Chocolate, cherries and cream – what’s not to like! Put your baking skills to the test and rustle up this German dessert that’s guaranteed to impress friends and family.
Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin with nonstick baking paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, flour, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder and Kirsch (if using) until smooth; usually 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the milk if the mixture looks a little dry then fold in the cherries.
Spoon into the prepared cake tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean from the centre of the cake. Remove when ready and allow to cool on a wire rack before turning out from the tin to cool completely.
Meanwhile, whip 200ml (7fl oz) double cream until it forms soft peaks. Spread all over the sides and top of the cake when it is cool and dust with 1 tbsp of icing sugar. Sprinkle the shaved chocolate all over the cake on the sides and top so that it sticks to the cream.
Whip the remaining icing sugar, Kirsch (if using) and cream together until it forms soft peaks and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 3cm star nozzle. Pipe 5-6cm wide swirls of the cream all around the perimeter of the top of the cake. Arrange a maraschino cherry on top of each swirl.
Dust the the cake with the remaining tablespoon of the icing sugar and transfer the cake to a serving plate.
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As part of a healthy balanced diet, we recommend this recipe for a special occasion or treat.