Tuesday Treat

Menu Mistress

Flourless Sour Cherry and Chocolate Cake

This is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat!.. Growing up in the seventies the ‘Black Forest Gateaux’ was my dream dessert. So when I came across this recipe I couldn’t resist! It’s a modern take on my childhood dream and all the better for it; it’s rich with a gooey middle and there’s a hint of sourness from the cherries. However, because it doesn’t contain flour it has a lightness. You can choose to serve it with crème fraiche or in true ‘Black Forest’ style with a good dollop of whipped cream. Thanks to cookbook writer, Ravneet Gill, for this wonderful recipe.

300g 70% dark chocolate (I use Lindt), broken up

225g unsalted butter

5 eggs, plus 1 yolk

4g sea salt

200g golden caster sugar

200g pitted sour cherries, frozen or jarred

Crème Fraiche or whipped cream to serve

*You will need a 25cm round cake tine, greased and base lined with greaseproof paper.

  1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water – make sure that the water doesn’t touch the bowl. Once melted take off the heat.
  2. In a bowl, beat the eggs (and extra yolk), salt and sugar until the mixture has tripled in volume, then carefully fold in the chocolate mixture, followed by the cherries.
  3. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven, 160’c fan, for 45 minutes or until it has started to set on top.
  4. Leave to cool, then turn out, slice and serve with crème fraiche or a dollop of whipped cream.
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Published by Menu Mistress

Cooking has always been something I've enjoyed, I have an extensive collection of cookbooks, some are well thumbed whilst others collect dust on the shelves; I can’t bear to get rid of any cook book, just in case one day I might use it for that one obscure recipe - light on a rainy day! I enjoy eating out and discovering new flavours, whether it’s just a local haunt or a ‘dress up’ to dinner restaurant - food is my hobby! In my opinion food is the one of the most important pieces of knowledge you need to know about any culture in order to really understand it, so when we go away, it’s not the local sights that I’m googling but the best place to eat! I'm not one of those fortunate cooks who can throw something together by looking at the contents of their fridge, I need a plan to work with, then I organise my fridge around the recipe. I am however a very organised person, you might even call me a control freak! I love the orderly fashion of a recipe, I find it soothing to have a plan in front of me, so the thought of trawling through my recipe books and trying new recipes is my idea of a perfect afternoon. But I realise that this is not everyones idea of fun, hence the birth of this blog. This blog is essentially for people who adore food but don’t have the time, patience or energy to search through cook books to find that winning recipe – that’s the job of Menu Mistress!

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