Easy Peasy Black Forest Cake

Boo L's Note:

At 8pm on his birthday, after the shops had shut and after weeks of saying that he didn't care what we ate as long as it involved beer, DB decided that what he REALLY wanted was black forest gateau. Go figure. This isn't really dark or slick enough to be black forest gateau, but it's what I made with what I had in the cupboards, and was pretty quick and easy to do, and involved chocolate, cream and cherries - so after a couple of cans and a lasagne it sufficed! Probably a good recipe for kids who aren't ready for the really rich and bitter flavour of proper BFG.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1 -2 tablespoon cocoa
• 125 g butter , warmed
• 125 g caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 125 g self raising flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 170 ml whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons caster sugar
• 400 g cherries in syrup or 400 g cherry pie filling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to GM4 (180C, 350F)
2. Mix hot water into cocoa to form a smooth paste.
3. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until pale and around double the original volume.
4. Break the eggs and beat them until yolk and white are mixed.
5. Combine the eggs and cocoa paste with the butter/sugar mixture.
6. Sift in the flour and the baking powder and fold them into the mixture.
7. Stir n the milk.
8. Bake in one 8 inch cake tin at least 2 inches tall for 35 minutes, or one 9 inch tin for 30 mins (You could do this in two separate sandwich tins, but I have no idea how long it would take to bake!).
9. Leave the cake for 15 minutes to cool before turning out. Leave for another 5 and then use a sharp bread knife to slice the cake in half.
10. Beat the whipping cream and castor sugar until the cream stiffens.
11. Pile whipped cream and cherries on top of bottom slice of cake; replace upper slice and cover this with whipped cream and slightly more delicately placed cherries!