Chocolate pancakes with choco-cherry sauce

Sauce

425 g can pitted black cherries

100 ml cream

200 g dark chocolate, chopped into even sized pieces

Ingredients

125 g self raising flour

30 g cocoa powder

60 g caster sugar

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

330 ml milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

40 g butter, chopped

6 scoops vanilla ice cream

1. To make the sauce, drain the cherries, reserving 2 tbsp of syrup.  Place the cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat.  Sit the bowl over the pan, making sure the base of the bowl does not sit in the water.  Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and combined with the cream.  Stir in the cherries and reserved syrup.  Keep warm.
2. To make the pancakes, sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl and stir in the sugar and bicarbonate of soda.  Make a well in the center and gradually add the combined milk, egg and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
3. Melt some of the butter I a frying pan over medium heat.  Pour 80ml of batter into the pan and swirl gently to make a 12 cm pancake.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until bubbles form on the surface and the underside is golden brown.  Turn over and cook for 30 seconds more or until golden brown.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining batter to make five more pancakes, adding more butter as needed.
4. Place a scoop of ice cream on one half of each pancake and fold the other half over.