- 3 1/2 cups pitted sour cherries drained (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup cherry juice from the jar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups + 2 Tbsp; 1 cup = 150 g (Note 2)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder for doubling, see Note 3
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt Morton
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups heavy cream cold
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract optional
- 1/4 cup cherry juice from the jar
- 4 Tbsp rum or more cherry juice (Note 4)
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Drain the cherries. Drain 3 1/2 cups pitted sour cherries over a bowl and save all of the juice.
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Combine in a saucepan. Put the drained cherries, 1/2 cup cherry juice, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup cornstarch in a 2-quart pot and stir until the cornstarch dissolves.
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Boil 2 to 3 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cook 2 to 3 minutes more, stirring, until thick and glossy. Don't cook it longer (Note 5). Cool completely.
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Whisk the dry mix. In a large bowl, whisk or sift together 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp baking soda, and 3/4 tsp kosher salt.
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Pour in the wet. Add 3 large eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract to the dry mix.
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Mix just 1 minute. Beat with a mixer or a whisk, just until combined. Don't overmix.
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Bake at 350°F (175°C). Divide the batter between two parchment-lined 8- or 9-inch round pans, with wet cake strips around them if you have them. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer in the center comes out clean (Note 6).
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Cool, then split. Cool 5 to 10 minutes in the pans, run a knife around the edge, and turn out onto a rack. Peel off the parchment and cool completely. Split each cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife for 4 layers.
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Make the crumbs. Trim a thin slice off the top of each cake and crumble it finely by hand or in a food processor. You need about 1 cup of crumbs for the sides.
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Whip to stiff peaks. Whip 3 cups heavy cream, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract on medium-high until stiff peaks form (Note 7). A damp paper towel over the bowl and mixer stops the splatter. Refrigerate up to 30 minutes, until needed.
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Stir juice and rum. Stir 1/4 cup cherry juice with 4 Tbsp rum (Note 4) and set aside.
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Reserve cream for piping. Set aside about 1 1/2 cups of the Chantilly cream in the fridge for the stars on top.
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Anchor the bottom layer. Put a dab of cream on the platter, set the first layer on it cut side up, and press to stick. Slide 4 strips of foil about 1 inch under the edges.
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Soak the layer. Brush it with 1/4 of the cherry syrup using a pastry brush, a spoon, or a squeeze bottle. Soak it lightly, or the cake turns soggy.
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Cream, then cherries. Spread a little more than 1 cup of cream over the layer, then about 3/4 cup of cherry filling over the cream.
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Repeat, top layer flipped. Repeat the syrup, cream, and cherries on the next 2 layers. Set the 4th layer on top bottom side up.
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Frost and press on crumbs. Cover the whole cake with the remaining cream. Press handfuls of crumbs onto the sides, then pull out the foil strips.
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Fill a star-tip bag. Fit a pastry bag with a star tip, fill it with the reserved cream, and twist the top closed.
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Pipe the border. Pipe stars around the top edge, close together so the cherry topping stays in.
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Top with cherries. Spread the rest of the cherry filling inside the border.
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Chill overnight. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 5 to 8 hours, before slicing (Note 8). Serve cold.
1. Cherries: Use jarred sour (morello) cherries or home-canned tart cherries in their own juice. About two 20 oz jars give 3 1/2 cups drained. Save the juice for the filling and the syrup. Cherry pie filling works in a pinch: skip the filling steps, and use juice from a jar of cherries for the syrup.
2. Measuring flour: 1 cup = 150 g. Fluff the flour, scoop, and level. Weigh it if you can.
3. Doubling the recipe: Changing the servings multiplies every amount straight across, but the baking powder and baking soda should not go up the whole way. Keep the first batch's amount in full and add three quarters of it for each extra batch. Doubled, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder becomes about 2 5/8 tsp (not 3), and 3/4 tsp baking soda becomes about 1 1/4 tsp plus a pinch (not 1 1/2). Too much and the layers rise more than the pans can hold.
4. No alcohol: Replace the rum with more cherry juice, or add a few drops of rum flavoring.
5. Cherry filling: Cornstarch thickens only at a full boil, and a long boil after that thins it again. Make it up to 2 to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.
6. Pans and doneness: Two 8- or 9-inch round pans both work. Done layers spring back when pressed lightly, and the center reads about 200 to 205°F on an instant-read thermometer. A slight dip in the middle is normal.
7. Chantilly cream: Stiff peaks stand straight up without flopping over. If you overwhip it, stir in a splash of cold heavy cream by hand, and don't put it back on the mixer.
8. Chilling and slicing: The overnight rest sets the layers so the slices hold together. Cut with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.
9. Storage: Covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Freeze single slices up to 1 month and thaw overnight in the fridge.