Chocolate Cherry Cake

Ingredients

• 6 Eggs
• 175 g sugar
• 150 g flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 140 g dark chocolate
• 90 g butter
• 500 ml whipping cream (at least 30% fat)
• 400 g chopped dark chocolate (min. 60% cocoa content)
• 400 g fresh ripe sweet cherries
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• Chocolate shavings (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) with top and bottom heat. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks and sugar with an electric hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour, but do not mix yet. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt into stiff peaks.

2. 2.

   Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler and fold in the butter pieces. Add the flour and melted chocolate to the yolk mixture and stir. Fold in one-third of the beaten egg whites, then gently fold in the rest. Pour the batter into a greased springform pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Release from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least an hour.

3. 3.

   Heat the cream in a saucepan over low heat, do not boil. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Remove from heat and whisk until the chocolate is fully dissolved. Chill in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours until completely cold. Wash and pit the cherries.

4. 4.

   Just before serving, whip the cold chocolate cream with vanilla sugar and an electric hand mixer until thick and frothy. Slice the cooled sponge horizontally into three even layers. Spread one-third of the chocolate cream on the bottom layer and top with cherries.

5. 5.

   Place the second layer on top, spread another third of the cream, and add more cherries. Top with the final layer, gently press the cake together with a flat hand, and spread the remaining cream over the top. Garnish with leftover cherries and chocolate shavings before serving.