Chocolate & Amarena Cherry Cake - Recipe by Amber Guinness

Ingredients

125 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
125 g self-raising flour
120 g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
Pinch sea salt
100 g Amarena cherries, roughly chopped
3 Tbs cherry syrup
200 g cherry jam
100 g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten

Topping:

250g fresh ricotta, drained
1 Tbs icing sugar
2 Tbs American cherries, plus 2 Tbs cherry syrup

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F) fan-forced. Butter a 20 cm cake tin or loaf tin and line with baking parchment.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and salt and stir well until completely melted. Stir in the cherries and cherry syrup, then add the sugar and mix in the eggs. Bit by bit, mix in the flour.

With the help of a spatula, pour the batter into the cake tin and bake (without opening the oven door) for 45–50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out cleanish.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave in the tin to cool completely.

While the cake cools, drain the ricotta in a colander to rid it of excess moisture.

Transfer to a bowl and whisk using hand-held electric beaters for about 1 minute, until velvety and smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and whisk again for about a minute, until shiny and smooth.

Once the cake has cooled, transfer it to a serving plate or cake stand, ready for topping. Spoon the ricotta on top of the cake in a heap in the middle, smoothing out the edges with the back of a spoon. Dot the cherries around the top of the cake, then drizzle the cherry syrup over from a height.

Serve in slices, at room temperature.

The cake will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container. If keeping in the fridge, bring up to room temperature before serving.

Credits: Thames & Hudson Australia

Photo Credits: Thames & Hudson Australia