Chocolate cake with sour cherry ganache

SERVES 12 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

670g pitted morello cherries in syrup 360g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped coarsely

250g butter, chopped

3 eggs

1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar 250g sour cream

2 cups (240g) almond meal

1 cup (135g) gluten-free self-raising flour

¾ cup (165g) firmly packed brown sugar, extra

CHOCOLATE CHERRY GANACHE

1 cup (250ml) pouring cream

200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped finely

1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fanforced). Grease a 20cm round cake pan; line base and side with baking paper. Drain cherries, reserving ½ cup (125ml) juice for cake batter, ¾ cup for the Ganache and remaining juice and cherries for syrup.

2 Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch water); stir until melted and smooth.

3 Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sour cream, chocolate mixture, almond meal, flour and reserved ½ cup cherry juice. Beat for 30 seconds or until smooth and combined.

4 Pour batter into cake pan. Bake for 40 minutes, cover cake with foil, cook for a further 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with soft sticky crumbs and cake is puffed with a few small cracks. Stand cake, covered, to cool completely in the pan.

5 CHOCOLATE CHERRY GANACHE

Bring reserved ¾ cup cherry juice and cream almost to the boil in a small saucepan; add chocolate, stir until melted and smooth. Stand until thickened to a coating consistency.

6 Combine remaining syrup and cherries in a small saucepan with the extra sugar. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 6 minutes or until thickened. Cool.

7 Spread Ganache evenly over top of cooled cake, allowing some to drip down the side. Serve with reduced syrup and cherries.

Uniced cake suitable to freeze.

Not suitable to microwave.