Chocolate nemesis with kirsch-soaked cherries and crème fraîche

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 140˚C/120˚C fan-assisted/gas mark 2. Grease a 20cm cake tin with plenty of butter and line the bottom with some baking parchment. 
2. Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a large heatproof bowl with the butter. Place over a saucepan with boiling water and gently melt together.
3. In a food mixer, whisk the eggs with the 125g of sugar until it quadruples in size.
4. In a separate saucepan, make a sugar syrup by heating the 250g of sugar with a splash of water, enough to cover and gently dissolve the sugar. Boil for about five minutes. The bubbles with get bigger and the syrup will become thicker. Remove from the heat. Boil a full kettle of water.
5. Once the butter and chocolate have melted, add the hot sugar syrup and gently stir. 
6. Turn down the whisk on the food mixer and slowly pour the hot chocolate mix onto the eggs. Whisk until combined.
7. Pour the cake mixture into the tin, tap out any air bubbles by banging on the worktop. Put into a large roasting dish with deep sides (you may want to wrap the bottom of your cake tin with foil). Pour the boiling water from the kettle around the cake tin, into the roasting tray, and bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean and the cake starts to come away from the sides of the tin when prodded with your finger. You still want the cake to be a little gooey in the middle when it comes out as it will continue cooking. Leave to cool completely in the roasting tray with the water – this helps to cool it slowly, preventing any cracks.
8. Meanwhile, halve and stone the fresh cherries (as many as you like), add to a saucepan with a good splash of kirsch and the tablespoon of sugar. Boil until the liquid reduces and slightly thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool (or you can serve hot or warm if you prefer).
9. Remove the chocolate nemesis from the tin and cut into portions, add a dollop of crème fraîche and some kirsch-soaked cherries.

Tip: You can use blackcurrant juice instead of kirsch if you wish. Also, this cake makes more than four portions but we thought you’d appreciate any leftovers!