- Soft, slightly salted butter – 140 gms plus extra for greasing
- Milk Chocolate – 140 gms
- Self-raising flour – 175 gms
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Golden Caster Sugar – 140 gms
- Eggs – 3
- Banana, mashed – 1 medium
- For Filling and Topping:
- White Chocolate, broken in pieces – 200 gms
- Cherries – 450 gms
- Fresh Cream – 150 ml
Method:-
- Heat oven to 180°C. Butter and line the base of two 20cm sandwich tins.
- Coarsely grate two-thirds of the milk chocolate and chop the rest. Set aside.
- Put the flour, baking powder and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre; add the butter, eggs and milk. Beat with an electric hand whisk for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Lightly fold in the grated and chopped chocolate and banana.
- Divide the mix between the tins then level the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes until springy to touch and beginning to shrink away from the sides.
- Remove from the oven, cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Turn out in a wire rack, take off the lining paper and cool for about 1 hour.
- For the icing and filling, melt the white chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water or in the microwave. Remove and set aside for 5-6 minutes.
- Cover a baking sheet with foil or waxed paper. Dip half the cherries one by one, into the chocolate and half coat. Place them on the baking sheet to set.
- Stir in the fresh cream into the remaining melted chocolate until smooth and shiny. Cool and thicken (5 minutes or so). Transfer half of this mix to another bowl. Pit the rest of the cherries, cut in half.
- Put one sponge cake on a plate and spread the top with the cherry mix, then sandwich with the other cake. Spread the rest of the chocolate mix over the top and decorate with dipped cherries.
