Looking for the most perfect chocolate treat? Then you need to try Bavarian Chocolate Cream! Chocolate Bavarian Cream could become your favorite chocolate dessert. It's incredibly light and fluffy, but also rich and creamy.
This traditional German chocolate dessert tastes just like those found in Germany's finest restaurants. The cream has a delightful chocolate flavor and a lovely creamy mouthfeel thanks to delicious cream and high-quality dark chocolate.
Traditionally Bavarian Cream has a vanilla flavor. Over the course of the past half-century, a great number of novel flavors have emerged. Strawberry Bavarian cream, coffee Bavarian cream, and raspberry Bavarian cream are three of the most popular variations.
You can find the recipe for traditional vanilla Bavarian Cream as well as the recipe for White Chocolate Bavarian Cream on this site. You may also be interested in my recipes for Bavarian Cream Cake and Donuts Filled with Bavarian Cream.
Check out my top 31 German Desserts - Ultimate List of Authentic German Dessert Recipes. You will find many childhood favorites and popular desserts from German restaurant menus.
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Bavarian Chocolate Cream is called Bayerische Schokoladencreme or Schoko Bayrisch Creme in German.
Click on the play button to listen how to pronounce Bayerische Creme in German.
Ingredients
This traditional German delicacy calls for only a few easy to find ingredients.
It is essential that you use products of a high quality because that will have a significant impact on the flavor for this chocolate Bavarian cream.
- Gelatin powder - make sure to use unflavored gelatin powder.
- Kirschwasser - Kirschwasser also known as Kirsch is a German Cherry Brandy. The addition of Kirschwasser will give your dessert a wonderful flavor. But if you don´t want to use Kirschwasser you can use water instead and it will still taste amazing.
- Heavy cream - I like to use cream with high fat content for this dessert, but you can cut calories by using cream with a lower fat content.
- Egg yolks - make sure to only use fresh, high-quality eggs for this dessert.
- Vanilla extract - I prefer to use vanilla extract for the chocolate version of this dessert, but use vanilla pods for the vanilla Bavarian cream.
- Powdered sugar - will guarantee a smooth texture.
- Dark chocolate - my favorite choice is a 70%, high quality chocolate, i.e. Lindt. You can choose a higher percentage but probably want to adjust the sugar amount.
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
These easy steps will show you the preparation of authentic German Chocolate Bavarian cream.
Add heavy cream to a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Make sure to don´t beat heavy cream to stiff peaks.
Place Kirschwasser or water to a small heat proof bowl and sprinkle gelatin evenly over the surface. Set aside and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to bloom the gelatin.
Add the egg yolks with powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a heat proof bowl.
Beat with a hand mixer or whisk until light and fluffy.
Place the chocolate into a heat proof bowl and place for 30 seconds into the microwave. Stir and place in 15 seconds increments into the microwave until melted.
To prepare the water bath, add about 1-inch of water to a saucepan, that is smaller than your mixing bowl, and bring the water to a light simmer but avoid boiling.
Place the gelatin for 15 seconds into the microwave and mix well, then add to the chocolate and combine.
Add half of the chocolate to the egg mixture and mix well. Then add the remaining chocolate and mix well again.
Stir in about ⅓ of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream in two increments.
Fill the Bavarian chocolate cream into small desert glasses or a bowl and allow to sit refrigerated for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Hint: make sure that the water in the double boiler never comes to a hard boil. Keep it on a light simmer. Also make sure that your bowl does not touch the water in the pot, this could cause the eggs to scramble.
Substitutions
Make this chocolate Bavarian cream your own by adjusting to your taste or nutritional preferences.
- Kirschwasser - instead of Kirschwasser you can flavor the cream with whisky, brandy, Grand Marnier, or cognac.
- Without Gelatin - you can use Agar Agar powder instead of gelatin. Make sure to check your package instructions for substitution ratios.
- Vegan - the dessert works well made with vegan cream substitute or coconut cream.
Variations
Try these variations to give this Bavarian chocolate cream a new flavor twist.
- Coffee - add a teaspoon of instant coffee powder to the chocolate to intensify the chocolate flavor with a hint of coffee aroma.
- Orange - orange zest or a teaspoon of orange extract adds a wonderful orange hint to the fine chocolate taste.
Try this vanilla Bavarian Cream - Authentic German Recipe on my website! Or make the vanilla and chocolate version and add the dessert in layers to decorative dessert glasses for an especially festive look.
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large stainless-steel bowl or other heat proof bowl
- Small heat proof bowl
- Whisk or hand mixer with whisk attachment
- Spatula
- Teaspoon
- Tablespoon
- Measuring cup
- Dessert glasses (optional)
Storage
Bavarian chocolate cream tastes best the next day, but keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Chocolate Bavarian cream freezes well. Fill the cream into individual molds or freezer safe containers and allow to defrost in the fridge.
Video Tutorial
How To Serve
You can serve this German chocolate dessert just as is or with a simple dollop of whipped cream. When I want to give the dessert a layer of fruity taste, one of my favorite things to do is to add fresh berries or sliced bananas.
In addition to that, it is delicious to serve it with a fruit sauce such as this Raspberry Sauce. More indulgent options include Rote Gruetze in the summertime and Glühwein Grütze during the holidays.
My Top Tip
Bavarian chocolate cream can be used as frosting for cakes and cupcakes. It's also delicious when used as a filling for donuts and pies.
Recipe
Chocolate Bavarian Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. Kirschwasser (German Cherry Brandy) or water
- 1 ½ tsp. gelatin powder
- 5 egg yolks
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 3.5 oz. dark chocolate 70% high quality i.e. Lindt
- 2 tbsp. dark cocoa powder
Instructions
- Add heavy cream to a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.
- Place Kirschwasser or water to a small heat proof bowl and sprinkle gelatin evenly over the surface. Set aside and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to bloom.
- Add the egg yolks with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla extract to a heat proof bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add about 1-inch of water to a saucepan, that is smaller than your mixing bowl, and bring the water to a light simmer but avoid boiling.
- Place your egg yolk mixture on top and heat to a minimum of 140 F while whisking constantly.
- Chop the chocolate and add it into a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl for 20-30 seconds into the microwave. Stir and place in 15 seconds increments into the microwave until melted.
- Place the gelatin for 15 seconds into the microwave to melt. Mix well, then add to the chocolate and combine.
- Add half of the chocolate to the egg mixture and mix well. Then add the remaining chocolate and mix well again.
- Mix in about ⅓ of the whipped cream and then add fold in the remaining whipped cream in two increments.
- Fill the Bavarian cream into small desert glasses or a bowl and allow to sit refrigerated for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Nutrition
More Creamy German Dessert Recipes
- Herrencreme German vanilla dessert with rum and chocolate shavings
Frequently Asked Questions
Bavarian chocolate some cream is a tender, fluffy dessert that has a subtle, elegant chocolate flavor. It is not as chocolatey as puddings or chocolate mousse. This is why it is used in fine cakes and German Torten, as its flavor does not overpower other flavors but harmonizes well with them.
Bavarian cream and mousse have similar ingredients and the texture is also similar. The biggest difference is that Bavarian cream is made with gelatin while mousse is made without gelatin. Traditionally Bavarian cream is made just with egg yolks. Mousse recipes come in different variations, some call for whole eggs, some for only egg yolks or and some for only egg whites.
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