Black Forest Cake

The Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte -- layers of chocolate sponge cake soaked in kirschwasser cherry brandy, filled with whipped cream and morello cherries, and topped with chocolate shavings -- was codified in the 1930s by pastry chef Josef Keller in Bad Godesberg and has since become Germany's most internationally recognized dessert. Under German law, a cake may only be called Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte if it contains at least 1.5% of its cream weight in kirschwasser from the Black Forest region.