Chocolate and cherry cake
Ingredients:
For the biscuit:
120 g flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
6 eggs
200 g sugar
½ cup of ground almonds
½ teaspoon of natural vanilla extract
100 g of dark chocolate
2-3 tablespoons of plain cocoa
For the cream:
22-25 fresh cherries, pitted
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of cherry liqueur (or other)
45 g of tapioca pearls
450 ml of coconut (or cow’s) milk
400 g of mascarpone
4 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 sachet of vanilla sugar
To soak the cake:
Coconut milk
Cherry liqueur
Agave syrup
Finish:
250 g of dark chocolate
Fresh cherries
Preparation:
In a deep bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks with a pinch of salt. Work with an electric mixer at maximum speed. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the sugar from the list and beat for another 2 minutes.
In another bowl, cream the yolks with the remaining sugar, then fold them gently into the whites. Gradually add the almonds, vanilla, cocoa and flour sifted with the baking powder. Finally, pour in the chocolate (melted in a bain-marie and slightly cooled) and always stir gently.
Line a large baking dish with parchment paper and pour in a third of the mixture. Spread it in a round shape with a diameter of about 18 cm (draw a circle on the reverse side of the paper to guide you). Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack. Repeat the same 2 more times with the remaining 2/3 of the dough.
For the cream, combine the pitted cherries, sugar and liqueur in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in the tapioca and coconut milk. Cook gently until thick cream or about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Then stir in the whipped mascarpone with the icing sugar and vanilla sugar.
In a cup, make some sort of sweet coconut milk to soak the cake with it, adjusting the proportions to taste.
Cut the 3 flat cakes giving them the same width and height (if necessary). Place the first cookie on a cake platter or a nice large dish. Soak with coconut syrup. Spread 1/3 of the cream on top in an even layer. Place the second cake on the cream, soak and coat with cream. Do the same with the last cake and the remaining cream. Refrigerate.
Cut a soft but thick plastic pastry sheet to match the perimeter of the cake and its height plus 2 cm. Melt 2/3 of the chocolate in a double boiler, then temper with the remaining 1/3 (off the heat). Spread the chocolate on the pastry sheet and smooth so as to cover it 100% (scrape back any spilts). Leave to set without moving the sheet. Then carefully lift the chocolate sheet and fold it around the cake. Press lightly to make it stick.
Return the cake to the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens (preferably overnight).
The next day, carefully peel off the pastry film and decorate to taste.