Black Forest Cake: History, Recipe and Enjoyment

Black Forest cake began spreading across Germany around 100 years ago and soon gained worldwide fame. Since then, it has come to be seen as the classic German cake. Since 2014, it has been registered as a “guaranteed traditional specialty”.

Alongside cuckoo clocks, Bollenhut hats and cured ham, Black Forest cake is one of the symbols of this much-loved German holiday region. The name itself is not protected as a trademark, so the cake can be produced and served anywhere.   

Origin of Black Forest cake 

There are several theories about how Black Forest cake first came about. The most likely version traces the recipe back to pastry chef Josef Keller (1887–1981) from Riedlingen. He worked at Café Ahrend in Bad Godesberg, where he is said to have created the basic recipe in 1915.

A recipe from 1927, which is still used for baking today, can be found in the Vogtsbauernhof Black Forest Open-Air Museum.

Later, pastry chef Josef Keller opened his own café in Radolfzell on Lake Constance, where he served the cake specialty he had created. 

The taste of Black Forest cake won over his guests, and from Radolfzell it began its triumphant journey around the globe. In the 1930s, the cake became popular in pastry shops in major cities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. One reason why this cream cake only spread widely from that time onward was the lack of electric refrigerators, which were just coming onto the market. Before that, the delicacy was mainly available only in pastry shops.

Efficient cooling devices that many households could afford made it possible to keep all kinds of cream cakes reliably chilled. This development paved the way for Black Forest cake.   

A cake with a distinctive taste 

Black Forest cake is essentially made up of chocolate sponge layers, a cherry filling, whipped cream, cherries and chocolate shavings. A key element of its unmistakable flavor is a shot of kirsch, which must come from the Black Forest.

The spirit may only be called and sold as “Black Forest kirsch” if it is distilled from the region’s ripe black cherries. Anyone who wants to enjoy a slice of Black Forest cake should be aware that its signature taste depends on a noticeable amount of kirsch. 

Germany’s Food Code Commission has set out precise rules for the recipe in its “Guidelines for fine baked goods”: “Black Forest cakes are kirsch cream cakes or kirsch buttercream cakes, or a combination of the two. The filling consists of buttercream and/or cream, partly ganache as well as cherries, also in pieces in a bound preparation. The added proportion of kirsch is clearly perceptible in taste. For the crumb, dark and/or light Viennese or sponge layers are used. The mixture for the dark layers contains at least 3 percent cocoa powder or highly defatted cocoa. Shortcrust pastry is also used for the base. The cake is coated with buttercream or cream and decorated with chocolate flakes.” 

The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food also specifies minimum standards for Black Forest cake, including a diameter of at least 17 cm.

It is also important that the cream contains at least 30 percent fat, that the crumb consists of at least two sponge layers, and that the fruit is made from whole or chopped sour cherries. No additional flavorings may be added. Finally, the decoration around the edge of the cake must be made from chocolate or chocolate couverture. 

These clear rules ensure that every slice on the plate delivers exactly what people expect from Black Forest specialties.

A slice of Black Forest cake is something to savor, so it is worth taking the time to enjoy it properly.   

A piece of culinary heritage 

Black Forest cake can certainly be seen as part of the region’s culinary heritage, even though it is still not fully clear how Josef Keller’s cream cake got its name. Several explanations are discussed.

One assumption is that the colors black, white and red were inspired by traditional Black Forest costumes. In this reading, the chocolate shavings represent black dresses, the cream stands for the white blouses and the cherries for the Bollenhut hat. The Black Forest kirsch, which is so important for the taste of the cake, may also have played a role in the choice of name. 

Another factor not to be overlooked is a possible forerunner of the cake that already combined its key ingredients. Long before the cake existed, there was a dessert known as Black Forest cream. For this dish, which may have inspired the creation of Black Forest cake, farm women in the low mountain region would cook cherries, mix them with cream and finally drizzle kirsch over the top. This combination of cherries, cream and kirsch was probably prepared in the southern Black Forest as early as the 19th century.  

A festival for the cake 

Every two years, the Black Forest Cake Festival takes place in Todtnauberg in the Black Forest. Professional pastry chefs and amateur bakers compete in two categories with their homemade creations to find and honor the best Black Forest cake. Alongside the competition, there is a folk festival with music and tastings.

Although the cake is now baked and enjoyed all over the world, it naturally tastes best in the Black Forest itself. That is one more reason to spend some time in a holiday home in the Black Forest, relax, and experience the region’s landscape and culture.