Black Forest Cherry Cake

Cake:
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour, sifted
1 cup sugar
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons kirsch
1/3 cup water

Filling:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons kirsch liqueur

Topping:
2 cups sour cherries, canned, drained
1 cup cream heavy, whipped
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate bar


Cake - beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until thick and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Alternately fold chocolate and flour into the egg mixture, ending with flour. Pour the batter into three 8-inch cake pans that have been well greased and floured. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 5 minutes; turn out on racks to cool completely.


Syrup - make the syrup by mixing together the sugar and water and boiling for 5 minutes. When syrup has cooled, stir in kirsch. Prick the cake layers and pour syrup over all 3 layers.


Filling - to make the butter-cream filling, beat together sugar and butter until well blended. Add egg yolk; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Fold in kirsch. Cake assembly - to assemble cake, place 1 layer on a cake plate. Spread cake with butter cream filling. Using 3/4 cup of the cherries, which have been patted dry, drop cherries evenly over cream. Place second layer on cake. Repeat. Place third layer on top. Fold 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar into the whipped cream. Cover the sides and top of the cake with whipped cream. Decorate top of cake with remaining 1/2 cup cherries. To make chocolate curls from chocolate bar, shave (at room temperature) with a vegetable peeler. Refrigerate curls until ready to use. Press chocolate curls on sides of cake and sprinkle a few on the top. Chill until serving time.