wooden board as the quality marker rather than a picturesque detail. The tradition is documented back to at least 1725.
🗺️
Germany. Beyond beer halls, Germany is a land of serious regional home cooking, Swabian spätzle, Bavarian roasts, northern fish, and an unmatched bread and sausage culture. Hearty, seasonal, and built for cold winters, it prizes pork, potatoes, cabbage, and cured meats.
🌍
Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Germany
KäsespätzleFresh egg noodles scraped into boiling water, layered with alpine cheese and buried in crispy onions.
Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)The German pork schnitzel: a thin cutlet pounded flat, breaded in a loose golden crust, and fried until crisp, served with a wedge of lemon.
RinderrouladenThin beef rolled around mustard, bacon, onion, and pickle, braised into a deep gravy, Sunday dinner across Germany.
Browse all Germany recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven, Whisk.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
Make it a Germany meal
Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)Dinner
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Cuisine
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Frequently asked questions
What is Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte?
Layers of chocolate sponge soaked in cherry kirsch, whipped cream, and morello cherries, the famous Black Forest gateau.
Where does Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte come from?
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte is a German dish from Swabia, Germany.
Can Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte take to make?
About 75 minutes total (45 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 12.
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