In my experience it depends on where you are in the world! Black Forest Gateau is the English name for the southern German dessert Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte which means “Black Forest Cherry Cake”. But in Australia, the USA and Canada it is usually referred to as Black Forest Cake.

Not surprisingly, it originated in the Black Forest area of southern Germany, but is now a popular dessert in Europe and around the world.

But whether we call it cake or gateau, I think we’re all agreed it should be a rich chocolate cake with a cherry and cream filling. Follow this recipe carefully for a wonderful Black Forest experience whatever the name….

Ingredients

3 eggs, medium sized
150g…6oz caster sugar
150g…6oz self-raising flour
(or flour with baking soda added)
2 x 15ml spoons…2tbsp cocoa
4 x 15ml spoons…4tbsp hot water

For the filling:
250ml…1/2 pint double cream
1/2 x 15ml spoon…1/2tbsp vanilla essence
Caster sugar to taste
400g…14oz can cherry pie filling, drained
100g…4oz plain chocolate, coarsely grated

One well greased and base lined (greaseproof or waxed paper) deep 20 or 23 cm (8 or 9 inch) cake tin (pan).

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Preheat the oven to 190 deg C, 375 deg F, Gas Mark 5.

This black forest cake recipe is quite easy. Carefully break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat gently. Add the sugar and beat well until thick and creamy and virtually white in colour.

Sift the cocoa and flour together and carefully fold into the egg mixture. Fold in the hot water gently.

Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin (pan) and cook for 35-40 minutes in the centre of the oven. As always, towards the end of the cooking tim, check the cake by pushing a wooden or metal skewer, or equivalent, into the middle of the cake. It will come out clean and dry when the cake is cooked.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before turning out of the tin and allowing to cool completely on the rack. When cool slice into three layers.

For the filling – whip the cream with a little sugar and the vanilla flavouring until fairly stiff.

To build the cake – place the first layer on a suitable plate or board and spread a border of cream around the edge of the sponge. Keep eight cherries for decoration and place the rest on top of the bottom layer. Gently place the middle sponge on the cake and spread half the remaining cream on top. Finally add the last sponge and spread the rest of the cream on the top of the cake. Decorate with the eight cherries and grated chocolate. Refrigerate prior to serving.

Follow this easy black forest cake recipe and you will enjoy a rich and creamy cake that friends will be eager to try!

Ingredients

5oz…5/8 cup sugar
2oz…1/4 cup butter or margarine, plus enough for greasing the tin
3 eggs
4 bananas, mashed
8oz…2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
6 oz…1 cup chopped walnuts

One 9 inch loaf tin, greased

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banana and walnut

Preheat the oven to moderate 350 deg F, 180 deg C, Gas mark 4

Use a medium size mixing bowl to beat together the sugar, fat and eggs with a wooden spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Gently beat in the bananas which have already been mashed, and then sift the flour, baking powder, salt and soda into the mixture and beat well. Stir in the chopped walnuts.

The mixture is poured into the greased loaf tin and baked for one hour until a stick or skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

When cooked, allow to cool for a few minutes before turning the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut this moist loaf cake into thick slices and serve with a fresh cup of coffee. Delicious!

Some of the most famous archaeological samples of almonds are the fruits found in Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt but these days we are more likely to find them on the top of a cake, as in this recipe, rather than buried alongside our kings and queens.

This almond cake recipe uses a very easy sponge cake topped with almonds, and glazed with honey. The delicious homemade cake is nice and nutty with a hint of honey from the glaze. It is a very easy and quick cake recipe to follow. Try different honeys for a slight variation in flavour.

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Ingredients

3oz…85g soft butter, or margarine
3oz…85g light brown sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
6oz…175g self-raising flour
(or plain flour with baking powder added)
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp milk
2 tbsp clear honey
2oz..60g flaked almonds

For the glaze:
8oz…225g clear honey
2 tbsp lemon juice

One greased and lined 7in/18cm round cake tin

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Preheat the oven to 180 deg C, 350 deg F, Gas Mark 4.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the beaten eggs, margarine, brown sugar, milk and honey. Beat with a wooden spoon for about one minute to produce a well blended cake mixture with a soft dropping consistency – that is, the mix should just drop from the wooden spoon when tapped on the side of the mixing bowl.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface with a knife or the back of a spoon. Scatter the sliced almonds in a single layer on the top of the cake, or arrange them in a neat and tidy pattern if you wish!

