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Black Forest gateau
Alternative names	Black Forest cake (United States)
Place of origin	Germany
Created by	Josef Keller (contested)
Main ingredients	Chocolate cake, cherries, whipped cream, Kirschwasser
	Cookbook: Black Forest gateau; Media: Black Forest gateau;

Black Forest gateau, sometimes spelled gâteau (German: Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (pronounced [ˈʃvaʁt͡svɛldɐ ˈkɪʁʃˌtɔʁtə] ^ⓘ), literally "Black Forest cherry torte") and called Black Forest cake in the United States, is layer cake consisting of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream and cherry fillings and toppings. While it is most likely based on a Black Forest dessert tradition, the cake's specific origin in Germany is contested.

Typically, Black Forest gateau consists of several layers of chocolate sponge cake sandwiched with whipped cream and cherries. It is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings. Traditionally Kirschwasser, a clear alcoholic spirit made from sour cherries, is added to the cake.^[2] Other spirits are sometimes used, such as rum, which is common in Austrian recipes. German law mandates that any dessert labelled Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte must have Kirschwasser.^[3]

History

The origin of the cake's name is unclear. The confectioner Josef Keller [de] (1887–1981) claimed to have invented Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in its present form in 1915 at the prominent Café Agner in Bad Godesberg, now a suburb of Bonn and actually some 300 km (190 mi) north of the Black Forest. The claim, however, has never been substantiated.^[4] Centuries ago, cherries, cream, and Kirschwasser were combined in the form of a dessert in which cooked cherries were served with cream and Kirschwasser. This tradition originated in the Black Forest region of southwestern Germany, known for its many cherry groves.^[5]

The Tübingen city archivist Udo Rauch names the Tübingen master confectioner Erwin Hildenbrand of Tubingen's Café Walz as the dessert's "inventor", dating its creation to spring 1930.^[6] The city, not usually associated with the Black Forest, nonetheless belonged to the Black Forest district from 1818 to 1924. Given that Keller's initial recipe was not identical to the most popular interpretations of the cake, being instead a simpler version, it could be speculated that both confectioners influenced its creation.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte was first mentioned in writing in 1934.^[7]^[2] At the time, it was particularly associated with Berlin but was also available from higher-end confectioners in other German, Austrian, and Swiss cities. In 1949, Black Forest gateau took 13th place in a comprehensive list of well-known German cakes.^[2] The 2007 video game Portal references a Black Forest cake, inspiring an internet meme.^[8]^[9]

Records

The record for the world's largest authentic Black Forest gateau was set at Europa Park, Germany, on 16 July 2006, by K&U Bakery.^[10]^[11] Measuring nearly 80 m² (860 sq ft) and weighing 3,000 kg (6,600 lb), the cake, which was 10 m (33 ft) in diameter, used up 700 L (180 US gal; 150 imp gal) of cream, 5,600 eggs, 800 kg (1,800 lb) of cherries, 40 kg (88 lb) of chocolate shavings, and 120 L (32 US gal; 26 imp gal) of kirsch.^[12] 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^[13] in Singapore. The 500 kg (1,100 lb) cake was made from 165 L (44 US gal; 36 imp gal) of cream, 1,500 eggs, 68 kg (150 lb), 60 kg (130 lb) of chocolate shavings, and 10 L (21 US pt; 18 imp pt) of kirsch.^[14]

Regional variations

The recipe was exported from Germany through cultural exchange and emigration prior to and following World War II. The alcohol in the kirsch helped the cake keep better in warmer climates, and its ingredients could be easily adapted by different cultures—swapping the cherries for a local fruit or omitting the alcohol in Muslim countries, for example. The cake's popularity in some parts of the world has occasionally led chefs and bakers to believe that the dessert is of local origin.^[15] A Swedish cake called Schwarzwaldtårta is related to the traditional Black Forest gateau only by name; it contains no cherries at all but consists of meringue layers and hazelnuts covered by whipped cream and decorated with thin dark chocolate and cocoa powder.^[16]