Please bear in mind that this is the first time I've done this, although the cake is something I've made before - it's the same recipe I use for making a Sachertorte.

The Cake (which is not a lie)
taken from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook

Ingredients:
5 squares semisweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 eggs, separated into 6 yolks and 6 whites (separating them by distance is Silly)
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour

1. Using a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt the chocolate. Take it off the heat and stir in the butter, salt and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and cool. Stir in the egg yolks until blended.
2. Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Using a mixer, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar by tablespoonfuls until the sugar's dissolved and the whites stand in stiff, glossy peaks.
4. Gently fold the chocolate into the egg whites. Sprinkle in the flour a third at a time, gently folding until blended. Pour into the prepared pan; with a spatula, cut into the batter to break up any air bubbles.
5. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until the cake springs back when you touch it lightly with a finger. Cool on a rack 10 minutes before taking the side off the pan. After it's completely cooled, use a sharp knife to slice the cake into two layers.

***

Filling:
about a half-pound or so of cherries, stemmed, pitted and cut in half
1/2 cup of Kirschwasser (cherry brandy)

1. Soak the cherries in the brandy for about 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally; strain before assembly.

***

Icing (from The Spruce Eats):

Ingredients:
2 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 tbsp cold water
2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
8 tbsp confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 tsp Kirschwasser (cherry brandy)

1. Put the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Best trick for whipping cream is to make things cold.
2. Put the unflavored gelatin in a microwave-safe bowl or 1-cup measuring cup. Add the cold water and let stand for 5 minutes, until very thick. Put the thickened gelatin in the microwave. Microwave the gelatin until it dissolves and becomes liquid, about 7 to 10 seconds. Check after 5 seconds, then check it every few seconds until it is completely liquefied but not hot.
3. Pour the cream into the cold mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until it begins to thicken, then beat in the confectioners' sugar. Add the vanilla or other flavoring and continue beating until thick but not quite to the soft peak stage.
4. While still beating constantly, pour the liquid gelatin into the cream in a thin stream (if the gelatin has thickened again, heat again for a few seconds, just until liquid). Continue beating until soft or stiff peaks form, as desired. Serve the stabilized whipped cream or store for up to two to three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

***

Assembly:

1. Spread some of the icing on the bottom layer of the cake, top with the macerated cherries.
2. Put the top layer on.
3. Ice the cake with the remaining whipped cream.
4. Decorate it however you want.



Verdict: (sighs) I goofed up on one aspect of the icing; see, I doubled up on things to make sure I'd have enough for the cake, but only added a single recipe's amount of sugar (4 tbsp) and brandy (1 tsp). Nevertheless, it's quite good.
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