Warm Black Forest gateaux

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Butter 6 ramekin dishes.

2. To make the gateaux, melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, then leave to cool slightly.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar with an electric whisk until the mixture has doubled in volume. Sift the flour straight into the bowl, then add the melted chocolate mixture and fold together.

4. Spoon the cake mixture into the greased ramekins and bake for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the compote. Strain the syrup from the cherries into a small saucepan, place over a medium-low heat, add the cherry jam and heat gently, stirring until you have a thick cherry sauce. Add the cherries and heat until they are just warmed through.

6. For the kirsch cream, whisk together the cream, kirsch and caster sugar together in a large mixing bowl until the mixture forms soft peaks when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.

7. Turn the chocolate sponges out onto serving plates and grate or shave (using a vegetable peeler) a little dark chocolate over each one. Dust with icing sugar. Spoon the cherry compote and a dollop of kirsch cream next to the sponges and serve straight away.