The River Cafe's famous chocolate nemesis cake is a rich and decadent bake that is characterized by its dense, fudgy texture and intense chocolate flavours. We've given it our own Black Forest twist with syrupy cherries.
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Yields:
16
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr 10 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 25 mins
Ingredients
300 g dark chocolate (around 70% cocoa solids), plus 25g for shavings
225 g salted butter
300 g granulated sugar
5 medium eggs
450 g black cherries in kirsch syrup (we used Opies)
1 tsp. cornflour
Directions
Step 1Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan 130°C) mark 2 and line a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Wrap the base and sides on the outside of the tin in a double layer of foil to prevent any water from the water bath seeping in.
Step 2Break the 300g chocolate into small pieces and put in a heatproof bowl with the butter. Sit the bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Heat until the chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Step 3Put 100g of the sugar in the bowl of a freestanding mixer and add the eggs. Whisk for 8-10min, until very light and airy and tripled in size.
Step 4Meanwhile, put the remaining sugar in a pan with 125ml water and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the syrup into the chocolate and butter mix and stir to combine.
Step 5With the whisk on low, slowly add the chocolate mixture to the eggs until well combined. The mix will become less airy. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and sit the tin in a roasting tray. Fill the tray with boiling water, until it comes around halfway up the cake tin. Bake for 1hr-1hr 5min or until the mixture has set. Remove from the oven and water bath and leave to cool completely in the tin.
Step 6For the topping, drain the cherries, reserving the syrup. Put the syrup in a saucepan. Slake the cornflour with a little syrup, then add to the pan. Heat until it comes to a simmer and simmer, until it thickens. Add the cherries back into the syrup. Leave to cool.
Step 7Remove the cake from the tin and place on a serving plate. Pile the cherries on top, then grate over the remaining chocolate.
GET AHEAD; Make the cake the morning of serving and leave to cool completely.
Per serving:
Calories: 336
Protein: 3g
Fat: 19g
Saturates: 11g
Carbs: 38g
Sugars: 37g
Fibre: 1g
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Sarah is Good Housekeeping's Kitchen and Homes Director, looking after all things food and homes for the brand. Sarah started her career in journalism, then retrained as a chef 15 years ago following a lifelong dream to work in food. Since retraining, she has worked as a private chef, assisted on tv commercials, created recipes for some of the country's leading brands and became the go-to birthday and wedding cake baker in her friends and family network. In 2025, she was shortlisted for Cookery Writer of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers
