Combine the water, sugar, butter, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda in a saucepan and warm, but do not boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted
Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool for 30 minutes. Beat In the eggs and vanilla then stir in the flour and mix well. Pour into a greased and lined 24cm round cake pan
Bake in a moderate oven 180°C for 55-60 minutes or until cooked when tested. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Cool
Tips & Hints
The sponge can be made ahead of time and frozen (unfilled) for up to a month. Piece of cake!
Filling and Sauce
Ingredients
Filling: 250g PHILADELPHIA Block Cream Cheese, softened
2 tablespoons caster sugar, extra
1 teaspoon gelatine dissolved in 1 1/2 tablespoons boiling water
100g CADBURY Dark Baking Chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup thickened cream, softly whipped
1/2 x 680g jar sour cherries, drained and liquid reserved
50g CADBURY Dark Baking Chocolate, extra, grated
2 tablespoons kirsch or cherry flavoured liqueur
Sauce: 1/3 cup caster sugar, extra
Method
Beat the PHILLY and extra 2 tablespoons caster sugar with an electric mixer until just smooth. Add the gelatine and chocolate and mix until combined then fold through the whipped cream, drained cherries and grated chocolate
Use a large serrated knife to split the cake in half horizontally. Brush the cut sides of the cake with kirsch
Place a cake layer, kirsch side up in a paper lined 24cm round springform pan. Spread the cheesecake mixture evenly over the cake then top with remaining cake layer, kirsch side down. Chill for 4 hours or overnight
Combine the reserved cherry liquid and remaining sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer until reduced by half. Chill
Stand cheesecake at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Slice and serve with a drizzle of cherry sauce. Serve immediately