Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
2. Leave your Chiffon Cake baking tin, or if you do not have one, an Angel Tube Cake Pan ungreased, so the cake can climb and hold its height.
3. In a jug, whisk 1/2 cup cocoa powder with 3/4 cup boiling water, and stir in the 1 tablespoon coffee if you’re using it. Let it cool slightly, so as not to scramble the egg yolks later.
4. Sift together 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 3/4 cups castor sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
5. In another bowl, whisk the 7 egg yolks, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence until smooth.
6. In a clean bowl, beat the 7 egg whites with 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. The bowl should be spotless and squeaky clean, or the whites won’t whip properly.
7. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until it comes together.
8. Add in the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until the batter looks smooth and chocolaty.
9. Fold in the egg whites gently in three additions. Be careful, or you’ll knock out all the air.
10. Pour the batter into an ungreased tube pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
11. When done, remove from the oven and immediately turn the pan upside down.
12. If you don’t have the special feet on the pan, balance the center tube over a wine bottle or something sturdy and let it hang for at least an hour so it doesn’t collapse.
13. Once fully cooled, run a serrated knife along the outer edge and around the tube to loosen it. Pop it out and place it on a wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache Topping

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 1/2 slabs of dark chocolate, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons milk, and 2 tablespoons golden syrup.
2. Heat on 50 percent power in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until everything melts and turns glossy and smooth.
3. Spoon the ganache over the cake, letting it drip naturally.
4. Add flake chocolate or cherries for decoration.