Black Forest Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 None eggs, separated
180 g caster sugar
75 g plain flour
25 g cocoa powder
3 level tsp baking powder
110 g cornflour
9 tbsp kirsch
2 x 425 g cans pitted black cherries, drained, juice reserved
1/2 None lemon, peel removed in a long spiral
1 None cinnamon stick
1 litre double cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
75 g dark chocolate, shaved into curls with a potato peeler

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350\u00b0F. Line the bottom of a deep 10 inch springform pan with parchment paper. To make the cake, beat the egg whites with 5 tbsp water and a pinch of salt until stiff, gradually adding 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and cornstarch and fold in. Pour into the cake pan and smooth out. Bake for 30-35 mins, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 3 hours.
Turn the cake out of the pan, peel away the parchment paper and cut horizontally into 3 even layers by inserting a knife into the center and rotating the cake around it. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate and surround with a cake ring. Sprinkle each layer with 3 tbsp kirsch.
To make the cherry compote, whisk 1/2 cup of cherry juice and 1/4 cup cornstarch until smooth. Place the remaining cherry juice in a saucepan with the lemon peel, cinnamon stick and 1 tbsp sugar and bring to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer, stirring for 1 min. Remove from the heat then remove and discard the lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Reserve 16 cherries for decoration and fold the remaining cherries into the compote. Spread compote over the bottom layer and allow to cool for 30 mins.
Whip 2 cups cream with the vanilla extract to stiff peaks. Spread half over cherry compote on the bottom layer and press the second layer gently on top. Spread the other half of the cream and press the top layer gently on top. Chill for 30 mins.
To finish, whip 2 cups cream and 1 tbsp sugar to stiff peaks. Spoon one-third into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and chill. Spread the remaining cream over the top and sides then sprinkle the chocolate curls liberally all over the cake. Pipe 16 cream puff swirls around the edge and top each with a cherry. Chill until ready to serve.