Quick fancy cake

This cake was inspired by the classic Black Forest Cake. I made it for my mother's birthday last week. A recipe for the traditional Black Forest Cake was difficult to find among my collection of cookbooks. I did manage to find one, by accident, as it wasn't listed under cakes but under "tortes".

One of the ingredients was a can of pitted, tart cherries. Now, I looked in several stores and I could not find canned, pitted, tart cherries (only cherry pie filling and cherry jam). The recipe also uses the cherry-flavoured liqueur, Kirsch, and I didn't want to invest in a whole bottle of that just to use a small amount. So I decided to forgo the classic version and make my own.

First, I made a two layer chocolate cake using a mix (it's okay to do that sometimes...). Then I made a chocolate whipped cream frosting, and added chocolate shavings and maraschino cherries. The result was a delicious, moist cake that, as my dad likes to say, "tastes like more!"

Easy Fancy Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

2 layer chocolate cake, made from a cake mix (I used Dr. Oetker)

100 g bar of semi-sweet chocolate, cut into shavings (I used a vegetable peeler)

12 maraschino cherries, drained

500 ml organic whipping cream (organic really does make a difference in the taste)

1/3 cup icing sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

* Make the cake according to package directions. Let cool. Whip the cream until thick and mix in the sugar and cocoa powder. On the bottom layer, spread about one third of the frosting. Sprinkle about one half of the chocolate shavings on the frosting. Put the second layer on top. Spread the rest of the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. On top, sprinkle the remaining chocolate shavings and place the cherries evenly around the edge.