This is a variation from the basic Chocolate-Olive-oil-almond-and-ginger Cake to which I have added a middle layer of cream, and some sour cherries.
I doubled the recipe, making a round, simply decorated cake, and a log, for Marianna and Leonida Allamani’s 16th birthday.
See the BASIC RECIPE to make the cake and the chocolate Glaze.
2 cups homemade or store-bought sour cherry or cherry preserves
About 1/2 cup or more, Cherry Brandy or Grand Marnier liqueur
500 grams (about 1 pound) double cream, whipped with 1/3 cup icing sugar
1 cup mascarpone
About 1 cup shelled raw pistachios
A few Maraschino cherries
After baking it, let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes, then carefully cut in half horizontally with a large knife. Place each half on a cutting board lined with parchment paper, cut-side up.
In a small sieve drain the preserves over a bowl to collect the syrup.
Mix the syrup with the liqueur, using more or less, according to your taste. With this mixture douse generously the cake pieces, making sure you pour syrup all over the surfaces.
Toss the whipped cream with the mascarpone, and spread generously with this mixture both the bottom part of round cake and the log, scattering the cherries over the cream.
Very carefully place the second part of the cake over the cream and cherries, and with a spoon pour the glaze over the cakes.
Let the glaze cool for 10-15 minutes, then decorate the top with pistachios and maraschino cherries. Let cool and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, before cutting to serve.
