Chocolate pancakes with choc-cherry sauce

Ingredients for sauce:

425g can pitted black cherries
100ml cream
200g dark chocolate, chopped into even sized pieces

Ingredients for pancakes:

1 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 1/3 cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
40g butter, chopped
6 scoops vanilla ice cream

Method:

1. To make the sauce, drain the cherries, reserving 2 tablespoons of the syrup. Place the cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan of water to boil, then remove the pan from the hear. Stir the bowl over the pan, making sure the base of the bowl does not sit in the water. Stir occasionally till 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 centre and gradually add the combined milk, egg and vanilla, mixing till smooth.
3. Melt some of the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan and swirl gently to make a 12 cm pancake. Cook for 1-2 mins, or until bubbles form on the surface and the underside is golden brown. Turn over and cook for 30 secs more, or unti golden. 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. Drizzle with the sauce and serve immediately. (Add little milk if the batter thickens on standing.)