Zuger kirschtorte with blackberries, almonds and double kirsch

First you need to macerate the blackberries for the buttercream. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle over 25g of icing sugar and the kirsch. Mix and set aside

To make the meringues, preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. Take two sheets of greaseproof paper and using a 20cm cake ring as a template, draw a circle on each one

Place the eggs whites in a clean bowl and, using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites with 20g of the icing sugar to begin with. Whisk until you get stiff peaks and then in a separate bowl, sift in the remaining icing sugar, ground almonds and cornflour

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites, a third at a time – do not over-work. Carefully spoon the mix onto each sheet of greaseproof paper, spooning to the edges of the drawn circles

Place in the oven and bake for 40–50 minutes, until the meringue is crisp and golden. Switch the oven off and leave to cool

The meringue will overlap the edge of the circles during cooking, so to get a neater edge, place the cake ring over the top and run a sharp knife around the inside to trim

To make your sponge, grease the same 20cm cake tin with some butter and line the base with greaseproof paper

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time until incorporated, then fold in the flour

Spoon the sponge mix into the cake tin and then place into the oven (keeping it at 170°C/gas mark 3) and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a cake skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool a touch before removing and placing on a cooling rack

Make the syrup by putting the sugar and water in a small pan. Bring to the boil, stirring to ensure that the sugar dissolves, then set aside

Now make the buttercream. First, take the macerated blackberries and place them in a sieve, using a bowl underneath to catch the liquid. Press down with a fork, squeezing out all the juice and remaining Kirsch

Place the softened butter in a bowl with the icing sugar and beat with an electric mixer for at least 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Slowly pour in the blackberry juice and continue mixing, until it turns a light pink colour

To build your kirschtorte, place one of the meringue discs on a plate or cake stand and spread a generous amount of the buttercream over the top – just under half of the buttercream

Place the sponge cake on top of the buttercream and lightly pierce the top with a skewer (don’t go all the way through). Using a pastry brush or spoon, soak the sponge with the kirsch syrup

Spread the other meringue disc with the same amount of buttercream as before – you want to have a little left over – and then invert and press down onto the sponge

Finish by decorating the meringue with small, piped amounts of buttercream and then pop a blackberry on top. Scatter some Demerara sugar and some toasted almond flakes over the top and serve at room temperature – maybe with some more kirsch