Eating original Black Forest gateau in Triberg

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Last Updated on 24th July 2020

I always found Black Forest gateau (or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte to give it its proper name) to be a little bit “full on” as a child. I can’t actually remember the last time I had one, until a few weekends ago that is when we made a 50km detour while driving around Germany’s Black Forest to reach Café Schäfer in the small town of Triberg.

Why had we driven to Café Schäfer in southern Germany?

Well because confectioner Claus Schäfer uses the original 1915 recipe for his Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gateau). A recipe that layers chocolate cake infused with cherry brandy, whipped cream and sour cherries, which is then wrapped up in more cream and shaved chocolate. Mmmm! And this is our group expectently about to tuck in to it!

According to their website “If you want the true Black Forest cherry cake from the original recipe, you must come to Café Schaefer in Triberg”. Well they would say that but we were up for giving it a try.

A bit of Black Forest gateau history

Josef Keller was the inventor of the Black Forest cherry cake. He was the pastry chef in the Café “Ahrend” (today called Agner) in Bad Godesberg and in 1915 he created for the first time what he called a “Schwarzwaelder Kirsch”, or “Black Forest Cherry”. Josef Keller gave August Schaefer his recipe book which contained the original recipe.

His son, Claus Schaefer, the current Konditormeister of the Triberg Café Schaefer, inherited the book and the original recipe and has thus been able to carry on making Josef Keller’s original. We asked where the recipe now is but was assured it’s safely locked away and for customers to see. Either way I found it to be delicious. I could certainly taste the cherry brandy, and it was a lot lighter than I remember. If you don’t like cherries then it won’t be for you of course.

Just made it before closing time

The waitress was pleasant and accommodating even though we arrived just before closing time. But we were there long enough for the 5 of us and the 5 slices of cake to become quite well acquainted, all washed down with some tasty lattés. We were in Triberg for too short a time to see anything else but later found out about the House of 1000 cuckoo clocks that’s just up the road. Something to visit next time maybe 🙂

If you’ve enjoyed reading this check out my other “foodie” first when I successfully made some delicious ‘sloe gin‘ back in the UK.

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