• Preheat oven to 325°F / 160°C. Line the bottoms of 3 8-inch cake pans with rounds of parchment paper. Do not grease pans, as the sides of the pans need to be grease-free for the egg whites to rise.
• Separate 10 egg whites from the yolks. Take care not to allow any bits of yolk in the egg whites. Set the whites aside.
• Beat the 10 egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar. This will create a light yellow, thick, custardy mix. Add vanilla and mix.
• In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Make sure it is lump-free.
• Add the flour/cocoa mixture to the egg yolk mixture. Mix gently until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the dry ingredients well.
• In a separate mixing bowl using a balloon whip attachment, beat the 10 egg whites until they are about halfway up the bowl, then add 1/4 cup sugar gradually and beat until the egg whites are stiff.
• Fold the egg whites into the chocolate batter. I fold the whites in in four separate batches. See video for instruction.
• Pour the batter into the three cake pans. Bake at 325°F for about 18 minutes. Check for doneness by making sure the crumb is fully formed underneath the top crust. You want to see bubbles of crumb, not gooey batter.
• Cool cakes completely before filling or decorating. Brush with kirsch before filling.

The Cherry Filling

• Separate the cherries from the juice.
• In a small saucepan, heat the juice and add 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch, whisking to break up any lumps. Simmer sauce until it thickens (about 4 minutes). If you are using the Tart Oregon Cherries, add 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, as the juice for these cherries is not pre-sweetened.
• Add the cherries back to the thickened juice and add a splash of kirsch (optional). Chill the cherries before filling the cake.

Whipped Cream Filling/Icing

• Working in batches of 2 cups per batch, whip the cream in a chilled bowl using a chilled balloon whip attachment. When the cream is whipped enough to form lines/indentations, add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until stiff enough to pipe through a bag. Make two batches of this.

Assembling the Cake

• Place strips of parchment paper under the first layer of cake on your cake plate/pedestal. See video.
• Using an icing bag, draw two circles of icing on the cake layer, one near the outer perimeter of the cake, the other, bullseye fashion in the middle of the cake. See video. Spoon cherry filling in between the two circles of whipped cream, and into the center of the smaller of the smaller whipped cream ring. Top with the second layer of cake and repeat the process.
• Top the two filled layers with the third layer of cake. Ice the entire cake with whipped cream. Cover the icing with an even layer of shaved chocolate. See video for technique. Pipe 8 rosettes of whipped cream on the cake and top each rosette with a reserved cherry. For best results chill overnight.

For filling made from fresh cherries

• Pit each cherry and remove stems. Simmer over medium heat and when the juices have been extracted from the cherries (when it gets soupy) add the sugar and corn starch. Simmer for about five more minutes to thicken then add the kirsch or vodka and the almond extract. Cool completely before filling cake.