- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 ounces grated unsweetened chocolate
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Cream the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. When all eggs have been added, beat for one minute or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift the flour with the salt. Mix the baking soda with the buttermilk and add alternately with the flour to the creamed mixture. Add the vanilla. Melt the chocolate in 2/3 cup of boiling water; stir until smooth. Blend the chocolate into the cake mixture. Pour into three prepared pans (for 3 layers) and bake at 325F for 1 hour, or until cake tests done. Cool in the pan.
- One 17-oz can of pitted dark, sweet cherries
- 2 tbsps cornstarch
- 3 cups whipping cream
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/3 cup kirsch, divided
- 2 cups prepared chocolate frosting
- 1 bar semi-sweet chocolate, grated
- maraschino cherries, stemmed
Drain the liquid from the cherries into a small saucepan. Set the cherries aside. Bring the liquid to a boil. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and stir it into the juice. Cook until clear. Add the cherries and cool. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle sugar over the cream and continue beating until firm peaks form on the beater when it is lifted from the bowl. Pour in 1/4 cup of kirsch, a little at a time, beating until it is taken up by the cream. Place one layer of the cake on a large cake plate. Use a plain 1/2 inch tube or cookie press nozzle to form 3 rings of chocolate butter cream frosting on the bottom layer, leaving about 1 1/2" between the rings. Chill. Fill in between the rings with the cherries.
Place the second layer carefully and gently on top of the cherries. Prick the top all over and sprinkle it lightly with kirsch. Spread it with 1" of whipped cream. Put the top layer on, gently. Spread the sides and top with the remaining whipped cream. Garnish the top with chocolate curls, whipped cream rosettes and the rinsed and drained maraschino cherries. Chill until served.
- Yields: 12-14 servings
- Preparation Time: about an hour