Transfer the cake to the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes until springy to the touch, or until a skewer, or similar, comes out clean from the centre of the cake.

While the cake is baking make the glaze by mixing the lemon juice and honey in a small pan and heating gently for a few minutes. Test the glaze by pouring it over the back of a spoon to see if it leaves a sticky coating.

Remove the cake from the oven when cooked and while still hot, pour the glaze over the cake. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the tin and leave to cool completely before serving this delicious homemade cake.

The history of using carrots for sweetening cakes goes back hundreds of years. When sugar was hard to come by, grated carrot was used as a substitute as it contains more sugar than any other vegetable with the exception of sugar beet. When sugar was rationed in the Second World War, carrot cake came back into fashion and is still popular today, especially with cooks who want to avoid refined sugar and use more natural sweeteners.

Unlike many carrot cakes this recipe does not include a sweet sticky topping so you may really like this carrot cake recipe if you don’t like your cakes too sweet.

Try it and see if it’s a cake recipe you’ll use time and again.

Ingredients

1 tsp butter or margarine
6 eggs, separated
8 oz….1 cup sugar
12 oz carrots, cooked and pureed
1 tbs grated orange rind
1 tbs brandy
12 oz…1 3/4 cups ground almonds

Prepare a round 9 inch, loose bottomed, cake tin (pan) by greasing it with the butter.

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carrot cake

Pre heat the oven to 325 deg F, 170 deg C, Gas Mark 3.

Use a wire whisk to beat the egg yolks in a bowl until they start to thicken. Slowly add the sugar while beating until the mixture eventually turns creamy and thick. Now add the carrot puree, orange rind, brandy and almonds and stir gently, but thoroughly, to mix the ingredients together well.

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites by hand, or with an electric mixer until the whites form stiff peaks. Use a metal spoon or rubber spatula to fold the egg white into the carrot mixture.

Finally, pour the mixture into the cake tin, and place in the centre of the oven for about 50 minutes, or until cooked. A skewer or stick pushed into the middle of the cake should come out with no more than a few dry crumbs attached.

When cooked, carefully remove the carrot cake from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

What’s more, ginger also has it’s medical uses. Research has concluded that ginger is an effective treatment for nausea caused by motion sickness or other illness. It also contains many antioxidants. Although effective against all forms of nausea, many health professionals do not recommend taking ginger for morning sickness commonly associated with pregnancy.

Enough of the health benefits – back to the recipe!

Ingredients

3/4 pint..425ml warm brewed tea
6oz…180g sugar
8oz…240g dried mixed fruit
8oz….240g dried apricots
2 tbs marmalade
1 egg, beaten
1lb…480g self raising flour
1 heaped tbs baking powder
2-3 teaspoons ground ginger

A greased and lined (greaseproof or waxed paper) 8in/20cm square cake tin (pan).

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Preheat the oven to 180 deg C, 350 deg F, Gas Mark 4.

Chop the apricots and put them in a bowl with the dried fruit and sugar. Pour over the tea, stir well, and leave to soak for several hours, preferably overnight if you want your apricot and ginger loaf cake to be really moist and full of flavour.

After soaking, add the beaten egg and marmalade to the fruit mixture and mix well. Sieve the flour, baking powder and ginger together and gently fold into the fruit mixture. The mixture should be just wet enough to drop from a wooden spoon when tapped on the side of the bowl. Add a few drops of water if it’s too dry, or sprinkle in a little flour if it’s too moist.

Spoon the mixture from the bowl into the prepared, greased and lined, tin which is placed in the middle of the oven for about 1 1/4 hours. As always, check the loaf just before the end of the cooking time by pushing a skewer, or similar, into the middle of the loaf. It will come out dry and virtually clean when the loaf is cooked.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool.

Like many fruit cakes this apricot and ginger loaf cake will get better if it’s kept a while. So try to put it away in an airtight container for at least a day before eating. But if you want some straight away, then nobody can blame you!

Enjoy it with or without some butter or margarine, depending on how you like it.

