Preheat the oven to 175 C. Grease a 5" round baking dish that's at least 2" high. Alternatively, use a square or rectangular dish, that will fit the bread and custard easily. The mixture will not exactly overflow while baking, but it will puff up a bit so keep that in mind.
In a bowl, beat the egg, then add the milk, cream and sugar. Whisk well to combine.
Add the melted chocolate and whisk again till the chocolate has fully incorporated. Now take out 1/4 cup (60 ml) of this custard mixture and set it aside.
Break the bread up into bite-sized pieces (or chop it) and add it to the bowl. Stir to coat very well with the custard and let it soak for 20 minutes.
Now tip the soaked bread into your prepared dish, and stir in the cherries, saving a spoonful to scatter on top.
Pour the reserved 1/4 cup custard all over the top of it, pressing the bread down as needed to make sure it's fully soaked. Top with the reserved spoonful of cherries.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (if you use a shallow dish, the pudding may get done quicker), until the top looks set and a toothpick poked in the center comes out moist crumbs but no wet mixture.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over the hot pudding, and serve warm with whipped cream! Store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and reheat before eating. It tastes as good as it does on day one, with a more intense Black Forest-y flavour :) Happy baking!