Chocolate cake is a popular choice for birthdays and other celebrations, and a Mary Berry recipe is a reliable way to impress. The former Great British Bake Off host, 91, shared her recipe for chocolate and cherry cake in her 2025 book Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes.
A cake fit for the cover
Introducing the recipe, she wrote: "This is an impressive cake (so good, in fact, that it's on the cover of the book!), perfect for a celebration. It may seem a lot of water to add to the cake, but it is needed to make a paste with the cocoa powder."
The cake serves 8-10 people and uses 55g of sifted cocoa powder, six tablespoons of boiling water, four large eggs, 225g of baking spread straight from the fridge, 225g of caster sugar, 225g of self-raising flour, and one teaspoon of baking powder.
Filling and ganache
For the filling, the recipe calls for six generous tablespoons of cherry jam and 300ml of pouring double cream, lightly whipped. The ganache uses 200ml of pouring double cream and 200g of Bournville chocolate, broken into pieces.
To start, pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4, and grease and base two 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich tins.
Simple steps for a perfect finish
First, make the ganache by measuring the cream and chocolate into a glass bowl, then place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat until it's runny. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in a cold place until thickened.
While the mixture sets, measure the cocoa powder into a large bowl with the boiling water and mix into a paste. Add all the remaining cake ingredients and mix with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.
Divide the mixture into the two tins and level the tops, then bake for about 25-30 minutes until well risen and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Place one cake upside down on a board, spread the cherry jam over the surface, and top with the whipped cream. Place the second cake on top, spread the ganache icing over the top, and swirl to create a pretty design.
