Ingredients
Sponge:
• 90g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 125g sugar
• 50g butter, melted
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Chocolate bowls:
• 400g dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
• 6 water bomb balloons
• 1 punnet cherries (400g)
• 2 tbsp sugar
Whipped cream:
• 300ml whipping cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
Preparation method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Mix together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
- Whisk the sugar and eggs until pale and fluffy.
- Add the liquid ingredients, followed by the dry ingredients.
- Pour into a greased and floured 20cm cake tin.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. Remove from tin and leave on cake rack to cool.
- Blow up the water balloons.
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (you want the thickness of double cream). Set the bowl aside. Dip your balloon in and place on a plate covered in cling film.
- Place in the fridge to set.
- Meanwhile, pit the cherries (save six for the garnish).
- Place in a pot with 100ml of water and 100g of sugar. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Add the cherries. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Place in the fridge to chill.
- Repeat once the chocolate has set (you will probably need to reheat the chocolate in the bain-marie or microwave for a couple of seconds). Place in the fridge to set.
- Repeat the process one more time to have two coats on the balloons.
- Once the cake and cherries in juice are cool, cut the cake into large chunks and divide between the bowls. Top with cherries and some juice.
- Whip the cream with the sugar and place in a piping bag.
- Pipe a swirl of cream on top of each bowl and add a cherry.