Black Forest Cake

The Black Forest Cake is a popular dessert across the world. In India, almost every bakery and pastry shop will have a Black Forest option. There are myriad recipes, even eggless ones, to make the creamy, gothic-looking dessert. An eggless recipe lays out the basic ingredients for the cake, including flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, sugar, milk, oil, vanilla extract, vinegar; whipping cream and powdered sugar for the frosting; and cherries and a chocolate bar for the decoration. Known for its layers and the iconic chocolate shavings, it's instantly recognisable to anyone.

The cake has origins in Germany, with the name being inspired by the Black Forest mountain range in the country, which is well known for its sour cherries and kirschwasser (brandy made from distilled cherries). Another theory is that instead of the forest, the cake gets its name from the bollenhut (ball hat) costumes worn by women in villages adjoining the Black Forest. The red pom-poms on the bollenhut, along with the white brim, are symbols of the Forest and seemingly inspired the Black Forest Cake’s top layer.

Confectioner Josef Keller claimed to have invented the cake in 1915 at Bad Godesberg’s Cafe Agner. This has never been confirmed.

On 16 July, 2006, a record was set for the world’s largest Black Forest gâteau at Germany’s Europa Park by the K&U Bakery. Almost 860 square-feet and weighing 3,000 kilograms, it used 700 litres of cream, 5,600 eggs, 800 kilograms of cherries, 40 kilograms of chocolate shavings, and 120 litres of kirsch.