Ingredients
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8 ounces milk chocolate candy bars
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1 cup canned dark sweet pitted cherries, drained and juice reserved
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2 tablespoons kirsch or 2 tablespoons Cointreau liqueur
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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2/3 cup cherry juice, from canned cherries
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6 eggs, at room temperature
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1 cup granulated sugar
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring
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1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
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2/3 cup sweet butter or 2/3 cup margarine, melted
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1/3 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- GARNISH:
- Using a vegetable parer, scrape across chocolate to make curls; refrigerate until needed. Loosely grate remainder of chocolate bar and refrigerate until ready to garnish.
- GLAZED CHERRIES:
- Combine cherries with kirsch; let stand 1 hour. In small saucepan, mix cornstarch with cherry juice. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; simmer 5 minutes until thickened. Let cool; add cherries and stir well to mix.
- CAKE:
- Prepare three 8-inch-diameter layer-cake pans by greasing and flouring.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In large bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs at high speed until light. Add 1 cup granulated sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Beat 10 minutes or until very thick. Add vanilla.
- Sift sifted flour with cocoa; fold into egg mixture in fourths, using a wire whisk or rubber spatula. Fold in butter, in fourths, until just combined. Gently turn into prepared pans. Bake 15 minutes or until surface springs back when pressed with finger.
- Place pans on wire rack and cool 5 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.
- SYRUP:
- In a small saucepan, stir granulated sugar and ½ cup water over medium heat to dissolve sugar. Bring to boil and boil 5 minutes. Cool, and stir in kirsch.
- ASSEMBLE CAKE:
- Using a skewer, make several holes in each cake layer; drizzle syrup over layers.
- Beat heavy cream with confectioners’ sugar until stiff.
- Invert one cake layer onto serving plate; spread with glazed cherries; top with 1 cup whipped cream. Top with second layer and 1 cup cream.
- Add top cake layer; spread side and top of cake with whipped cream, decorating with 12 whipped-cream rosettes around top edge. Refrigerate cake.
- Just before serving, arrange chocolate curls on top of cake and sprinkle side of cake with grated chocolate.