Black forest gateau seems to be having something of a revival and is very much part of our love affair with all things retro. This is a classic version - rich dark chocolate sponge, lots of cream and morello cherries. We’ve tweaked it slightly by changing the traditional round shape to a much sharper square. It’s also been brought up to date by using the softer flavours of amaretto and brandy to soak the sponge rather than kirsch.

The name is actually based on the liqueur - Kirsch - from the Black Forest region of Germany. It’s claimed to have been invented by a confectioner in Bonn in 1915. But there are few undisputed facts about this! Strictly speaking unless it contains kirsch it should not be called Black Forest gateau....