Black Forest Cake

The recipe of the Black Forest cake was first written down in 1934, though that cake doesn't quite resemble the one that became world famous. In that variation there is no biscuit, instead the base is a hazelnut short crust pastry that was brushed with cherry jam followed by a layer of Kirsch flavoured walnut paste. The whole thing topped with buttercream and a layer of sour cherry with cream, then another layer of the walnut paste and the pastry closed the cake. The cherry-cream combination has already been popular in the 19th century in the south of the Black Forest. Though not in a form of a cake but a verrine: layer of cherry compote, cream and sometimes Kirsch.

Ingredients:
(based on a recipe by Pierre Hermé)
for the biscuit:
35 g cocoa powder
35 g flour
35 g cornstarch
75 g butter
8 egg yolks
150 g sugar
6 egg whites
for the sour cherries:
300 g pitted sour cherries
150 ml port wine
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 lemon
for the syrup:
180 ml water
100 g sugar
2 tablespoons Kirsch
for the cream:
750 ml cream
4 sheets gelatine
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare the biscuit and the cherry compote the day before. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Melt butter and set aside. Beat egg whites to soft peaks and add half of the sugar in small portions while beating constantly until it forms hard peaks. In another bowl beat egg yolks with the leftover sugar until fluffy. Fold about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk base, then sift flour, cornstarch and cocoa, then fold in the melted butter and finally the rest of the beaten egg whites. Butter a 24 cm cake form and bake the cake for 20-25 minutes and let it cool on a wrack.
For the compote put the ingredients into a pot together with some lemon peel and bring to the boil. Set aside and let it stand over night.
For the syrup bring sugar with water to the boil, and as soon as the sugar is molten set aside and add the Kirsch.
For the cream warm 120 ml cream and melt the previously soaked gelatine. Beat the rest of the cream with the vanilla extract until almost stiff. Then add the cream-gelatine mixture in a thin strain and beat for a few more minutes.
Slice the biscuit horizontally in 3 equal pieces and place one onto a bottom of a cake ring. Brush it with syrup, spread about one third of the cream, add drained sour cherries and cover with the next layer of biscuit. Brush with syrup, spread cream and finally top with the last layer of biscuit. Brush with syrup, spread the rest of the cream, but set about 2 tablespoons aside. Chill the cake for 2-3 hours, then remove the ring and spread cream all around the cake, decorate with chocolate.