This is a great recipe if you want to knock up something quickly to impress. Simple to make, and you could swap the cherries for raspberries if you prefer.
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225g unsalted butter
225g dark chocolate
3/4 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1.5 cups pitted cherries
1/2 cup sifted plain flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
Pit the cherries by cutting in half and removing the stone, or if you’re lucky enough to own one of those little contraptions that pit olives you will be able to keep them whole. Toss in a tablespoon of sugar and a squeeze of lemon and leave to macerate while you prepare the cake.
Line an 8’’ cake tin with grease-proof paper and set your oven to 160C.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Once melted stir well to combine and take off to cool a little.
Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla on a mixer until thick and creamy. Transfer to a wide bowl and gently alternate folding in the flour, cinnamon and salt mix and the melted chocolate and butter mix. Be gentle but quick to retain as much air in the mix as you can. Fold in the cherries last, reserving a few to place on top. Pour into the cake tin and scatter the rest of the cherries on top.
Place on a tray in the oven and check after half an hour. It can take up to an hour to cook. Check by placing a small knife or skewer in the centre and seeing if it comes out clean. Don’t worry if it’s not completely clean, you want it slightly underdone to keep its fudge like texture and it will continue to cook in the tin once it is taken out of the oven.
Leave to cool completely in the tin.
Serve at room temperature with cream and fresh cherries.