Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

Literally, "Black Forest cherry cake", although Sarah Lee knows it as Black Forest Gateaux. I only baked it because I thought it had a cool name in German. :-)

Sugar and Cookeen. Er, yum? Actually, the Cookeen melts while it cooks and helps make the little bubbles in the cake that make it a bit lighter than it would be otherwise.

Add eggs, vanilla and some buttermilk, then mix in some plain flour, cocoa and baking soda.

Slap it in the oven for 45 minutes.

Cut each cake in half then douse them in kirschwasser - a clear, dry (almost to the point of being bitter) cherry liqueur.

Build up the layers with buttercream and cherries. I hope it turns out ok - I only had glace cherries.

Coat in cream that's been whipped until stiff, add chocolate shavings and some little cream whirls to finish it off. The final cherry on the cake is, er, cherries.

Note to self: Don't use cocoa powder in cream again. It makes it taste a little bitter and gritty. (I should get away with it this time though - there's enough chocolate and sugar in there to mask it).

Edit:

I managed to snap this shot while there was still some left...