The name of today’s pastry was inspired by the round shape of the ‘taler’, a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. Its name lives on in the currency called ‘dollar’.
Taler is a German word for ‘coin’, so the name of the dessert literally translates to ‘streusel coin’. Basically, a free form tart made with a yeast dough topped with a huge amount of streusel, sometimes filled with custard and often with a sugar glaze.
A traditional German streusel (streusel meaning something ‘strewn or scattered’ in German) bakes up into shortbread balls. It makes a crunchy, cookie-like top but is soft on the bottom where it meets the bread/cake or fruit.
Streusel was first popularized in Germany. In its simplest form, it consists of flour, sugar and butter but gets even better with the addition of oatmeal, cinnamon and nuts …. just my opinion of course!
While the origins of the black forest cake aren’t all that clear, some historians believe that its origins can be traced back to the Black Forest Region of Germany. This part of Germany is well known for its sour cherries and ‘Kirschwasser‘ … a clear cherry brandy.
This iconic creation is a layered confection of a liqueur ‘soaked’ chocolate cake with rich whipped cream and sour cherries between its layers. The liqueur and cherries give the cake an intense and unique fruity flavor. It’s these sour cherries which gave it its German name: Schwarzwald Kirsch Kuchen or Black Forest Cherry Cake.
There are many origin stories about the cake. Some sources claim that the name of the cake is inspired by the traditional custom of the women of the Black Forest region, with a characteristic hat with big red pom-poms on top called a ‘Bollenhut’. The earliest published written record of black forest cake was in 1934, by a German confectioner. Today, the cake is well known worldwide and probably one of the most popular cakes in Germany.
This black forest streuseltaler is a fusion recipe I developed combining a chocolate yeast bun with some sour cherries and streusel topping. Since we just happen to have a nice little sour cherry tree growing in our garden, why not put some of them to good use in a German dessert?!

Servings |
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- 454 gm (about 3 cups) sour cherries, pitted
- 1/4 cup (all juice from cherries) + enough water to total 1/2 cup liquid
- 1 tsp Kirsch A good alternative to Kirsch is pomegranate juice.
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 2/3 cup cold butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp Kirsch
- 2/3 cup lukewarm water
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar (use 1 tsp from this amount in yeast)
- 50 gm (3 1/2 Tbsp) butter, melted
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 45 gm (1/4 + 1/8 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp Kirsch
Ingredients
Sour Cherry Filling
Streusel Topping
Dough
Glaze
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- In a saucepan, place & stir together sugar, cornstarch & salt. Add the water mixture & stir to thoroughly combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, Stirring frequently, & simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Gradually fold in cherries. Set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, place COLD butter. Add flour, sugar & Kirsch if using. With your finger tips work streusel until crumbles form. Spread out on a large tray & set aside in freezer until ready to use.
- In a small dish, combine yeast with lukewarm water & 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes until frothy.
- In a large bowl, slightly melt butter; cool a couple of minutes then whisk in egg. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt & remaining sugar. Add yeast mixture to butter mixture, whisking together. Add flour mixture, combine then turn on a floured work surface & knead for about 5 minutes. Dough will be soft but not sticky.
- Lightly grease bowl, place dough ball in it & cover with a towel. Place in a draft-free place & allow to rise for about 20 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place dough on a work surface, & divide into 12 pieces. Form each piece into a ball & allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
- Space out the balls on parchment lined baking sheet. With fingertips, press out each ball to about 3-4-inch diameter. Add about 1 Tbsp of cherry filling to the center of each dough piece, leaving a border around the outside.
- Divide streusel topping evenly between the pastries & allow to rise for about 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. In the meantime, you can prepare the glaze.
- In a small dish, whisk powdered sugar & Kirsch into a thick glaze. When streuseltaler are cooled, drizzle with glaze.
- Kirschwasser is German for 'Cherry Water', and while it may be as clear as water, it packs quite a punch. This double distilled brandy made from the sour Morello cherries is, more often than not, simply referred to as Kirsch. This 'not too sweet with a subtle cherry/almond flavored' liqueur is a vitally necessary ingredient to make a traditional Black Forest Cake; for that is where both the cake and Kirschwasser hail from... The Black Forest, or Schwarzwald, in southwestern Germany.
- Pomegranate juice: A rich and slightly tangy juice can act as a kirsch substitute, particularly in recipes requiring a deep red color. It offers a unique flavor that can add complexity to your dish.