Chocolate, cherry & Amaretto cream cake
This is a bit of a riff on the classic Black Forest gâteau. And classics are classics for a reason. Chocolate and cherries will always be great friends, and pour in some sweet Amaretto, add a feather-light sponge and lots of fresh cream and you’ve got yourself a winner. This can easily be dressed up with candles or even sparklers to be a proper celebration cake. A good one to bring along when you want to impress.
Tip: the sponge can be made 2 days ahead, and the cherries 5 days ahead, and stored in the fridge. The finished cake needs to be stored in the fridge due to the fresh cream.
This recipe is an extract from I'll Bring Dessert: Simple, Sweet Recipes for Every Occasion by Benjamina Ebuehi (Quadrille). Image credit Laura Edwards.
Next, why not try more recipes from Benjamina Ebuehi from the House & Garden recipe archive?
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 10-12
Ingredients
Ingredients
For the cherries
For the chocolate frosting
For the cream
Preparation
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan/ 375°F/gas mark 5). Line a 30 x 20-cm (12 x 8-in) Swiss roll (jelly roll) pan with baking paper.
Step 2
To make the cake, sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together and set aside. Add the eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high speed for 4–5 minutes until the eggs are really thick and pale and doubled in size. You want the eggs to get to ribbon stage – when you lift the whisk attachment, the eggs should leave a trail on the surface before disappearing.
Step 3
Sift the flour onto the eggs in 2 batches, being very gentle to fold it in after each addition. Pockets of flour like to hide at the bottom, so make sure it’s fully combined without knocking out too much air.
Step 4
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20–25 minutes until the surface looks dry and puffy. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
Step 5
Add all the ingredients for the cherries except the Amaretto to a small pan and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 5–6 minutes until the cherries look syrupy. Remove from the heat, stir in the Amaretto and set aside to cool.
Step 6
To make the frosting, add all the ingredients to a clean pan and heat gently until melted, stirring occasionally.
Step 7
Pour it into a bowl and let it cool for a few hours until it thickens to a spreadable consistency. You can speed this up by placing it in the fridge and stirring every so often.
Step 8
Make the cream by adding the cream, sour cream, vanilla and icing sugar to a bowl and whipping until you have stiff peaks.
Step 9
When you’re ready to assemble, slice the cake in half lengthways and place it straight on the plate or board you’ll serve it on. Spoon the syrup from the cherries onto each cake, letting it completely soak into the sponge. Fold half of the cherries into the cream before spooning it onto the base cake and top with the remaining cherries.
Step 10
Place the second cake on top, then spoon and spread the frosting over the top and sides. Top with chocolate shavings, extra cherries and crushed amaretti biscuits.
