Method

Chocolate Crème Pât

Pour the castor sugar, corn flour and egg yolks into a bowl and whisk well until smooth.

Pour the milk, vanilla and salt into a medium-sized pot and set it over low-medium heat. Bring it to a simmer, then remove the pot from the heat; add two thirds of the milk into the egg yolk mixture slowly, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the pot and whisk well to combine. Return the pot to a low heat and whisk as it heats up and thickens.

As soon as it starts to boil, whisk for another 30 seconds on the heat, then remove the pot from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate to the pot and whisk to combine into a smooth chocolate crème pâtissière. Pour the mixture out into a container with a lid and press a piece of cling film down onto the pâtissière to prevent it from forming a skin. Cover and place into the fridge to cool and set.

Amagwinya

In a large bowl, add the cake flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Whisk to combine then add the water and olive oil. Mix until the dough comes together then turn it out onto a work surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. Lightly oil the bowl, then place the dough back into the bowl, cover and prove until doubled in size.

Turn the risen dough out onto a work surface and gently knock the air out of it. Portion the

dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. Place a portion on the work surface and cup your hand over it. The idea is to keep your pinky finger on the work surface at all times and make a fast clockwise motion with your cupped hand. As you rotate, you will feel the dough come together into a ball. You should get a perfectly round dough ball.

Space out the balls on a lightly floured baking tray and cover with a kitchen towel for 30–45 minutes to prove. They will expand, so give them room. Half-fill a large flat pot with oil and set it over medium-high heat. Use a digital thermometer to heat the oil to 180 °C and fry the amagwinya in batches. Do not crowd the pot. Cook for roughly 3 minutes a side until golden all over. Drain the amagwinya on paper towel and repeat until you’ve fried them all.

Cherry Sauce

Divide the cherries into two batches. Chop half of the cherries into pieces. Blitz the other half until smooth. They are quite juicy, so may not need any of the reserved tin juice but add a little at a time if needed to thin out into a drizzling consistency.

To Serve 

Let the amagwinya cool then slice then open. Pinch a little of the centre dough of the bottom half and take out to create a shallow hole. Add some of the sauce and the chopped cherries to the hole, then pipe or spoon in chocolate crème pât. Top with chopped cherries and close. If you don’t mind a bit of mess, add a drizzle of sauce over the top. Dust with icing sugar and serve.