The River Café’s
Chocolate Nemesis
2.11.2024, recipes
Chocolate Nemesis is Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray’s version of a flourless chocolate cake. It is served at their restaurant, the River Café in London, and has been on the menu since 1989.
The cake contains three main ingredients which need to be of the highest quality: eggs, butter and chocolate. It has a crackly crust, slices like ganache and melts immediately upon eating. If we had a cake tourism brochure, this would probably be number one or two on it.
Ingredients
10 eggs
450g unsalted butter
575g sugar
675g high quality chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
Crème fraîche, for serving
Method
Beat the eggs with a third of the sugar using a stand mixer on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes. The mixture should inflate or double in size.
In the meantime, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pot of boiling water (bain-marie). Once melted, allow to start cooling just enough so it’s no longer piping hot.
In a separate pot, make a simple syrup by heating 220ml of water and dissolving the remaining sugar in it. Add the simple syrup to the chocolate mixture.
Reduce the speed of the stand mixer to low and slowly pour in the warm chocolate and simple syrup mixture to your eggs. Continue to mix on low to incorporate.
Grease two 10-inch cake tins and line them with parchment paper. Place each tin in a deep tray and fill the trays with hot water. The water should reach at least two-thirds up the side of the cake tins. This is essential for the cakes to cook evenly.
Pour the cake mix in the pans, give them a bang on the countertop/table and bake for about 75 minutes or until the cakes are set. Allow to cool completely before removing from their tins.
Slice and serve with a dollop of crème fraîche.
10 eggs
450g unsalted butter
575g sugar
675g high quality chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
Crème fraîche, for serving
Method
Beat the eggs with a third of the sugar using a stand mixer on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes. The mixture should inflate or double in size.
In the meantime, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pot of boiling water (bain-marie). Once melted, allow to start cooling just enough so it’s no longer piping hot.
In a separate pot, make a simple syrup by heating 220ml of water and dissolving the remaining sugar in it. Add the simple syrup to the chocolate mixture.
Reduce the speed of the stand mixer to low and slowly pour in the warm chocolate and simple syrup mixture to your eggs. Continue to mix on low to incorporate.
Grease two 10-inch cake tins and line them with parchment paper. Place each tin in a deep tray and fill the trays with hot water. The water should reach at least two-thirds up the side of the cake tins. This is essential for the cakes to cook evenly.
Pour the cake mix in the pans, give them a bang on the countertop/table and bake for about 75 minutes or until the cakes are set. Allow to cool completely before removing from their tins.
Slice and serve with a dollop of crème fraîche.
