Rich Chocolate Cherry Cake

Prep Time: 20 mins  

Cook Time: 1 hr

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Cake:

  • ½ cup (50g) Cocoa
  • ¾ cup (180ml) Boiling water
  • 180g Soft butter or MeadowLea Margarine spread
  • 1 cup (220g) Caster Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 (59g) Eggs
  • 1¾ cups (260g) White Wings Self Raising Flour
  • ½ tsp Bicarbonate Soda
  • 200g Sour Cream

Frosting:

  • 1 cups (320g) Icing sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Cocoa
  • 20g Soft butter or MeadowLea margarine spread
  • 2-3 Tbsp Boiling Water

Topping:

  • 160ml Pure Cream
  • 425g Pitted black Cherries

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C for fan-forced. Grease and line base and side of a deep, round 20cm cake pan or springform pan with baking paper. Combine cocoa and boiling water in a heatproof jug, stirring until smooth; cool.
  2. Place butter or margarine, sugar and vanilla into a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda together and add to butter mixture; add the cocoa mixture and sour cream. Using a wooden spoon, stir until smooth.
  3. Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan. Smooth top. Bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, cut the cake in half horizontally.
  4. To make frosting, sift icing sugar and cocoa into a small bowl. Stir in the butter and enough water to make a smooth, spreadable mixture. Spread frosting on the bottom cake layer. 
  5. Drain canned cherries very well, scatter them over frosting and replace top cake layer.
  6. Whip cream to soft peaks and spread over top layer. Decorate with fresh cherries.
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