If you’re watching your calories, you might want to look away — this cake is legendary for a reason.
We’re talking about the Black Forest’s most famous export. Some will point to the cuckoo clock, but when it comes to worldwide fame and sheer decadence, nothing beats a towering confection soaked in spirits, layered with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, and finished with cherries.
The Black Forest cherry cake — known in German as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte — is so beloved that it even has its own day in the United States: March 28. On that date, enjoying a generous slice feels less like indulgence and more like a small culinary duty.
The cake’s origins aren’t completely certain. Food historians debate the details: some credit Josef Keller, who is said to have created the cake near Bonn around 1915 and to have given it its name by using Black Forest cherry kirsch liberally in the recipe. What is clear is that cafés throughout the Black Forest region helped popularize the dessert, and it soon became one of Germany’s favorite cakes.
Café Schaefer in Triberg maintains that it follows Josef Keller’s original recipe, offering a tasty justification for indulging. Whether you call it research, tradition, or simply a treat, a slice of authentic Black Forest cake is hard to resist.