Chocolate Cherry Layer Cake

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.

2. Grease two 6" round tins and line the bases with parchment paper.

3. Cut the chocolate into small pieces, place it in a heatproof bowl on a double boiler and heat gently until melted and smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep aside.

5. In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until mixture is pale, fluffy and light.

6. Slowly fold in egg yolks followed by the lightly whisked yogurt and the melted chocolate mixture until incorporated.

7. Fold in the flour mixture until incorporated. Keep aside.

8. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff enough to hold peaks and fold them into the cake mixture.

9. If the batter is thick, add a little milk to bring it to the right consistency.

10. Divide the mixture between the prepared cake tins, smoothen the surface out and bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

11. Cool in the tins for 10-15 minutes and then turn the cakes out on a wire rack and allow them to cool further (preferably overnight). When completely cooled, level the surfaces of the cakes by slicing off uneven bits. Then slice the cakes into 2 equal halves horizontally, to make 4 layers.

12. Transfer jam to a medium mixing bowl and loosen it up with a whisk. Spread half the jam evenly on the lower half of one of the cakes. Place the corresponding upper half over the lower jam spread half and sandwich them together. Repeat with the other cake.

For the assembly:

1. Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler. Dip cherries in the chocolate and leave aside on a butter paper to set.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whip the topping till it has doubled in volume. Fill the whipped topping in a piping bag fitted with a nozzle.

3. Taking one of the cakes, pipe half the whipped topping onto the top of the cake in an even layer.Place the other cake on top of this.

4. Dress the top with the remaining whipped topping in an attractive design.

5. Finish by arranging the chocolate coated cherries on top.

6. Divide the cake into 8 equal portions and serve.

Substitute cherry jam and cherries with Strawberry jam and fresh strawberries in season. Enrich the cake by soaking it in liqueur such as Kirsch or Creme de Casis, by drizzling 4-5 tbsp of the liqueur onto the cake surface after slicing it and letting it soak up the liqueur.