Unusual cherry and chocolate cake

I love to try all things new. Once I was talking to my friend and she called me "Culinary Casanova". That's because just like the famous (or shall I say infamous) Italian I am jumping from one dish to another, having a bite, savour it and then moving on to a new one. Well, at least I do not leave broken hearts behind me. Well, maybe broken plates, but that's it. :-)

This recipe comes from Ukraine. There it is called "Plyatsok", which means "half-cake". That's because the layers are made not from the cake batter, but from the dough which you would use to make cookies. Actually, the texture of a cake does remind you of very soft cookies. However, the layers are softened even further with creme-fraiche filling, so when you eat the cake it literally melts in your mouth. And of course chocolate and cherry is a classic.

I was intrigued when I saw this "half-cake" on the photograph and I immediately wanted to taste it. The result did not disappoint. I loved the taste and the texture. Needless to say, it looks stunning and can be a perfect show-stopper on your dinner table. Definitely give it a go, guys!

Unusual cherry and chocolate cake 

Recipe

For pastry:
1.5 Tbsp of cocoa-powder
15 fresh or canned cherries (stones removed)
2.5 cups of all purpose flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1/8 tsp of salt
200 g of butter or margarine (I used margarine)
3 large eggs (or 4 small)
150 g of sugar
Milk chocolate for sprinkling on top

For cream:
250 g of creme-fraiche
250 g of cream-cheese
100 g of sugar

For pastry: mix flour with baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then fold in flour mixture. The consistency of dough will be similar to that of soft cookies. Divide the dough into 3/4 and 1/4.

Line a 23x33 cm tin with baking parchment and put 3/4 of the dough into the tin. Spread evenly, so that the dough is approximately 1 cm thick. Good tip: do it with wet hands. This way the dough does not stick to your fingers.

Bake in a pre-heated to 180C oven for about 25 minutes or till light golden in colour. Do not overbake, as the pastry will turn dry! It should stay soft(ish). Transfer to a wire rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely. Then using a serrated knife carefully cut the pastry into two rectangles: each 23x16.5 cm.

Add 1.5 Tbsp of cocoa powder to the remaining 1/4 of the dough. Divide it into 15 equal pieces. Fold a cherry into each piece and form a small ball. Put the balls onto a baking tray lined with parchment and bake at 180C for 20-25 min. Cool on a wire rack.

For cream: mix all ingredients together and beat using a blender.

To assemble: if you have adjustable walls in your cake tin, then simply adjust the size to 23x16.5 cm. My tin is unfortunately not adjustable, so to make sure the cream is not leaking out and the cake stays in place I created a construction using an orange juice carton, like that:

Line the part of the tin which will be used for cake assembly with cling film. Place the first half of the cake on cling film. Spread approximately 1/4 of the cream. Arrange cherry cookies on top. Pour another 2/4 of the cream on top of the cookies. (Reserve remaining 1/4 of cream for the next day - keep it in the fridge).

Place the second half of the cake on top of the cookies. Cover with cling film and put something mildly heavy on top, like a wooden chopping board or perhaps another carton of orange juice. Put in the fridge for 8 hours (or better overnight). Do not skip this stage as the texture of the final product depends upon it. Overnight the cream will soak through the layers and will make the cake soft.

Next day remove the cake from the fridge and spread the remaining 1/4 of the cream on top. Put in the fridge again for another couple hours.

Transfer on a serving plate or board. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings before serving.

Enjoy!