Buckley's Canadiol ugghhh

There are just some things you can't get a taste for and if you've ever been fortunate enough to be dosed with Buckley's when you have a cold you'll know what I mean. Sorry about the lack of blog updates but wouldn't you know it, we go on holiday and we both get sick. Fevers, aching joints, splitting headaches etc, lovely. I seem to be on the mend today so time for another post.
Chocolate and cake lovers please turn your computers off and walk away. You have been warned.

Black Forest Gateau

Sponge
8 whole eggs
250g/9OZ Caster Sugar
200g/7OZ Plain Flour
50g/2OZ Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 180C/355F
In an electric mixer beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy
Sift together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder
Gently fold the flour mix into the egg mixture with a spatula
Pour mixture into 23cm greased and lined cake tin and place into a preheated oven for approx 35-40 mins
Cool until cold, do not slice until ready to assemble cake

Cherries in Syrup
2 tins of pitted cherries in juice
4 tablespoons of Kirsch liqueur
2 tablespoons of cornflour
2 tablespoons of icing sugar
1 teaspoon of gelatin powder

Put cherries in a saucepan with Kirsch and icing sugar. Bring to a simmer
Mix cornflour with a little of the hot fruit juice to make to a smooth paste, add gelatin
Add to cherry mix and continue to heat stirring to a smooth finish
Set aside and cool, refrigerate once cool and leave till cake is being assembled

Assembly

Ganache
500g/18OZ chopped dark chocolate
250 ml/1 cup of cream

Place the cream into a saucepan and gently bring to the boil
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate
Using a wooden spoon, stir until all the chocolate has melted
Place mixture into a mixing bowl fitted with a beater and on a medium speed beat until the ganache filling has begun to cool, thicken and change colour. This should take about 10-12 mins. Do not beat too much as you don't want to incorporate air into the filling. The consistency should be that of 3/4 whipped cream and be easily spreadable with a palate knife.

Kirsch Cream
To 1 cup of whipped cream add 1/2 tablespoon of kirsch and a tablespoon of icing sugar. Mix.

Chocolate Curls
Melt 250g of dark chocolate in a double boiler. Spread evenly over a baking tray and leave to set. Once solid again make curls by running along the surface with a long sharp knife

To Assemble
1 cake plate
Slice cold chocolate sponge into 3 horizontally, invert the top of the cake so that it is the base.
Place first slice on the cake plate, spread on half of the cherry mixture. On the middle slice spread a thin layer of the ganache and place this slice ganache side down on top of the first slice so that cherries and ganache are together.
On top of the second tier of sponge pour on the second half of the cherry mixture and spread evenly. Cover with a layer of cream and then place final layer of sponge on top.
Spread a layer of ganache on the top layer and decorate with the chocolate curls.
Hopefully you know have something that looks like this.



I suggest very thin slices of this as it is incredibly rich. You could feasibly serve approx 16 people from this one cake.