This is a dense, cherry-infused chocolate cake which can be mixed in one pan. Amarena cherries are black cherries from Emilia–Romagna and preserved in cherry syrup. They are very easy to find in supermarkets in Italy and are available in delis outside Italy but are expensive; the cheapest I have found abroad are the 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) jars that can be bought online. They are useful to have in the cupboard as you can throw together a last-minute dessert in seconds – if you have a tub of vanilla ice cream in the freezer, simply spoon over some of the Amarena syrup and a few black cherries.

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan).
• Butter a 20 cm (8 inch) cake tin or loaf tin and line with baking parchment.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and salt and stir well until completely melted. Stir in the cherries and cherry syrup, then add the sugar and mix in the eggs. Bit by bit, mix in the flour.
• With the help of a spatula, pour the batter into the cake tin and bake (without opening the oven door) for 45–50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out cleanish. Leave in the tin to cool completely.
• While the cake cools, drain the ricotta in a colander to rid it of excess moisture. Transfer to a bowl and whisk using hand-held electric beaters for about 1 minute, until velvety and smooth.
• Sift in the icing sugar and whisk again for about a minute, until shiny and smooth. Once the cake has cooled, transfer it to a serving plate or cake stand, ready for topping. Spoon the ricotta on top of the cake in a heap in the middle, smoothing out the edges with the back of a spoon.
• Dot the cherries around the top of the cake, then drizzle the cherry syrup over from a height. Serve in slices, at room temperature.
• The cake will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container. If keeping in the fridge, bring up to room temperature before serving.

NOTE: If you can’t find Amarena cherries or baulk at their cost, you can leave these out of the cake batter and use 300 g (10½ oz) cherry jam instead. For the topping, gently warm about 3 tbsp of cherry jam for a few minutes until liquid and simply drizzle it over the ricotta from a height using a teaspoon.

Recipe adapted from Winter in Tuscany (Thames and Hudson)
Photo: Valentina Solfrini