Paying homage to the 1980s Black Forest gateaux here. There was no reason to make a cake, I just fancied it! I am cutting it in to small slices for peoples lunch boxes.
Chocolate and cherry are always great friends. What I have found is that I did initially buy frozen cherries. But because the dark chocolate is such a strong flavour they don’t really pack a punch. I prefer in this instance to use a fresh, good quality variety with that really sweet / sour taste which works amazingly
Top tips
- Mix the cherries in at the end with a spoon carefully. Or plop them in over the top of the batter once in the tin
- Use a potato peeler to make chocolate curls. Grab a chocolate bar and peep the side of it
- Make the ganache in the microwave
100 g dark chco melted
100g chocolate chips white or dark
200 g soft butter
200 g dark brown sugar
300g self raising flour
4 eggs
220g of fresh stoned cherries
25g cocoa powder
50ml milk
Preheat the oven to 189 degrees centigrade
Place your butter and sugar into a mixer or you can do by hand or with a hand beater. Beat until light coloured.
Then add your eggs and whisk
Pour in the remaining dry ingredient and mix well
Then add your melted chocolate beat well
Mix in your cherries gently, or pop them in once you have poured the batter in to a tin.
Line a 23cm springform cake tin
Pour your batter in
Place in the oven for 45 – 50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. It can come out with cherry on or melted chocolate from the chips but not batter you will be able to tell.
Once cooked leave to cool.
For the ganache
60g of 60 percent cocoa solids chocolate
60g double cream
Place it in a microwave dish and put on full power for 20 seconds and then stir keep going thereafter with 5 second bursts, stirring each time until melted
Pour the ganache on top spreading with a spatula
If you wish curl some chocolate on the top to decorate
