Stand ice-cream at room temperature until softened slightly. Spoon ice-cream into a large bowl; stir in cherries and swirl in chocolate sauce. Return ice-cream to tub. Cover; freeze overnight or until firm (any leftover ice-cream mixture can be frozen in a smaller container for another use).

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line base and side of 20cm cake pan.

Combine butter, egg yolks, ½ cup sugar, flour, almond meal and vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and combined. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Transfer cake to a cake board or ovenproof serving plate and place on a baking tray.

Using scissors, cut the sides of the ice-cream tub away. Invert the ice-cream into the centre of the cake and return to the freezer.

Preheat oven to 250°C (250°C fan-forced). Place the oven rack on the bottom shelf.

Add remaining 1¼ cups sugar, egg whites and cream of tartar to a large bowl of an electric mixer; beat on high speed for about 8 minutes or until meringue is thick and glossy. Working quickly, spread meringue over the ice-cream and the cake to cover completely. Bake for about 3 minutes or until meringue is browned lightly. Serve with fresh cherries.