Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Grease three 20cm / 8-inch cake pans and line them with parchment.
• Sift the cocoa and flour together and set aside.
• Beat the eggs for 30 seconds, slowly add the sugar over about 45 seconds, add vanilla, then beat for 7 minutes until pale and tripled in volume.
• Fold in the sifted cocoa and flour gently, then fold in the cooled melted butter. Divide the thin batter among the pans.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, until springy and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then cool completely on a rack.
• Drain the cherries and reserve the juice. Mix 1/4 cup juice with the cornflour. Simmer sugar with another 1/3 cup juice, whisk in the slurry, cook 1 minute, stir in kirsch, and pour over the cherries to cool.
• Melt the chocolate, spread it thinly on the back of a baking pan, chill until just set, then scrape curls or shavings and refrigerate them.
• Whip the cream with icing sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks and refrigerate until needed.
• Place one cake layer on a platter, brush with syrup, spread with cream, and add half the cherries. Repeat with the second layer, then top with the third.
• Cover the cake with the remaining cream, pipe the reserved cream around the top, decorate with cherries and chocolate curls, and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.