Ingredients

For the Cake Batter:
• 2-1/4 cups of All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 of a cup of Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 2 tsp of Baking Soda
• 2 cups of Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 Cup of Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp of Instant Coffee Granules
• 3 Eggs
• 1/3 cup of Milk
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
For the Syrup:
• 1/3 cup of Sugar
• 1/4 cup of Water
• 1/4 cup of of the Juice from the Jarred or Canned Sour Cherries
For the toppings:
• 2  Cans of Sour Spirited Cherries
• Shavings of Chocolate
• About 2-3/4 cups of Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup of Confectioners Sugar

•  Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (fan based oven), spray a 10 inch cake pan with non stick spray, lay the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a saucepan, add the water, instant coffee and milk, bring to a simmer and turn off the heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the eggs and vanilla and continue to mix until well combined.
• Add half of the dry ingredients along with half of the milk and water mixture and mix that in, add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and milk mixture and mix just until incorporated.
• Add the batter into your prepared pan, tap the pan on the counter just to get rid of any air bubbles.
• Bake the cake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly in the pan, remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on wire racks for a couple hours.

•  Add the water, sugar and cherry juice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Allow the mixture to cook over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. 
•  Allow the mixture to cool.

•   In a bowl using a handheld electric whisk, whip the cream and sugar together until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the cream in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and set aside.

• Place your cake (top side up) on your work surface, cut the cake into three layers.
• Place the first layer  on a cake stand, brush on a good amount of the syrup, spread 1/3 of the cream evenly over the surface of the cake, scatter over about 1/3 cup of the cherries making sure to push them down into the cream a bit. 
• Repeat the exact same process with the second layer finishing up by adding the top layer
• Make little rosettes with your pastry bag, gently scatter the cherries on the rosettes and all around the top.
• Add some chocolate shavings on the top and the side of the cake.
• Refrigerate the cake for three hours before serving.