1. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease or line the baking tin with parchment paper.
2. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff and keep cold. Whisk the egg yolks with 2 tbs water. Slowly and gradually, add the sugar and keep whisking until the mixture is thick and fluffy. Put the egg whites onto the yolk-cream.
3. Mix flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Sift over the egg whites.
4. Now, gently fold everything into the yolk-cream.
5. Bake for approx. 25 minutes. Get the sponge out of the baking tin and let it cool on a rack.

– At this point it would be ideal if you wait for one day to proceed –

1. Cut the sponge twice horizontally so that you have three layers. Sprinkle each layer with some of the cherry brandy. Put a cake ring around your lowest sponge.
2. Warm up the cherry jam and spread the bottom layer with it.
3. Whisk the cream with vanilla sugar until stiff and spread over the jam. Take your second sponge and put on top.
4. Bring the cherries and the sugar to boil. Blend the fruit tart gaze with 3 tbs water and thicken the cherries with it. If you have a jar of cherries, measure up 18 fl oz of the juice and thicken with the fruit gaze. Then stir in the cherries.
5. Spread the thickened cherry-mix on the second layer. Put the last sponge on top and gently press on. Keep cool.

For the decoration

1. Whisk the cream and the vanilla sugar until stiff. If you have a star-shaped nozzle, fill in 1/3 of the cream.
2. Loosen the cake ring and (with the help of a palette knife) spread the cream on the cake, starting on top until fully covered with cream.
3. Sprinkle with the grated chocolate on top and gently press it onto the edges with the help of a dough scraper or the palette knife.
4. Garnish every piece of cake with a spot of cream from your star-shaped nozzle and a fresh cherry on top.