CHERRY RIPPLE BLACK FOREST CAKE

SERVES 14 . PREP 40 MINS. COOK 1 HR 30 MINS

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 200g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar

• 200g dark cooking chocolate, melted, cooled

• 2 eggs

• 190g (1 ¼ cups) self-raising flour

• 55g (½ cup) almond meal

• 125ml (½ cup) buttermilk

• 30g (¼ cup) cocoa powder

• 300ml double cream

• 250ml (1 cup) thickened cream

Method

1 Preheat oven to 160C/140C fan forced. Grease a 20cm round cake pan with melted butter. Line the base and side with baking paper.

2 Use electric beaters to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Beat in the melted chocolate and eggs. Fold in the flour, almond meal, buttermilk and cocoa until well combined. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan to cool slightly before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.

3 For the choc-cherry sauce, stir all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes or until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

4 Use electric beaters to beat the combined cream in a large bowl until firm peaks form. Fold in the jam to create a swirled effect. Cut the cake horizontally into 3 even layers. Place the cake base on a plate and brush the cut surface with half the bourbon. Spoon over half the cream mixture and sprinkle with half the cherries. Top with another cake layer. Repeat with the remaining bourbon, cream mixture and cherries. Top with the remaining cake layer.

5 Drizzle choc-cherry sauce over cake. Top with chocolate curls.