Black Forest gateau facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Black Forest cake |
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| Place of origin | Germany |
| Created by | Josef Keller |
| Main ingredients | Chocolate cake, cherries, whipped cream, Kirschwasser |
Black Forest gâteau or Black Forest cake is a super yummy chocolate cake from Germany. It's famous for its rich cherry filling. The German name for this dessert is Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. This means "Black Forest Cherry Cake."
This delicious cake usually has many layers of chocolate sponge cake. These layers are put together with whipped cream and cherries. The cake is often decorated with more whipped cream, bright red cherries, and chocolate shavings. Sometimes, sour cherries are used inside and on top. A special cherry spirit called kirschwasser is traditionally added. This gives the cake its unique cherry flavor. In Germany, a cake must have kirschwasser to be called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.
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History of Black Forest Cake
You might think this cake is named after the Black Forest mountains in Germany. But it's not directly named after the mountains themselves!
Why the Name "Black Forest"?
One idea is that the cake gets its name from a special cherry drink. This drink, called Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser, comes from the Black Forest region. It's made from tart (sour) cherries. This is the same ingredient that gives the cake its special cherry taste. People first mixed cherries, cream, and kirschwasser as a dessert. A cake with cherries, cookies, and cream (but no kirschwasser) probably started in Germany too.
Another fun idea is that the cake's name comes from the traditional clothes of women in the Black Forest. They wore a special hat called a Bollenhut. This hat has big, red pom-poms on top. The cake's dark chocolate, white cream, and red cherries might look like this hat!
Who Invented Black Forest Cake?
A baker named Josef Keller (1887–1981) said he created the modern Black Forest cake. He claimed he made it in 1915 at a cafe in Bad Godesberg, Germany. However, there's no strong proof that he was the first.
The Black Forest cake was first written about in 1934. Back then, it was very popular in Berlin. You could also find it in fancy bakeries in other German, Austrian, and Swiss cities. By 1949, it was one of the 13 most famous German cakes.
World Records for Black Forest Cake
People love to make giant versions of this cake!
Largest Black Forest Cake Ever
The record for the world's biggest real Black Forest cake was set in Germany. This happened at Europa Park on July 16, 2006. The K&U Bakery made it. This huge cake was almost 80 square meters (860 square feet) big! It weighed 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds). The cake was 10 meters (33 feet) across. It used 700 liters (185 US gallons) of cream, 5,600 eggs, 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of cherries, 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of chocolate, and 120 liters (32 US gallons) of kirsch.
Asia's Biggest Black Forest Cake
On December 9, 2012, chefs Jörg Mink and Julien Bompard led a team in Singapore. They made Asia's biggest Black Forest cake. This cake weighed 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds). It was made with 165 liters (44 US gallons) of cream, 1,500 eggs, 68 kilograms (150 pounds) of cherries, 60 kilograms (130 pounds) of chocolate, and 10 liters (2.6 US gallons) of kirsch.
Schwarzwaldtårta: A Swedish Twist
There's a Swedish cake called Schwarzwaldtårta. It sounds like Black Forest cake, but it's quite different! This Swedish cake has layers of meringue. These layers contain finely ground roasted hazelnuts. It also has a thin layer of chocolate with whipped cream in between. The whole cake is covered with whipped cream and decorated with dark chocolate and cocoa powder. It's a different kind of delicious!
See also
In Spanish: Pastel de la Selva Negra para niños
