German Black Forest Cake - Schwarzwaelderkirschtorte

100g butter
6 eggs
225g caster sugar
75g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla flavouring
two 425g cans stoned black cherries, drained and
syrup reserved
4 tbsp kirsch
600ml whipping cream
100g chocolate Caraque, to decorate
1 level tsp arrowroot

• Grease and base-line a 9 inch (23cm) round cake tin. Put the butter into a bowl, place over a pan of warm water and beat it until really soft but not melted.
  
  Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl, place over a pan of hot water and whisk until pale and creamy and thick enough to leave a trail on the surface when the whisk is lifted.
  
  Sift the flour and cocoa together, then lightly fold into the mixture with a metal spoon. Fold in the vanilla flavouring and softened butter.
  
  Turn the mixture into the tin and tilt the tin to spread the mixture evenly. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for about 40 minutes, until well risen, firm to the touch and beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin.
  
  Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
  
  Cut the cake into three horizontally. Place a layer on a flat plate. Mix together 5 tbsp cherry syrup and the kirsch. Spoon 3 tbsp over the cake.
  
  Whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then spread a little thinly over the soaked sponge. Reserve a quarter of the cherries for decoration and scatter half the remainder over the cream.
  
  Repeat the layers of sponge, syrup, cream and cherries. Top with the third cake round and spoon over the remaining kirsch-flavoured syrup.
  
  Spread a thin layer of cream around the sides of the cake, reserving a third to decorate. Coat the sides with the chocolate caraque, reserving some to decorate the top.
  
  Spoon the remaining cream into a piping bag, fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe swirls of cream around the edge of the cake.Top each whirl with a chocolate curl.
  
  Fill the centre with the reserved cherries. Blend the arrowroot with 3 tbsp cherry syrup, place in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and boil, stirring for a few minutes until the mixture is thickened and clear. Brush the glaze over the cherries.