Name: Chocolate Cherry Cake with Mascarpone Cream
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: About 12 slices estimated from 23–24 cm round cake; source does not state serving count
Cuisine: German Inspired
Ingredients: 160 g flour; 40 g cocoa powder; 1.5 tsp baking powder; 4 eggs; Pinch of salt; 1 tsp vanilla sugar; 150 g sugar; 60 ml vegetable oil; 100 ml milk; 100 ml boiling water; 300 g pitted cherries; 100 g sugar for cherry filling; 50 ml water; 25 g cornstarch; 10 g butter, optional; 130 ml cherry juice and water; 60 g sugar for syrup; 1 tsp vanilla sugar for syrup; 1–2 tbsp rum or cherry liqueur, optional; 350 g mascarpone or cream cheese; 1 tsp vanilla sugar for cream; 80 g icing sugar; 250 ml whipping cream (30–36% fat); 30 g chocolate; 30 ml hot cream; Extra cherries or grated chocolate, to decorate

Method

10 steps

Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Prepare a 23–24 cm round cake tin.
Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Beat eggs, vanilla sugar and 150 g sugar for about 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Mix in vegetable oil and milk. Sift in half the dry ingredients and fold gently; sift in the rest and fold until combined.
Slowly stir in boiling water. Pour the thin batter into the tin and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the cherry filling, bring pitted cherries, 100 g sugar and 50 ml water to a simmer; cook for 2–3 minutes. Mix cornstarch with a little cold water, stir it into the cherries and cook for 1–2 minutes until thick. Stir in optional butter and cool.
For the syrup, heat 130 ml cherry juice and water with 60 g sugar and 1 tsp vanilla sugar until dissolved. Add rum or cherry liqueur if desired; cool.
For the mascarpone cream, stir mascarpone with icing sugar and vanilla sugar. Whip the cold cream until firm and fold it into the mascarpone mixture.
Melt 30 g chocolate in 30 ml hot cream to make ganache. Trim the cooled cake top if needed and reserve crumbs for decoration. Split the cake horizontally if desired; brush layers with syrup, add cherry filling and mascarpone cream, then assemble.
Spread ganache over the cake and decorate with cake crumbs, grated chocolate and cherries. Chill until set before serving.