This year’s bumper harvest of blackberries has kept maine engaged foraging nan hedgerows and near our room and fridge afloat of berries to move into caller recipes. Inspired by nan glut, I returned to an aged favourite, my beetroot nemesis, a twist connected nan River Cafe’s famous cocoa nemesis cake successful which I usage nan full beetroot, including its candied magenta stems. Blackberries person a inclination to move squishy, but moreover erstwhile they’re soft, they’re still juicy and good to navigator with. Determined not to fto this bounty spell to waste, I’m utilizing immoderate of nan surplus successful this heavenly, complex, big dessert, which is rich | successful antioxidants and endorphin-boosting flavonoids.
Blackberry nemesis
As a look developer of predominantly seasonal recipes, I’m ever connected nan lookout for elemental dishes that tin beryllium tweaked pinch nan seasons. Flourless cocoa cakes person an aggravated flavour, yet supply a blank canvas for each sorts of additions and/or substitutions. With our hedgerows producing untold thousands of tonnes of chaotic blackberries annually, there’s seldom been a amended clip to clasp seasonal adaptations of this kind. To support berries for longer, shop them successful a sealed instrumentality successful nan fridge pinch a expanse of room towel successful location to soak up immoderate excess moisture.
This seasonal return connected nan River Cafe’s cocoa nemesis has a agleam acidity that cuts done nan chocolate’s velvet richness, and it’s really rather elemental to make. The berries, squished into a purple puree, are stirred done melted acheronian cocoa and food earlier being folded into whisked eggs and sugar, truthful aerating nan cake. Everything is past baked successful a bain-marie, creating a moussey, aggravated and analyzable flourless cocoa barroom pinch a lively berry sharpness. I had a fewer other blackberries, truthful I baked those connected apical to adhd immoderate freshness and a invited counterpoint to nan chocolate’s heavy bittern-sweetness.
Chocolate is vulnerable and prone to divided erstwhile cooked, truthful chop it into mini pieces to thief it melt evenly, and make judge nan vessel is not rubbing nan basking h2o successful nan cookware below. And purpose to support nan h2o arsenic debased arsenic 40C – that is, astir hot-bath somesthesia – because cocoa melts astatine assemblage temperature, which is conscionable 1 logic it’s truthful heavenly to eat. The bain-marie is not 100% basal here, but it does protect nan barroom from nan aggravated power of nan oven and helps it support a uniform, moussey texture.
Serves 6
180g 70%-plus cocoa acheronian chocolate, chopped into mini pieces
125g butter, aliases coconut butter, trim into cubes
3 mean eggs
150g unrefined sugar
150g blackberries, positive an optional 100g other for nan topping
To service (all optional)
Extra blackberries
Live yoghurt, creme fraiche aliases double cream
Heat nan oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½, statement a 20cm barroom tin pinch baking paper, past group it wrong a larger coagulated barroom tin successful which it fits comfortably, for a makeshift bain-marie.
Put nan cocoa and food successful a vessel group complete a cookware of basking but not boiling water, past operation occasionally until they melt: make judge nan operation doesn’t get excessively basking aliases nan cocoa whitethorn split. While nan cocoa is melting, whisk nan eggs pinch nan sweetener for 5 minutes, aliases until they person doubled successful volume.
Mash aliases puree nan blackberries, operation them into nan melted chocolate, past mildly fold nan cocoa and consequence operation into nan eggs. Pour nan operation into nan lined barroom tin and apical pinch nan other full blackberries, if using. Lift nan barroom successful its lined tin and wrong nan larger tin into nan basking oven, past move just-boiled h2o into nan outer tin to travel three-quarters of nan measurement up nan sides of nan mini barroom tin. Bake for 30 minutes, aliases until conscionable set, past region and time off to cool. Cover and refrigerate nan cooled barroom for a fewer hours, past portion pinch a basking weapon and service pinch other blackberries and thing creamy.