Dark Chocolate Cake...

...With home-made black cherry jam.

185 g /  6 1/2 oz  dark chocolate (70%)

(PLUS 85 g / 3 oz  if you want to add the bands of chocolate or drizzle some over the top)

150 g / 2/3 cup of butter

170 g / 1 and 1/3 cups flour

140 g / 1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

80 g / 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Filling : Jam of your choice  (black cherry or raspberry are both good) 

Melt the butter in a pan, remove from the heat and put in the cut up chocolate (185 g).  Stir in to make sure it has melted entirely.

Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale and has doubled in size.

Pour the chocolate into the eggs and sugar mix. Add in the flour and baking powder by folding it in gently, taking care to not over mix the batter.
Pour into a buttered and baking parchment/paper lined spring form cake tin
 (about 15.25 cm by 7.6 cms  - 6 inch by 3 inches mine is American)
Bake for about 80 minutes at 160°c / 325°f testing with a cocktail stick that it is cooked. The times will differ if your cake tin is bigger.

Remove from the oven, (this cake is wonderful warm, but you can not decorate it that way!!) and leave to cool for a few hours.
 Once cooled, I carefully cut into three layers (two is fine also). Put the jam on both surfaces and put the layers back together. You can decorate by drizzling some melted chocolate on top with a spoon or a fork.
 I use some acetate strips cut to size (see below, good baking shops sell rolls of the acetate). Pour some melted chocolate on and smooth over with a palate knife.  Wrap the strip around the cake.  Start with the upper part of the cake first.  You can put it into the freezer for five minutes to set, remove the acetate and then proceed with the next strip. I painted some chocolate on the top and sprinkled some rock sugar on. You could make a lip at the top and fill it with fruit i.e. fresh raspberries.