S.H.MOULANA
RIYADH it was my second grandson, Adel’s birthday on the 2nd of January, the issue in question was what cake
he would like to have on the table. Then I told him about my trip to Germany with his grandma, nearly a
decade and half ago and about the advice I received from a German Food & Beverage manager, in a five
star hotel, I worked for in Riyadh then. His advice covered all the important places we should visit and the
food we should not miss etc. One of the highlighted places in the list was a place called Black Forest. This
is a wooded mountain region in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg in South-western Germany. It is
bordered by the Rhine Valley to the west and south. The highest peak is Feldberg with an elevation of 1493
meters. And one of the highlighted delicacies, in the list, was Black Forest cake in a restaurant called ‘Memelsee’
at Black Forest. Black Forest cake is an easy and delicious version of an old favourite. This is like a lot of
steps but more of them are difficult. It takes time to make. It is a gem among sweet recipes for kids and a German
dessert with chocolate cake layers covered with whipped cream and cherries.
Finishing our grueling expedition in Black Forest on a rainy day, we entered a restaurant called Memelsee for our Black
Forest cake. We ordered two portions for both of us and to our surprise the cakes were served dinner plates instead of
dessert plates.The portions were so huge and we were looking at each other’s faces as to how we could manage to finish them
and top it up with a hot coffee. What a wonder! It just vanished into thin air! We later realized that it was purely
our mistake to measure its class with what we have been eating elsewhere. When we got back to our hotel in
Frankfurt, our first job was to call the German Food & Beverage manager in Riyadh to thank him for the best
Black Forest cake we had in our life. Our mouths still water whenever our thoughts are taken back to Black Forest
So, what birthday cake my second grandson, Adel, should have on his birthday was decided instantly. Surely,
it will not be from Black Forest but it is a Black Forest cake, from one the nearby reputed bakers!
