Black Forest Chocolate Mousse

You have all heard of the famous German cake called Black Forest Cake​, a chocolate cake filled with cherries and whipped cream. In Germany it is called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. I had my share of it when I lived in Germany. My godmother, who was an excellent baker, made an awesome one. Somewhere I have her recipe, I think! But in the meantime and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I found a much easier German recipe for chocolate mousse with cherries. How good is that? You can whip this up in no time and end up with a memorable delight.

This is not a sweet dessert, it has no added sugar and it is made with a few ingredients that I got at Trader Joe’s. It needs some good chocolate, heavy cream, frozen cherries, cherry marmalade  and Kirsch liquor or Kirschwasser as we call it in Germany.

I upped the ante by adding some fruit from my Rumtopf, which turned it into an adult dessert for my book club meeting. Remember my Rumptopf I made last summer by preserving fresh fruit in rum. I was a great success, we enjoyed it over the holidays and I gave some jars to my friends. Next year I am making it again when cherries are in season. Cherries were my favorite fruit in the Rumtopf.

Let’s get back to my mousse that I am leisurely nibbling on while writing this post. Like I said before, it is not sweet but it is rich and chocolatey. The cherries with their sauce add a fruity crunch to the mousse. A little bit of this dessert will go a long way. If you make this I hope you enjoy it as much I did.

For my book club dinner I made my Italian crespelle (crepes)  stuffed with fennel and salmon in a white lemony sauce. Life is good when I am in the kitchen.

Rumtopf

Crepes filled with Salmon and Fennel

​This mousse is made in no time, yet it is perfect for any dinner party with its rich chocolate flavor being complimented by the cherries  and the sauce.  Depending on the portion it will serve 6-8 people, maybe more. It is rich, so a little bit goes a long way. This is a great dessert to make ahead. My husband and I enjoyed it for several days.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
​
7 oz. ( 200g) good quality bittersweet chocolate 
1 lb. ( 500g ) frozen dark sweet cherries
½ ( 100g) cup cherry marmelade
2 TBS Kirschwasser  (optional) substitute water 
​2 ¼ cups ( 600g) heavy cream

​Directions:

Put the frozen cherries with the Kirschwasser into a pot, cover and simmer until the cherries reach the consistency you like. I like mine crunchy and just heated up the cherries until they where defrosted. Stir in the cherry marmalade and let it cool. 

Grind about a ¼ cup of the chocolate to sprinkle over the mousse when serving it. Set aside for later, chop the rest of the chocolate coarsely. Heat ½ cup of cream, take off the heat and stir in the chocolate. Whisk until all the chocolate is melted making it into a soft ganache.

Whip the remaining cream to medium peaks. When you whip the cream you see the beaters leaving a trail, slow down the beating and watch. You do not want to over-whip the cream or you and up with a grainy mousse.  Put some of the cream aside for decorating the mousse . Gently, with a big spatula, fold the cream into the chocolate in thirds. 

Divide the mousse into individual bowls or cocktail glasses. Add about four cherries with the sauce . Dollop with the reserved whip cream and sprinkle with the grated chocolate. 
You can make this ahead and chill in the refrigerator for several hours. 
​
Guten Appetit!
Recipe from the German Magazine Lecker 
adapted by © Sunnycovechef.com