Some 20 years ago my mum visited Germany with her friends and returned and told us how she was amazed by the place Blackforest. Isn't that a cake? I asked. Little did I know it is a famous place in Germany. The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is a wooded mountain in Baden-Wurttemberg Southwestern Germany. Because of the dense growth of conifers blocking out mast of lights, it is yes, you guessed it right, hence the dark dark black forest. And I was told the name Blackforest Cake is really not named after the forest but rather the Kirschwasser the region specialty, the clear liquor distilled from tart cherry.
It is cherry season now over here and I happen to know a DH friend who resides in Germany. And someone who could whip anything up good and divine in the kitchen. So I asked Lianne ( DH Germany) about cherries and Germany. Here is what she wrote :
Better late than never. A saying I hold dearly whenever I procrastinate doing something I´ve been wanting to do but never got around doing it. For this, I really have to thank DH Almere for giving me this opporturnity to feature ´The making of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte or Blackforest Cake` as how it is
known internationally here. Without this invite, I would not have known how good this cake taste. I would not know how much work goes into making them too. And without this invite, I would not have known that there is so much to know about whipping a simple cream till stiff during summer season! And importantly, I felt as though I am connecting a bit more to my other half, whom is a German and hopefully is proud of me now that I had finally
attempted it 
So yes, one more time .. thanks Yueky for the invite!
Lets start with the recipe itself. There is a whole lot of Blackforest Cake recipes on the internet I must say, but I chose a recipe from one of hubby´s old German cookbook. It is a handwritten recipe, the format is very different from what I am accustome too and there are a few pointers to why I felt it is authentically German or all Blackforest Cake out there
a) The recipe calls for Kirschwasser, or Cherry Alcohol in the cake so, this cake as how I´ve come to know is actually meant to be for adult consumption only.
b) The recipe calls for Schattenmorellen. It is a bottled Morello Cherry and do look out for those produced in the region of Blackforest, Germany.
c) The pan size in this recipe is typical German cake size of 28cm wide. It is not as high as what you´ve come across in many bakeries in town. The real German cakes are much shorter but wider in diameter.
So, lets begin with the recipe and method
Recipe and photo courtesy of Lianne.
Thank you Lianne, who had worked through the density of conifers of procrastination and paved the way to the brighter side of the forest for me. Hahaha, I never knew so much was required for this Blackforest Cake. Now, knowing more about it, I came to appreciate this cake more than ever when I eat it. Divine good! Cherry mood cherry good!
:)
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