Loaded with two pounds of lightly cooked cherries, topped with a pound of fresh cherries, caramel cream, and fluffy chocolate cake sponge, and finally sprinkled with shaved best-tasting organic chocolate, it’s fair to say that self-control takes a little more effort around this exquisite goodness.
(PS. If you have canned cherries in the juicethat works best; otherwise, make this chunky cherry syrup)
Chocolate Sponge Ingredients:
5large – eggs(room temperature)
1cup(200 g) – organic sugar
1tsp.(5 ml) – baking powder
½tsp.(2.5 ml) – baking soda
3tbsp.(45 ml) – cocoa powder
1cup(125g) – organic all-purpose flour
Cream Ingredients:
5cups(1200 ml) – heavy cream
½can (165 g) – Dulce de Leche
1lb.(454 g) - fresh cherries to top the cake
½- Chocolate bar
Instructions
Chunky Cherry Syrup Instructions:
Cut each cherry in half, remove cherry pits, and place them into a small pot. Add sugar and bring to a boil on high, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the stove top and cool completely.
Chocolate Sponge Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Sift dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a small bowl. Combine and set aside.
Beat eggs and sugar on high-speed for 5 minutes.
Add dry ingredients into egg mixture in two separate additions, stirring very carefully not to deflate too many air bubbles.
Bake the sponge for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, then spring pan and cool completely.
Slice cooled sponge in half.
Remove the softness of the sponge in chunks, leaving the crisp outer shell intact.
Set the sponge pieces aside until ready for use.
Cream Instructions:
Beat heavy cream just until it thickens. Add ½ can Dulce de Leche and beat just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 15-20 seconds (do not over mix). Reserve ⅓ of the cream and place it in a separate bowl for the outer coating.
Strain the chunky cherry syrup. Set aside until ready for use.
Add sponge pieces into the cream and mix them in until just combined (try to keep the sponge pieces not mashed). Then add strained cherries and mix just until combined. Do not over mix to keep sponge pieces and cherries large and visible in the end-result.
Cake Assembling Instructions:
Soak the top and bottom cake crusts with the reserved strained cherry syrup.
Place the bottom of the sponge cake onto a cake platter. Pack all of the cream/sponge/cherry fillings and cover with the top crust of the cake sponge. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the reserved cream.
Grace the cake a with the one-pound pile of fresh cherries. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with chocolate shavings. (I use a potato peeler to shave the chocolate bar.) Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight for best results.