A triumph!!!!! When I took the sponges out of the oven, my knees were trembling, when I put the cake together, I clapped my hands like one mentally challenged, was so pleased with myself!!!

The recipe comes from Good Food, followed a long search for kirsch, I finally settled for some cherry brandy from Tesco.

First, the cocoa sponges, really good recipe, I will remember it. I used 225 g of softened butter, same amount of caster sugar, 4 whole eggs, 160 g of self raising flour,  65 g of cocoa powder and half a tsp of baking powder all got mixed together, lovingly flufffed up and poured into 2 tins, buttered and lined up with baking paper. They baked for about 30 mins in 190 degrees. The smell that filled the kitchen was magnificent, sweet and chocolatey.

For the cherry filling I used a 340 g jar of morello cherry jam, 2 packets of soured cherries, 80 g each and a good slosh of cherry brandy, about 4 spoons. I cooked it all slowly for about 10 minutes while the sponges rose in the oven, then left to cool. Finally I whipped the cream with icing sugar and lemon juice. When the sponges were cool and rested, I sliced the thicker one and soaked all 2 of them with cherry brandy. I will be more generous next time though, couldn’t really taste it that much, I would have liked some more booze I think. The cherry filling went on, then the cream, the sponge, same again, on the top the cream, grated bitter chocolate and fresh cherries. I freaking loved the way it looked when I finished. It must be the best looking cake I’ve ever made, taste- wise 9 out of 10. More booze and it would have been 10.

Happy!!!!! 🙂