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Otherwise known as Black Forest Gâteau, Black Forest Cherry Torte, or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. The cherry filling, and the Kirsch syrup, can be made a day ahead, covered, and kept chilled until required. Only cut the chocolate génoise into layers once it is cold; this is easier. The finished cake needs to be covered and chilled for at least 3 hours, and up to 8 hours, or overnight. Measurements 1 c = 250 mL ¼ c = 60 mL 1/3 c = 80 mL 1 tb = 20 mL 1 tsp = 5 mL large eggs = approx. 58g each - from a 700g packet with a dozen eggs

Ingredients
Cherry Filling

2 x 680g jars morello cherries (sour cherries)
¼ c sugar
1 ½ tb cornflour (cornstarch)
¼ c Kirsh (or brandy, or 2 tb brandy and 1 tb cherry brandy or liqueur)
¼ tsp vanilla or almond essence

Kirsch Syrup

¼ sugar
¼ c water
about ¼ c Kirsch (or brandy, or 2 tb brandy and 1 tb cherry brandy or liqueur)

Chocolate Génoise

170g dark chocolate (semisweet or bittersweet)
60g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 c water
1 c plain flour (150g)
½ tsp salt
6 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ c sugar (185g)

Chocolate Shavings

about 150g dark chocolate (semisweet or bittersweet)

Whipped Cream

1 tb gelatine
1/3 c Kirsch (or brandy, or 3 tb brandy and 1 tb cherry brandy or liqueur)
1 L cream (4 c)
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Assembly

whipped cream
a round of board, about 24cm in diameter
20cm round, deep cake tin
chocolate génoise, cut into three layers with a serrated knife
Kirsch syrup
cherry filling
chocolate shavings
16 glacé cherries

Method
Cherry Filling

• Drain the cherries, reserving the juice.
• Measure out 3 c of the cherries, and save the rest for something else.
• Measure out 1 c of the juice, and save or drink the rest.
• Whisk together the 1 c of juice, sugar, and cornflour.
• Bring to the boil over moderate heat, stirring, and simmer until thickened and cooked (so it no longer tastes floury).
• Remove from heat and stir in cherries, Kirsch and essence.
• Chill until required. Mixture will thicken further on cooling.

Kirsch Syrup

• In a small saucepan, stir sugar and water together.
• Bring to the boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
• Stir in Kirsch, to make ¾ c syrup in total.

Chocolate Génoise

• Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
• Grease a 25cm springform cake tin. Line the base with greaseproof or baking paper, and grease the paper. Dust tin with flour, and knock out excess.
• Melt chocolate, butter, vanilla and water in a double saucepan (or metal bowl set over a pan of just simmering water. Stir until smooth.
• Remove from heat, and let cool.
• Sift flour and salt together.
• Beat eggs and sugar on high speed with electric beaters or mixer, until the mixture has tripled in volume, is pale in colour, and forms a thick, falling ribbon when the beaters are lifted.
• Fold flour and salt gently into egg mixture until all is just combined.
• Fold chocolate mixture in gently but thoroughly.
• Turn mixture into prepared cake tin, and smooth top if necessary.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with crumbs sticking to it. (It shouldn’t be sticky cake batter goo sticking to the skewer, only crumbs; but the cake shouldn’t be so well cooked that the skewer comes out clean).
• Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake, against the sides of the tin. Remove the collar of the tin.
• Invert cake onto a cake rack and remove the base of the tin. Gently peel back the paper.
• Using a second cake rack, reinvert the cake so it is right-side up, and let cool completely.

Chocolate Shavings

• Using a vegetable peeler, make shavings and curls of the chocolate (or simply grate it). Chill until required.

Whipped Cream

• Put Kirsch in a cup, sprinkle gelatine over, and let soften for 5 mins.
• Stand cup in a small saucepan of water, so that water comes about a third of the way up the cup. Heat over low heat, stirring, until gelatine is dissolved.
• In a chilled bowl, with chilled beaters, beat cream, sugar and vanilla to soft peak.
• While beating again, add the gelatine mixture in a stream, beating the mixture to stiff peak.

Assembly

• Remove about 1 c of the cream to a a piping bag fitted with a star tip, and refrigerate until required.
• Put one layer of cake onto the round of board, and stand the board on the upturned 20cm cake tin.
• Brush the cake layer evenly with about ¼ c of the Kirsch syrup.
• Spread half the cherry filling over, leaving about a centimeter around the edge.
• Spread about a quarter of the remaining cream over the cherry filling, again leaving about a centimeter around the edge.
• Sprinkle about a third of the chocolate shavings over.
• Top with the middle layer of cake.
• Brush with another ¼ c of the Kirsch syrup.
• Spread the remaining cherry filling over.
• Spread with another quarter of the cream.
• Sprinkle with another third of the chocolate shavings.
• Top with the last layer of cake.
• Brush with remaining Kirsch syrup.
• Spread the remainder of the cream over the top and round the sides of the entire cake.
• Sprinkle the remaining chocolate shavings over the top.
• Take remaining cup of cream in piping bag from fridge and pipe 16- rosettes around the edge of the top of the cake.
• Top each rosette with a glacé cherry.
• Chill cake for 3-8 hours.

The decoration with the cream rosettes is optional. I didn\'t do it this time. I tend to think a bit like Delia Smith, that life is too short for piping bags ...

You can also press chocolate curls and shavings around the outside of the cake; but again, life is short ...