Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder, combined with 1/2 cup hot water
2 teaspoons baking powder
Ganache:
150 grams dark chocolate
1/2 cup cream
1 can pitted cherries (morello or similar), drained and halved
3 cups thickened cream, whipped
Cake:
Preheat oven to 160C / 350F.
Grease and flour 2 x 20cm / 8inch pans.
Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer to form a smooth dough.
Transfer mixture to the baking pans and bake for 25 minutes. The top of the cakes should be soft to touch.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Ganache:
Mix chocolate and 1/4 cup of cream in a saucepan over low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat when chocolate is melted. Stir until cream is incorporated. Cool.
Assembly:
Place one layer of cake on a serving plate.
Spread half the ganache over the bottom later, leaving a 2cm/1inch border.
Place the cherries on the ganache.
Spoon half the whipped cream over the cherries and top with 2nd layer of cake.
Add remaining 1/4cup cream to the ganache and stir to combine.
Add half of the ganache to the remaining cream and swirl unevenly. Spread over sides and top of cake to cover.
Spoon remaining ganache on top of cake and lightly swirl.
butter sweet symphony 