I made a chocolate and cherry cake called Drunken Cherry, which is very popular in Ukraine. It turned out amazing, and brandy gave it a special tang. A must-try for those who like chocolate and cherries!
For brandied cherries:
- Cherries – 500 g
- Brandy – about 3/4 of a glass (to cover all cherries)
- Sugar or syrup – optional
For sponge base:
- Eggs – 6 (large)
- Sugar (some of it can be vanilla sugar if you prefer) – 6 tbsp
- Flour (sifted) – 6 tbsp
- Cocoa powder – 1 to 2 tbsp (depends on how dark you want the sponge to be)
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
For chocolate glazing:
- Sugar – 120 to 140 g
- Cocoa powder – 60 g
- Milk – 120 g
- Butter – a small piece (optional)
For cream:
- Condensed milk – a standard tin (about 400 g)
- Butter – 250 g
- Chocolate glazing – 50 g (optional)
Method is explained and illustrated below. Enjoy!
Soak your cherries in brandy at least 1 day before making the cake (it could be a few days). Just place the cherries into a bowl and pour brandy on top of them to cover all cherries. Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film, and put in the fridge.
Now, start making a sponge base. Separate the yolks from whites…
… and whisk yolks until light and fluffy.
Now, divide all the sugar (and vanilla sugar if you are using it) in 2 equal portions, and gradually add the first portion into the yolks, while continuing whisking them.
Add the second portion gradually into the whites, and continue whisking until you reach hard peaks.
When ready, add the yolks into whites…
… and stir in slowly and carefully, in circular motion, and only in one direction, lifting the mixture from the bottom, so the whites won’t subside.
In a separate bowl or container, place the flour and add cocoa powder.
… and sift about 1/3 of it into your egg mixture.
Stir it in, also carefully and slowly, in one direction in a circular motion, and then sift in another 1/3 of the mixture of the dry ingredients, and repeat.
Repeat the same actions with the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients, until you get the fully combined batter. You should also switch your oven on at this stage, and start pre-heating it to 180 C.
Bake the sponge at 180 C for 25 to 30 minutes. To check whether it’s ready, take it out of the oven and stick a wooden cocktail stick (or a wooden toothpick) into the centre of the sponge. The stick should came out clean and dry. If it still has traces of wet batter on it, put the tray back into the oven.
Take the sponge out of the tray and place it on the rack to cool down.
Meantime, take the cherries out of the fridge, place them into the sieve and drain all the juice into a bowl.
Now, make the chocolate glazing. Put the sugar into a saucepan…
…. add milk, and mix it well together with a whisk.
Heat it at a medium heat, stirring constantly…
… until it starts boiling, and first bubbles appear. Reduce the heat to small and boil for about 1 min, stirring constantly. Then take off the heat.
Add a piece of butter (optional) – it will make glazing more “glossy”. Stir it in and let it melt into the glazing. Now, you can separate 50 g of the glazing to add later to your cream (optional).
Cut the sponge base into 2 layers, making one layer thicker than another…
… and then, very carefully, make them into something like “bowls”. Leave the bottom of each layer as thin as possible (be careful not to cut it through), and make sure to leave borders on the sides. Cut the soft sponge out of both “bowls”, break it into crumbs and place into a separate dish.
… add the condensed milk gradually…
… and whisk it in to combine.
You may now add the 50 g of the chocolate glazing you put on side before. However, you might want to leave your cream white.
Whisk the chocolate glazing in until combined.
You may now separate a few spoonfuls of the cream into a separate dish to decorate the cake (optional). Place it into the fridge.
Now, add the soft sponge off your cake layers, into the cream…
…and stir it in until combined.
Now, time to assemble the cake. You can do it using the sides of the baking tray (having removed the bottom). Place the “ring” on a cake dish, and place the bottom (thicker) layer of the cake into the “ring”.
Now, use the brandy and cherry syrup mixture you had drained off your cherries, to moisten the layer. Moisten it only slightly (do not pour the mixture down). Make sure to moisten both the bottom and the “borders” of the layer.
Now, place some of the cream and sponge crumb mixture onto the layer, to make the bottom smooth and cover the crumbs…
… and add the cherries into the rest of the cream and sponge crumb mixture.
Mix well to combine…
… and carefully place onto the cake, distributing evenly.
Now, take the top layer of the cake, and cover the cake with it.
Moisten the top layer with brandy and cherry syrup mixture. If you still have some of it left – you can just drink it 🙂 It’s delicious!
Now, take the “ring” off the cake”…
… and cover it slightly with some of the cream you had put aside.
By now, your chocolate glazing cooled off and turned thicker. You can heat it slightly and pour the warm glazing onto the cake…
… distributing it evenly and wiping it from the sides (it can get quite messy!)
Now, you can leave the cake as it is, or you can decorate it (optional). To decorate the cake, place the rest of the cream you had put aside, into a piping bag. Use any nozzle you like.
Pipe out some small cream decorations anywhere you want on the cake.
You can place cherries on top of them too. You cake is ready 🙂
And it’s absolutely delicious 🙂
Mmmm… Creamy, chocolatey, with taste of cherries and a brandy tang…
