INGREDIENTS
For the sponge:
100g softened butter (with extra for greasing)
200ml milk
50ml double cream
1tbsp red wine vinegar
100g plain chocolate
50g cocoa powder, sifted
300g self raising flour, sifted
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
225g golden caster sugar
2 whole eggs
For the icing:
225g plain chocolate
100g butter
140ml double cream
For the cherry syrup:
200g fresh cherries, stoned
150ml Kirsch
2tbsp sugar
Squeeze of lime juice
To serve:
Punnet of clotted cream
Recipe continues
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 20cm cake tin and line with baking paper.
Mix the milk, vinegar and double cream in a bowl. Place all the other cake ingredients into a large mixing bowl, pour into the wet ingredients and beat with an electric hand whisk until smooth.
Pour cake mixture into cake tin and bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool, then remove from tin and place on a cooling rack.
For the icing, melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie, then beat in the cream.
For the cherry syrup, stone the cherries add them to a pan with the kirsch, sugar and lime juice. Boil until it the sugar has dissolved and it’s reduced to a rich syrup. Allow to cool.
Cut the cake in half and drizzle the syrup over both of the cut sides. Spread the icing on top of the syrup, sandwich the cake together and spread the rest over the entire cake.
Serve a slice with dollop of clotted cream.