1tspcoarse Kosher salt(if using table salt, use half the amount)
4large eggs,room temperature
1cupwhole milk,room temperature
1cupsour cream,room temperature
1cupvegetable oil
1tbspvanilla extract
Cherry Filling
2lbsfresh or frozen pitted cherries
¾cupgranulated sugar
¼cupcorn starch
¼tspcoarse Kosher salt
2tbsptart cherry juice or cherry liqueur
1tbsplemon juice
1tspvanilla extract
2tbspunsalted butter
Whipped Cream
2 ½cupscold heavy whipping cream
⅓cuppowdered sugar
½tspvanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
2tbspchocolate shavings
fresh cherries, with stems, for decorating the top
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray the bottoms of two 9-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined, about 15 seconds.
Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 25-30 minutes, until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely.
Cherry Filling
Pit the cherries, if they're not already pitted. You can leave the cherries whole, or cut them into halves or quarters, whatever you prefer. The smaller you cut the fruit, the more "jam like" the filling will be. I left mine whole, but probably would have preferred them to be cut smaller since they were kind of big cherries.
In a stock pot, combine the cherries with the sugar, corn starch, salt, cherry juice/liqueur and lemon juice.
Over medium heat, bring the cherries to a simmer, stirring frequently. Once the fruit begins to bubble and thicken, cook for two more minutes, stirring constantly, until very thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and the butter.
Let the cherries cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator until well chilled, preferably overnight. Before assembling your cake, use a spoon to loosen up the filling a little.
Whipped Cream
When you're ready to assemble your cake, use an electric mixer to whip the cold cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and whip until stiff peaks form that hold their shape.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave the side of a chocolate bar, and reserve the chocolate shavings for sprinkling on top of the cake.
Assembly
Important: I suggest waiting to assemble the cake until you're ready to serve it. The layers can get a bit slippery with the cherry filling and whipped cream, and you don't want your cake sliding apart if you assemble it too far in advance.
Place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving pedestal. If the cakes are domed, use a sharp knife to slice a thin layer off the top to level the cake.
Top the cake with half the cherries.
Dollop half the whipped cream on top of the cherries (or use a piping bag to pipe it on - I piped on the whipped cream with Tip #8B).
Repeat with another layer of cake, cherries and whipped cream. Sprinkle the shaved chocolate on top of the cake, and decorate with fresh cherries.