Chocolate Cherry Cake with a Sour Cream Ganache

Ingredients:

Cake

· 2 cups flour

· 1 ¾ cups sugar

· ½ cup cocoa powder

· 4 tsp baking powder

· ½ tsp salt

· 1 ¼ cups warm water

· ½ cup vegetable oil

· 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

· 2 tsp vanilla extract

· 1 cup frozen cherries

Ganache

· 340g vegan chocolate

· 400g Angel Food sour cream

Decoration

· Fresh cherries (canned if out of season)

· Chocolate pieces and shavings

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Begin by sifting the dry cake ingredients into a bowl and mixing to combine. In a separate bowl, combine water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla before incorporating them into the dry mixture. Stir in the cherries, ensuring an even distribution. Take a cake tin and grease it, then pour the cake mixture into the tin, spreading it out evenly. Place it in the preheated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a knife/skewer inserted comes out clean. Once baked, allow the cake to cool in the tin before removing it.

• For the ganache, start by melting chocolate using a double boiler or over boiling water. Remove it from the heat and gently stir in the sour cream until a smooth ganache forms.

• Once your cake has completely cooled, carefully remove it from the tin and slice it into two thinner cakes. Spread half of the ganache over the bottom half of the cake. Place the other half on top and generously spread the remaining ganache over the cake. Feel free to decorate it according to your preference, and then it's time to indulge and enjoy your creation!