Place a cake ring around the lower cake base. Drain the rum and cherries together and collect the juice. Mix the starch with 100 ml juice until smooth. Bring 250 ml juice to the boil with sugar, remove from the heat, stir in the starch. Let simmer for at least 1 minute, stir in rum pot mixture. Pour on the bottom, smooth it down.
Place the second base on top and chill for about 30 minutes. Finely chop the chocolate. Mix vanillin sugar and cream thickener. Whip the cream until stiff, while letting the sugar/firming agent mixture trickle in. Fold in chocolate. Pour onto the base and smooth it down. Place the third cake base on top. Chill for about 2 hours. Chop the chocolate coating and melt over a warm water bath. Pour onto baking paper and spread thinly, allow to set. Warm the cookie cutters slightly, cut out trees, put them in a cool place. Remove the cake from the mould and dust with icing sugar.
Place the third cake base on top. Chill for about 2 hours. Chop the chocolate coating and melt over a warm water bath. Pour onto baking paper and spread thinly, allow to set. Warm the cookie cutters slightly, cut out trees, put them in a cool place. Remove the cake from the mould and dust with icing sugar. Decorate cake with chocolate trees and pearls. Dust with cocoa