- 8
Ingredients
- Chocolate Sponge Cake
- 9 extra large eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- Cherry Filling
- 25 ounce can Morello cherries in kirsch syrup, or syrup plus 3 tbsp kirsch
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, grated
- 3 8" cake pans buttered and bottoms lined with parchment
Preparation
Step 1
For cake:
Put egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and beat until very thick and mousse-like when the beaters are lifted. Sift the cocoa onto the mixture and fold in with a large metal spoon.
Put the eggwhites into a clean bowl and beat to stiff peaks. Fold into to yolk mixture in three batches.
Divide the mixture into 3 pans and bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 20-25 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed. Let cool before inverting and removing parchment paper.
For cherries:
Drain the cherries in a strainer and save the syrup. You will need 7 tbsp of syrup. Lie cherries on paper towels and reserve 12 cherries to decorate.
Set one of the cooled sponge cakes onto a serving plate and sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the kirsch syrup.
Put the cream into a clean bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Sprinkle the sugar over the cream and whip until slightly thicker. Set aside half the cream to cover the cake. Spread half of the remaining cream onto the bottom layer of sponge cake.
Press half the cherries into the cream. Sprinkle the second sponge cake with kirsch syrup as before. Lay on top of bottom layer. Spread with cream and top with cherries as before.
Top with remaining sponge cake and sprinkle with remaining kirsch syrup. Cover the top and sides of cake with cream and decorate with remaining cherries. Chill until ready to serve. Best eaten within 48 hours.