Ingredients

1500 g…3 lb 5 oz of mixed dried fruit
(Buy it mixed or mix your own with sultanas, currants, cherries, raisins, apricots, dates, etc)
6 tbsp brandy, or similar if you prefer a different spirit
250 g…9 oz butter or margarine, chopped into chunks
400 g…14 oz dark brown sugar, Muscovado is ideal
5 medium eggs, beaten
Grated rind and juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp black treacle, or molasses
375 g…13 oz plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
250 g…9 oz chopped mixed nuts
50 g…2 oz ground almonds

For the icing (frosting):

435 g…16 oz icing sugar
1 egg white, or equivalent water/gelatin mix
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 tsp vanilla essence
Holly leaves (washed) to decorate

One greased, deep 20cm/8in cake tin, double lined wih waxed or greaseproof paper.

Preheat the oven to 150 deg C, 300 deg F, Gas Mark 2.

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Start the easy Christmas cake recipe by placing the dried fruit along with the butter or margarine, sugar, molasses, brandy, orange rind and orange juice in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil gently and the leave to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down.

When cool, add the chopped nuts, beaten eggs and ground almonds and stir thoroughly.

In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and spice together and then stir gently into the mix until completely blended.

Spoon into the prepared cake tin, roughly level the top and place in the centre of the preheated oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour turn the oven down to 140 deg C, 275 deg F, Gas Mark 1 and continue to bake for about 2 1/4 hours.

If the top of the cake is browning too much and drying out, cover it with a layer of foil or greaseproof paper for protection. Test to see if a skewer, or similar, comes out clean when pushed into the centre of the cake. If not test again after 10-15 minutes.

Remove the fruit cake from the oven when cooked and allow to cool in the tin on a wire rack. To store, turn out of the tin, wrap in foil and/or greaseproof/waxed paper and store in an airtight container until time to decorate.

Open from time to time and drizzle with a little brandy for a realy delicious cake!

For decorating – beat together the icing sugar, lemon juice, egg white and vanilla essence in a bowl. If you prefer not to eat raw egg, substitute a few tablespoons of water/gelatin instead. When the icing mix is smooth and well blended, roughly spread it over the cake using a knife, before using a fork to rough it up into an attractive pattern. Finish by decorating with the holly leaves, or any other Christmas cake decorations.

Share this easy Christmas cake recipe with friends and then you’ll have even more to eat yourself. Only joking – share the homemade cake as well, not just the recipe!

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German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

6oz…175g margarine, or butter (peferably unsalted)
8oz..225g soft dark brown sugar (muscovado is ideal)
5oz…140g self-raising flour (or regular flour with a raising agent added)
1tbsp cocoa powder
1tsp mixed spice
3 medium eggs, beaten
3 1/2oz…100g ground hazelnuts
2 tbsp strong black coffee
Icing sugar to finish

One greased and lightly floured 7 1/2in or 19cm kugelhopf tin, or a ring mould of equivalent size.

This German Chocolate Cake Recipe is not at all difficult. Simply beat the margarine or butter together with the sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.

Slowly beat the eggs into the creamed mixture, adding a little of the flour after each egg to prevent the mixture from splitting.

Sift the remaining flour, cocoa powder and mixed spice into the mixture and fold in gently. Then add the ground hazelnuts and coffee and fold these in gently until all the ingredients are blended together.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared kugelhopf or ring tin and transfer to the centre of the oven where it should take about 45-50 minutes to bake. It will be springy and golden when cooked.

After removing from the oven, allow to cool in the tin for about 10-15 minutes before carefully turning the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely. A dusting with icing sugar provides the finishing touch, before you serve this cake with a cup of freshly made coffee.

Why not share this German Chocolate Cake Recipe with friends?

Easy Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

4 oz…110g self raising flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
4 oz…110g soft margarine at room temperature
4 oz…110g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbs cocoa powder

For the filling

2 oz…55g butter or quality margarine
4 oz…110g icing/confectioners’ sugar
1 rounded tbs cocoa powder
A little milk (approx 2 teaspoons)

Two 7 in (18cm) cake tins, at least 1.5in (4cm) deep, greased and bases lined with greaseproof/waxed paper

This is a really easy chocolate cake to make. Sift the baking powder and flour into a large mixing bowl. Next, make sure the margarine is soft, then simply add all the other ingredients to the bowl and beat them well until everything is thoroughly mixed together. An electric hand mixer will give better results. The mixture should just drop off a wooden spoon when tapped on the side of the bowl, so if needed mix in 1-2 teaspoons of warm water to get the right consistency.

