Black Forest gateau

Black Forest gateau (German: Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, literally "Black Forest Cherry-torte"), also called Black Forest cake, is a chocolate and cream cake with a rich cherry filling. 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. Other spirits are sometimes used, such as rum, which is common in Austrian recipes. German law mandates that any dessert labeled Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte must have Kirschwasser.

History
The origin of the cake's name is not entirely clear.

The confectioner (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 about 300 km north of the Black Forest. This claim, however, has never been substantiated. A long time ago, cherries, cream, and Kirschwasser were combined in the form of a dessert in which cooked cherries were served with cream and Kirschwasser, originated in Black forest region famous for its cherry trees.

The Tübingen city archivist Udo Rauch names the Tübingen master confectioner Erwin Hildenbrand of Café Walz in Tübingen as the "inventor", dated spring 1930. Tübingen, which is no longer usually associated with the Black Forest, belonged to the Black Forest district from 1818 to 1924. Given that Keller's initial recipe was not identical to the most popular interpretation of the Black Forest Cake, but instead a simpler version, it could be theorized that both confectioners influenced its creation.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte was first mentioned in writing in 1934. At the time it was particularly associated with Berlin but was also available from high-class confectioners in other German, Austrian, and Swiss cities. In 1949 it took 13th place in a list of best-known German cakes.

In popular culture
The 2007 video game Portal made frequent references to a fictional Black Forest cake, inspired by a real life Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte the developers purchased from a nearby café. The commercial success of the game, as well as the popularity of the internet meme regarding the cake, led to the Black Forest cake becoming famous among fans of the franchise.

Records
The record for the world's largest authentic Black Forest gâteau was set at Europa Park, Germany, on 16 July 2006, by K&U Bakery. Measuring nearly 80 m2 and weighing 3,000 kg, the cake, which was 10 metres in diameter, used up 700 L of cream, 5,600 eggs, 800 kg of cherries, 40 kg of chocolate shavings, and 120 L of kirsch. 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 in Singapore. The 500 kg cake was made from 165 L of cream, 1,500 eggs, 68 kg, 60 kg of chocolate shavings, and 10 L of kirsch.

Regional variations
The cake is popular around the world more so than in Germany itself, where it is often considered uninteresting or old-fashioned. The recipe was exported from Germany through cultural exchange and emigration prior to and following World War II. The alcohol helped the cake keep in warmer climates, and the cake's ingredients could be easily adapted by different cultures—swapping the cherries for a local fruit, or omitting the alcohol in Muslim countries, for example. Its popularity in parts of the world has sometimes led chefs and bakers to believe it is a local dessert. A Swedish cake called Schwarzwaldtårta is related to the traditional Black Forest gâteau only by name, consisting of meringue layers and hazelnuts covered by whipped cream and decorated with thin dark chocolate and cocoa powder.