Black Forest Christmas gateau

A spectacular woodland wonder that’s as delicious to eat as it is to look at!

SERVES 12 PREP 1hr 30min, plus cooling and chilling COOK about 1hr 15min

FOR THE CAKE

• 150g butter, melted

• 4 large eggs, separated

• 275g caster sugar

• 200g plain flour

• 25g cornflour

• 50g cocoa powder

• 1tsp baking powder

FOR THE FILLING

• 425g tin cherries in syrup

• 11/2tbsp Kirsch, optional

• 300ml double cream

• 2tbsp icing sugar, sifted

FOR THE GANACHE

• 150g milk chocolate

• 100ml double cream

TO DECORATE

• 2 medium fridge-cold eggs (or use 1 and repeat process)

• About 100g dark chocolate, chopped

• About 100g white chocolate, chopped

• Rose leaves, washed and dried

• A few Flake chocolate bars

• Fresh cherries, optional

Preheat oven to 180ºc (160ºc fan) mark 4. Use a little of the melted butter to grease the base and sides of a deep 20.5cm round cake tin, then line with baking parchment.

Put the egg yolks, caster sugar and 100ml cold water into a freestanding mixer and beat until the mixture is very thick and leaves a trail that lasts for 3sec when you lift out the whisk – about 8min.

Meanwhile, into a separate bowl, sift the plain flour, cornflour, cocoa powder and baking powder.

Pour the melted butter around the edge of the egg yolk mixture, then quickly fold in with a large metal spoon. Next, fold in the flour mixture (being careful not to knock out

too much air). Whisk the egg whites (in a clean bowl and with a clean whisk) until stiff, then fold the whites into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 1hr or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Take out of tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

5 Meanwhile, make the decorations. Start with the toadstools: wrap the chilled eggs in clingfilm, leaving a twisted tail of clingfilm at the pointy end of the egg. Melt the dark and white chocolates separately and dip/paint the rounded base and halfway up one egg in dark chocolate

(it should set quickly because the egg is cold). Repeat with the other egg, using the white chocolate. When set, dip/paint each egg in another layer in the same colour. Allow to set, then dip/paint one final layer. Using a cocktail stick, add contrasting-coloured chocolate dots to each shell. Then, using the twisted clingfilm tail, secure the egg in the fridge (chocolate down) or place (chocolate up) in an egg box and chill.

6 Next, lay out the leaves on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Use the remaining dark and white chocolate (re-melt if necessary) to paint the base of each leaf (on the non-shiny side). Chill until set (chocolate up), then repeat process twice more. Chill until completely set.

7 When the cake is completely cold, trim the top to flatten.

Cut cake into 3 even horizontal layers using a large serrated knife. Drain the cherry syrup into a pan (set cherries aside). Bring the syrup to the boil and simmer until you have 100ml

remaining. Meanwhile, slice the cherries in ½. Add the Kirsch, if using, to the reduced syrup. While still hot, brush the Kirsch syrup over the cut surface of each layer (including the base of the top and one side of the middle layer). Use all the syrup.

8 For the filling, lightly whip the cream and icing sugar until the cream holds its shape. Spread ½ over the base tier of the cake, then scatter over ½ the cherries. Lay on the middle tier of cake and repeat with cream, cherries and top tier of cake. Transfer to a cake stand or plate.

9 For the ganache, whizz the milk chocolate in a food processor until finely chopped (or finely chop by hand), then empty into a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until bubbles appear around the edge, then pour into the chocolate bowl and stir to combine. When smooth, spread over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the sides.

10 To decorate, set aside sections of Flake to make the stems of the toadstools, then crush and scatter some more over the top of the iced cake. Carefully peel the leaves away from the chocolate, and remove the chocolate toadstool caps from the eggs (peel off the clingfim). Use some of the ganache (or some melted chocolate) to fix lengths of Flake to the bases of the toadstool caps. Arrange the leaves, toadstools and fresh cherries, if using, over the top of the cake.

PER SERVING (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE DECORATIONS) CALS 563; FAT 35G; SAT FAT 21G; CARBS 54G