I’ve always spied the desserts at Sommerfest in Epcot’s Germany with envy. Apple Strudel, Bavarian cheesecake, and…Black Forest Cake Roulade! For any cherry and chocolate lover (like yours truly), this was a must-try…
Atmosphere
Located just off to the side of Germany’s picturesque cobblestone town square, Sommerfest has all the look and feel of a 16th century German town. You will feel like you’ve left Florida behind as you walk among the buildings, smell the sausages and sauerkraut, and hear the polka music wafting in.
There are a few tables inside, but this is a great spot to grab a bite and eat outside al fresco style.
Eats
Sommerfest really is a hidden gem among the counter service options in World Showcase. You can choose from a couple of sausages (Bratwurst or Frankfurther), both served German-style with sauerkraut. And those lovely hand-twisted pretzels (NOT the same as the other Disney soft pretzels, mind you) is also an option.
But today was the day I was finally going to indulge in that Black Forest Cake Roulade I’d been eying for a year or so.
A rolled cake, sandwiched together with whipped cream around a cherry compote, and then covered in chocolate flakes. You totally want to dig in, right?
The outside was coated with a chocolate ganache glaze before being finished with dark chocolate shavings, which was 1.) pretty and 2.) offered a nice contrast of textures to the cake’s softer inside layers.
The bit of cherry filling was fantastic. I love the chocolate/fruit combination, so this was a winner for me.
And who doesn’t like cherry pie filling? And that’s pretty much what this was, except more homemade with less “canned” gelatinous-ness about it.
Overall
The cake on this one was a little dry, and the flavor wasn’t as chocolatey as I would have liked. The fact that it was thin and layered equally with a nice helping of whipped cream balanced out the dryness a bit.
The real superstar here, though, was that cherry filling. I could totally go for some more of that.
If you love snacking your way around the World, be sure to check out our ultra guide to snacks at Epcot, The DFB Mini-Guide to Epcot Snacks! In it we cover over 100 incredible Epcot snacks, including this roulade.
Have you tried the desserts from Sommerfest? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought!
A friend and I found the same thing when it came to our Roulade as well a few years back. Sounds like not much has changed since 2009, which is sad because this could EASILY be a premiere dessert!
J. Darling — I actually didn’t think it was that bad, but the cake was a bit dry.
It looks really good. I too notice the desserts people are eating here, typically while waiting on Biergarten reservations. Never taken the opportunity to try anything — after feasting on the Biergarten buffet (and a couple of liters) there’s never a mood for anything else, lol.
Sorry, but I don’t think there’s anything that will make me stray from the pretzels there. Oh. my. goodness. BEST pretzel I’ve ever had, hands down. And the last time I was in WDW, I was not a beer drinker at all, and I even liked the beer with the pretzel. Can’t wait for another beer-pretzel break now that I actually enjoy a good beer!
They used to have the most awesome Black Forest Cherry Torte cake at Sommerfest- it was a giant piece of chocolate goodness with layers of whipped cream and the cherry filling. It was so moist and a huge helping (I was embarrassed to have eaten the whole piece by myself!). I was so disappointed when they changed to this roulade. I thought it was dry and didn’t have the decadence of the cake. I don’t even bother with this dessert anymore
Hi
We were at International Food & Wine Epcot Nov. 2012. Ordered this cake, surprised at it was not a roulande, meaning roll from my childhood I remembered. It was served normal layer cake style. The filling contained marscopne, whipping cream and fine ricotta in that order. The cherries were black in a heavy syrup, reduced in kircsh. Do not be fooled by the recipe listed on Disney-this is how I get my recipes, by eating 2 slices.
Oops, forgot to mention the cake was amazing. It featured the syrup poured on each layer-dark so I did not photo. The pretzels in caramel et chocolate also yum.