CAKE MOULD RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease a 23cm/9in bundt tin or savarin mould with butter.
• Cut the cherries into quarters. Set aside five of the quartered cherries for the decoration later. Put the rest of the quartered cherries in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain well then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper and toss in two tablespoons of the flour.
• Measure all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and beat well for two minutes to mix thoroughly. Lightly fold in the cherries. Turn into the prepared tin.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until well risen, golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
• For the icing, mix the icing sugar together with the lemon juice to a thick paste. Drizzle over the cooled cake using the back of a spoon, sprinkle over the toasted almonds and reserved cherries.

Steps:

• For sponge, preheat oven to 190C. Line an oven tray with buttered baking paper and dust with caster sugar. Whisk yolks and 160gm icing sugar in an electric mixer on medium-high speed until thick and a ribbon holds (4-5 minutes). Be careful not to overwhisk the mixture.
• Whisk eggwhites in a separate bowl with remaining sugar just until stiff peaks form.
• Fold a third of the eggwhite into yolks, then fold in remaining. Just before eggwhites are completely incorporated, sieve cocoa and cornflour over and fold to just combine.
• Gently spread batter onto prepared tray to a 22cm-diameter round with a palette knife (mixture will continue to spread a little; which is fine), then bake until cake springs back when gently pressed (12-18 minutes). Set aside to cool completely (25-30 minutes).
• Trim cake to fit into a 22cm-diameter ring mould or the ring of a springform tin, using the mould as a guide. Place ring on a tray lined with baking paper, then line ring with strips of acetate sheet to increase the height (see note). Place cake base inside and set aside.
• For soaking syrup, bring sugar and 50gm water to the boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool, then add liqueur and brush liberally over sponge.
• For mousse, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and have a spatula on hand. Stir glucose, sugar and 68gm water in a small saucepan over low heat to dissolve sugar, then increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, pour directly onto chocolate and stand for a minute, then mix vigorously from the centre with a spatula until chocolate becomes smooth, glossy, elastic and reaches 35C on a sugar thermometer.
• Whisk cream just until soft peaks form, add a quarter to chocolate mixture and mix vigorously from the centre to combine, then fold in remaining cream in small additions.
• Pour chocolate mousse into ring over cake and refrigerate covered until set (6 hours or overnight)
• For icing, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Bring cream and 60gm water to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, pour onto chocolate and stir until smooth. Cool, then pour onto cake in the ring and refrigerate to set (30 minutes to 1 hour). Remove ring and acetate sheets, and serve cake chilled topped with chocolate curls.