CHOCOLATE CLEMENTINE TORTE
It would not be Christmas without an amazing chocolate dessert and this one – inspired by the River Cafe’s Chocolate Nemesis – is a complete game changer. It’s so rich and silky that you will only want a little slice, but your guests will go mad for it. Hands down delicious!
SERVES 16
FAST PREP 10 MINUTES COOK 40 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING
350g quality dark chocolate (70%) 250g unsalted butter
5 large free-range eggs
250g white caster sugar 200ml fresh clementine juice (roughly 15 clementines)
Preheat the oven to 120°C/250°F/ gas 3⁄4. Snap the chocolate and melt in a heatproof bowl with 225g of the butter and a pinch of sea salt over a pan of gently simmering water until smooth and glossy, stirring occasionally. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a freestanding mixer on a high speed until light, fluffy and tripled in size.
Grease a 25cm round cake tin all over with the remaining butter and line the base with greaseproof paper. Remove the chocolate from the heat, leave to stand for a couple of minutes, then pour it into the egg mixture.
Whisk on a medium speed to combine, then pour into the lined tin. Give a few taps on the work surface to bring the air bubbles to the surface, then place the tin into a shallow roasting tray. Place the tray in the oven, then carefully pour enough boiling kettle water into the tray to come halfway up the side of the cake tin. Gently slide the shelf back in and bake for 40 minutes, or until set but with a slight wobble.
Squeeze the clementine juice through a sieve into a small pan and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, or until syrupy enough to coat the back of a spoon. Carefully pour it into a bowl and leave to cool.
Remove the tart tin from the oven and leave to cool in the water-filled tin for 1 hour. Gently loosen the edges with a butter knife, then carefully turn it out on to a serving board and peel off the paper. Slice and serve with a drizzle of clementine syrup.
NUTRITION: 319kcal, 20.9g fat (12.3g saturated), 3.5g protein, 31.4g carbs, 31.2g sugar, 0.2g salt, 0g fibre