Ingredients:

For the cake:

6 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

½ cup unsalted butter

¼ tsp salt

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup flour – 2 tbsp

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

For the cherry filling: 

1 cup cherry compote

½ cup liquid from the canned cherries

For the whipped cream: 

400 ml cream (25% fat, I used Amul)

5 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

For decorating:

canned cherries

chocolate curls/ shavings

Method:

For the cherry filling:

I liquidized my cherry compote (pitted cherries + sugar + lemon juice + a little cornstarch cooked till the syrup thickens slightly) and the liquid from the canned cherries.

You can keep aside the cherries needed for decoration and chop up the remaining cherries. In a pan, put some sugar (according to taste and depending on how sweet the cherries are), the chopped up cherries, the water in which the cherries were preserved, and bring to a boil. When this has reduced a bit, add some cornstarch (about a tbsp or so mixed 32 tbsp water) and allow to thicken Take off the heat, allow to cool and use in the cake.

For the whipped cream:

Refrigerate the cream for about 12 to 24 hours till really thick. Pour into a chilled steel bowl, add the sugar and vanilla essence, and beat with an electric mixer till it forms stiff peaks which hold their shape. This will take between 6 to 10 minutes. Refrigerate till ready to use. Do this about an hour before you are ready to use the whipped cream.

For the cake: 

Melt the butter and cocoa powder over hot water and mix well. Cool till it is lukewarm but of pouring consistency.

In another bowl beat the egg yolk and sugar, using a electric beater, over hot ware till it is pale, creamy and increases in volume. This will take about 2 minutes.

In a third clean and stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites and salt till they form soft peaks.

Sift the flour and baking powder onto the egg yolks and then pour the chocolate mixture also into this bowl. Do not mix. Add one third of the beaten egg whites to the bowl and stir lightly into the batter. The add the remaining beaten egg whites to the batter and fold carefully making sure everything is well mixed.

Pour into a well greased cake tin. Bake at 180C for about 35 minutes tiil the top of the cake springs back when touched. Do not overbake.

Assembling the cake:

After the cake has cooled a bit, remove from the tin and neatly cut it into 3 layers horizontally.

Place the top most layer of the cake on your serving plate, with the cut side facing up. Spread one half of the cherry filling on this layer. The use ¼ of the whipped cream and spread it over this. Place the middle layer over this.

Spread the remaining cherry filling over this layer too. Spread another ¼ of the whipped cream over this. Now place the bottom most layer on top with the under side facing up. Keep aside some of the whipped cream for decorating and spread the rest of the cream on the top and sides of the cake and smoothen it out.