Black Forest Gateau Cake

Cake batter

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas mark 4. Grease two 20cm (8in) cake tins with oil, then line with baking paper. 
2. Weigh all the dry cake mix ingredients into a large bowl and stir together with a whisk to fully combine. (If the sugar is lumpy, you will have to sift it.)
3. Weigh all the wet cake mix ingredients, except the water and coffee, into a large bowl and whisk together. 
4. Make the coffee in a cup with the measured boiling water and instant coffee, pour it into the wet ingredients bowl and stir well. 
5. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and stir well with a whisk to combine. 
6. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins (if you want to be precise, you can weigh the total batter, then divide it exactly in half). 
7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. 
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before flipping onto a wire rack (allow to cool fully before adding the ganache you’re about to make). 

Ganache

1. To make the ganache, put both the chocolates and the salt in a large heatproof bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream with the malt extract until steaming but not boiling. 
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave for 1 minute. Use a whisk to stir the ganache from the middle outwards – so as not to whisk in any air – until silky and beautiful. Let the ganache sit for 1 hour in the fridge.

Cherry Compote 

1. Make cherry compete - Put the cherries into a wide, deep frying pan, add 150ml water, then bring to the boil. Cook for 15 mins, stirring now and again until the fruit is starting to soften. 
2. Tip in the sugar, stir until it dissolves.
3. Cook for 15 mins until the fruit has collapsed a little and the sauce is syrupy, smooth and dark purple. 
4. Spoon a little of the juice onto a saucer and leave to cool for 30 secs. Push it with your finger; it’s ready if the syrup wrinkles.
5. Leave to cool. 

Chocolate Shards  

1. Put a lipped baking tray into the freezer and leave for 10 mins to chill.  
2. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over a bain marie.
3. Remove tray from freezer and pour over melted choc and then use metal bench scraper to make shards. 

Whipped Cream

1.    Whip cream with a pinch of salt to soft peaks 

Assemble 

1.    Place one of the baked cakes on a serving platter

2.    Pour over three tbsp of the ganache and spread even with a palette knife or a spoon.

3.    Add the cherry compote on top 

4.    Now spread most of the whipped cream evenly and finish by placing the second round cake on it

5.    Place the cake in the fridge for 30 min to get firm before covering it with the ganache. 

6.    Cover your cake with the set ganache using a palette knife 

7.    Decorate the cake with pipped whipped cream, fresh cherries and the chocolate shards.