75% Dark Black Forest Gateau

A baked chocolate tart that should be just ever so slightly underbaked for ultimate indulgence. It takes a little while to cook, but is without-a-doubt, worth the wait!

• INGREDIENTS

  Chocolate Sponge:

  • 175g Unsalted Butter

  • 75g 65% Islands Chocolate

  • 300g Plain Flour

  • 375g Caster Sugar

  • 25g Cocoa Powder

  • Pinch of Salt

  • 2 Whole Medium Eggs

  • 1 Tsp Bicarb Soda

  • 200g Buttermilk

  • 100ml Boiling Water

  Cherry & Kirsch Syrup:

  • 1 Tin of Cherries

  • 50g Caster Sugar

  • 10ml Kirsch (Optional for those going alcohol free!)

  Vanilla Chantilly:

  • 600ml Double Cream

  • 65g Icing Sugar

  • 1 Vanilla Pod

  Tempered Chocolate Decorations (300g 75% Islands Chocolate)

  Fresh Cherries for Decoration

• METHOD

  Preheat your oven to 160c. Grease and line two 20cm tins with parchment.

  To make the sponge, melt together your butter and chocolate in a bain marie and set aside to cool.

  Combine all your dry ingredients together and then your buttermilk and eggs together in a separate bowl.

  Once your chocolate mixture has cooled slightly (it should feel just warm to the touch but not hot) add into your egg mixture followed by your dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

  To finish, add your freshly boiled water and mix thoroughly. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 25-28 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

  While your cakes are baking, make your soaking syrup. Drain the tinned cherries, keeping the juices and add to a pan with the caster sugar. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, take off the heat and then add the kirsch. Set aside to cool down.

  Leave everything to cool completely before assembly.

  For the Tempered chocolate shards, temper your chocolate and spread evenly (not too thin) over a line baking tray. Once set, break into shards large enough to cover the sides of the cake.

  To assemble the Gateau, trim the tops of your sponges and soak with the cherry syrup. Take a third of the Chantilly and spread it across one sponge, try to create a border to hold the cherries, spread the tinned cherries across the Chantilly and place the second sponge on top.

  Top the second sponge with the second third of the Chantilly and spread across evenly, you can be as decorated as you like at this point, it’s up to you!

  With the final third of the Chantilly, spread across the sides of the sponge (this will help the shards to stick to the cake) and decorate with your chocolate shards.

  Top the finished Gateau with fresh cherries.