Flourless chocolate cake with sour cherries

Ingredients

• 70 g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 400 g dark chocolate (70%), roughly chopped
• 6 eggs, separated
• 140 g caster sugar, divided
• ¼ cup morello cherries, drained, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
• ¼ cup dried sour cherries, finely chopped
• 1 cup (250 ml) thickened cream, whipped, plus extra whipped cream to serve
• Dutch-process cocoa powder, for dusting
• Dehydrated orange slices, to serve (see Note, optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 195°C (175°C fan-forced). Grease and line a 23 cm round cake tin with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, microwaving in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until fully melted. Allow to cool.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with two-thirds of the sugar until pale and creamy. Fold through all the cherries, followed by the butter chocolate mixture. Gently fold the whipped cream through the chocolate and set aside.
4. In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually adding the sugar until a glossy meringue forms and the mixture reaches stiff peaks.
5. Fold ¼ of the meringue into the chocolate mixture, followed by the remaining meringue, then transfer the cake batter to the prepared tin. Smooth out the top of the cake, then bake for 50 minutes (see Note).
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve with extra whipped cream, extra cherries and dried, salted oranges.

Notes

• For the dried salted oranges; slice the oranges, cover with salt and sugar (50:50 ratio), bake for a few hours on low heat. Store in a jar.
• For even better results, bake the cake in a larger roasting tin half-filled with boiling water. Bake for 40 minutes at 190°C (170°C fan-forced), then reduce the heat to 170°C (150°C fan-forced) and bake for an additional 45 minutes, then turn off the oven and allow the cake to sit inside for a further 20 minutes before removing to cool.