Put half the mixture in each of the prepared tins and place on the centre shelf of the preheated oven for about thirty minutes. The top of the sponge should be springy to the touch when cooked.

Meanwhile prepare the filling. Put the margarine, sieved icing sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl and mix it together with a little milk until it’s very smooth.

When the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for about a minute. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn the sponges out onto a wire rack to cool. Carefully remove the lining paper and when completely cool spread the filling onto one sponge and sandwich together. To finish, dust the top with icing/confectioners’ sugar if you like.

Stand back and admire your easy chocolate cake masterpiece!

Easy Lemon Cake

Ingredients

4 oz…110g self raising flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
4 oz…110g soft margarine at room temperature
4 oz…110g caster sugar
2 large eggs
Grated rind of a medium lemon
3 tsps of lemon juice

To finish:

Icing/confectioners’ sugar, lemon curd

Two 7 in (18cm) cake tins, at least 1.5in (4cm) deep, greased and bases lined with greaseproof/waxed paper

This easy lemon cake recipe only takes a few minutes to mix. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Next, making sure you use soft margarine, simply add all the other ingredients to the bowl and beat them well. A hand-held electric mixer will give good results. The mixture should be wet enough to just drop from a wooden spoon when tapped on the side of the mixing bowl. If needed mix in 1-2 teaspoons of warm water to get the right consistency.

The mixture is divided between the prepared (greased and lined) tins. Bake on the centre shelf of the preheated oven for about thirty minutes, or until the top of the sponge is springy to touch.

Remove from the oven when cooked and allow to cool for about a minute. Carefully loosen the edges with a knife and turn the sponges onto a wire rack to cool. Gently, remove the lining paper and when cooled completely, spread lemon curd on the sponges and sandwich together. To finish, dust the top with icing (confectioners’) sugar if you like.

The recipes use the “Dr Price” brand of baking powder but I believe that regular baking powder (sodium bicarbonate plus cream of tartar) should work just as well.

WARNING! As with many of these old cake recipes very little information is given about temperatures or tin (pan) sizes so you need to use your experience, or best guess. If you’re new to baking homemade cakes it may be better to follow the menu link to Easy Cakes until you have more experience.

Enjoy experimenting with these classic recipes!

PLAIN CAKE

1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or other flavoring
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons Dr. Price’s Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Cream shortening; add sugar slowly; add well-beaten egg and flavoring; sift together flour, baking powder and salt and add to mixture, a little at a time, alternately with milk. Bake in greased loaf, layer or patty pans in moderate oven. May also be used for cottage pudding served hot with hard or soft sauce.

If baked in layers a middle layer of chocolate can be made by adding 1 oz. melted unsweetened chocolate to one-third of the batter.

SPANISH CAKE

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons Dr. Price’s Baking Powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Cream shortening; add sugar and yolks of eggs; beat well; sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon and add alternately with milk; fold in beaten whites of eggs. Bake in greased pan in moderate oven 35 to 40 minutes.

BRIDE’S CAKE

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
3-1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons Dr Price’s Baking Powder
Whites of six eggs

Beat shortening to a cream, adding sugar gradually; add flavoring and beat until smooth. Add alternately a little at a time milk and flour which has been sifted three times with baking powder. Beat whites of eggs until dry, and add to batter, folding in very lightly without beating. Bake in large greased loaf pan in moderate oven about one hour.

EGGLESS, MILKLESS, BUTTERLESS CAKE

1 cup brown sugar
1-1/4 cups water
1 cup seeded raisins
2 ounces citron, cut fine
1/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
5 teaspoons Dr. Price’s Baking Powder

Boil sugar, water, fruit, shortening, spices and salt together in saucepan 3 minutes; when cool, add flour and baking powder which have been sifted together; mix well. Bake in greased loaf pan in moderate oven about 45 minutes.