Chocolate Mousse Cake with Roasted Peaches & Marsala Cream

I am not a dessert person, I prefer salt to sugar and when it comes to cakes, I prefer the Italian ‘bread-like’ almond based cakes rather than the buttercream types, I am weird like that.

But, I do like a ‘grown-up’ dessert, one that rings of sophistication and skill but is easy to make, this is that kind of dessert.

The 4 ingredient flourless cake is easy to make in 3 simple steps.

The texture of this rich and decadent chocolate cake is more mousse than cake which makes it quite hard to slice and serve but your effort will be worth it!

I served this cake with peaches that I roasted with dark muscovado sugar, crushed amaretti biscuits and whipped cream with a dash of Marsala.

This cake is the creation of the Rivercafe’s Ruth and Rose, they are legends and so is this cake, appropriately named ‘Chocolate Nemesis’.

TIPS:

• The better the ingredients the better the cake.
• The cake is delicate, let the cake cool completely in the water before tipping onto a plate.
• The cake can be made a day ahead.
• If you place the cake in the fridge, it will change the texture of the cake, my husband preferred the firmer texture, I did not. It does however mean you can make the cake 3 days ahead.
• The cake is rich, a little goes a long way.
• Plums instead of peaches would work well too.
• The cake serves 6

Roasted peaches and whipped Marsala cream or a simple dollop of good creme fraiche.

(1) a 25cm solid cake tin (NOT a springform cake tin, trust me, I tried and ended with a disastrous soggy cake, best to be forgotten) and (2) electric hand mixer or stand mixer and (3) a baking tray large enough for the cake tin to sit into.

• 340g fantastic 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 225g fantastic unsalted butter, cut into pieces (extra for greasing)
• 5 organic eggs, beaten
• 210g caster sugar, divided into 70g and 140g
• amaretti biscuits, crushed, to serve

Roasted Peaches

• 6 peaches (not too ripe), halved and pit removed
• 4 crushed amaretti biscuits
• 3 tablespoons mascavado sugar (or plain sugar)
• olive oil

Marsala Cream

• 250ml good organic cream
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar (more to your taste)
• 3 tablespoons Marsala (more to your taste)

1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 120c
2. Using extra butter, grease a 25cm cake tin and line with baking paper.
3. Add the chocolate and butter to a glass bowl and melt over just simmering pot of water. Remove once melted.
4. Beat the eggs and 70g of sugar in an electric mixer until mousse like and doubled in volume.
5. Gently heat the remaining 140g sugar with 100ml water until dissolved, let it boil for 3 minutes, you will be left with a light syrup. Pour the hot syrup over into the melted chocolate and cool slightly.
6. Add the chocolate to the eggs and beat slowly until the mixture is combined. Pour into the prepared tin.
7. Put a small serviette in the bottom of the baking tin. Put the cake on top of the serviette and add enough hot water to come three-quarters of the way up the side of the tin.
8. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes until set. Leave the cake to cool in the water.
9. To turn out the delicate cake, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake tin, place a large plate over the top of the tin and flip the cake over so the plate is at the bottom and the cake is on top. You should hear a soft ‘thump’, carefully lift the cake tin up before slowly removing the baking paper.
10. To serve, add a slice of cake, dollop generously with cream, a quarter or halved peach and more crushed amaretti biscuits.

For the Peaches:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c. In a small baking tray, add the peaches, sprinkle over the sugar and drizzle with olive oil. Add the crushed amaretti biscuits and bake until golden, check after 15 minutes, adding more time until the peaches are softish and the sugar is bubbling. Remove and cool.

For the Marsala Cream

1. Add all the ingredients and whip until a soft peak forms, be careful not to over whip the cream.