Black Forest Cake

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Grease three 20 cm (8-inch) cake pans with butter and line them with parchment paper.

Step 2: Sift the cocoa and plain flour into a bowl and set aside.

Step 3: Beat the eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6 using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or use a hand beater.

Step 4: With the beater still running, slowly pour in the sugar over 45 seconds, then add the vanilla.

Step 5: Beat for 7 minutes more on speed 8, or until the mixture is pale and has tripled in volume. Do not shorten this step; the whipped eggs help the cake rise, and the recipe does not use baking powder.

Step 6: Add the flour and cocoa mixture to the batter. Fold it in gently with a spatula until just combined; a few streaks of flour are fine. Take care not to knock out the air bubbles.

Step 7: Add the butter and fold gently until just combined. Stop stirring once no flour is visible.

Step 8: Pour the batter into the three prepared pans. It should be fairly thin and pourable.

Step 9: Bake for 25 minutes, until the cakes spring back to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Step 10: Remove the cakes from the oven. Cool them in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack to cool completely.

Step 11: Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid.

Step 12: Measure 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the reserved cherry juice and mix it with the cornflour to make a slurry. Set aside.

Step 13: Set a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add the sugar and another 1/3 cup of reserved juice. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the cornflour slurry and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until it thickens into a thin syrup.

Tip: Keep the syrup thin enough to soak into the cake layers.

Step 14: Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the kirsch. Pour the syrup over the drained cherries and let them cool completely before using.

Step 15: Break the chocolate into pieces and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt gently in three 20-second bursts, stirring between each burst.

Step 16: Pour the melted chocolate over the back of a baking pan and spread it as thinly as possible with a spatula. Refrigerate for 3–4 minutes, until the centre is just set.

Step 17: Using a sharp, straight edge, such as a bench scraper, spatula or the back of a knife, hold it at a 45-degree angle and scrape along the pan, moving away from you to form curls. Test a small patch first. If the chocolate is too hard and curls break or flake, let it soften slightly and try again. If it is too soft and the curls sag instead of rolling, refrigerate it longer to firm up.

Step 18: If curls are difficult to make, scrape the chocolate into shavings instead.

Step 19: Carefully transfer the curls to a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 20: Just before assembling the cake, put the cream, icing sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip on high for about 5 minutes, until pretty stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.

Step 21: Place one cake layer upside down on a serving platter.

Step 22: Brush the cake layer with 1/4 cup of the cherry syrup in which the cherries are soaking.

Step 23: Spread 1 cup of whipped cream over the layer, leaving a 1 cm (1/2-inch) border. The next cake layer will press the cream out to the edge.

Step 24: Top the cream with half the cherries in a single layer. Drain them well with a slotted spoon, but do not pat them dry.

Step 25: Add another cake layer. Brush it with 1/4 cup syrup, spread with 1 cup cream, then add the remaining cherries. Place the third cake layer on top.

Step 26: Reserve 1 1/2 cups of whipped cream for piping. Spread the remaining cream over the top and sides of the cake. Pipe dollops around the top edge using a large star-tipped nozzle, and top each dollop with a maraschino cherry.

Step 27: Pile the large chocolate curls in the middle of the cake. Use the smaller broken shavings to coat the bottom of the sides: with cold hands, scoop up the shavings and press them onto the cake.

Step 28: Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, so the flavours develop and the syrup soaks into the cake.

Step 29: Remove the cake from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving, keeping in mind that the cream can soften on hot days. Slice and serve.