Sherry and cherry cake

1. Preheat oven to 180 ºC. Grease a 23 cm loaf tin.
2. Cream together margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, together with essence, and mix to blend.
3. Sift together flour and baking powder; add ground almonds and salt. Add to creamed mixture and beat well.
4. Dip biscuits in sherry or syrup from black cherries and place end to end in a row along bottom of tin. Place a layer of black cherries in the bottom.
5. Spread two thirds of margarine mixture over the biscuits and cherries. Add another layer of biscuits dipped in sherry or syrup, together with the rest of the cherries.
6. Top with another layer of mixture and bake for an hour. Try to keep for two to three days before cutting to allow it to mature.
7. Decorate top with glacé icing.