Queen Nell’s Cake

Give your loved one the royal treatment with the divine goodness of this delectable chocolate creation. Don’t be surprised if everyone declares that this flourless cake, dense and creamy, is the best thing they’ve ever tasted.
About the Chef
Pastry Chef Laura Collins brings her incredible talents from England. The Queen Nell’s Cake is just one of the fine pastries made daily at the Grey Moss Inn.
About the Restaurant
Ask San Antonians to name a favorite romantic restaurant and the answer is invariably the Grey Moss Inn, which has served quality steaks, seafood, lamb and chicken in a secluded, picture-perfect setting for almost 80 years.
More about the Grey Moss Inn
Queen Nell’s Cake
Serves 12
Ingredients
6 ounces sweet or semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
7 eggs, with yolks and whites separated
6 ounces slivered almonds, diced
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 graham cracker pieces, finely ground
Directions
Preheat oven 375 degrees. Prepare a 9" x 2.5" springform pan with wax paper on bottom, lightly coated with butter or non-stick spray. Dust pan with finely ground graham cracker pieces. In a double boiler mixing bowl, melt chocolate at low heat until smooth. Use a separate bowl for electric mixer with paddle to cream the butter at high speed. Reduce the speed and add sugar and egg yolks one at a time. Use an additional large mixing bowl to fold in the melted chocolate and add diced almonds to the mixture by hand. Place mixture aside. Beat egg whites with wire whip in electric mixer at high speed until stiff. Note: Over-mixing makes them creamy. Fold stiff egg whites into chocolate mixture by hand. Combine the two until the mixture is a fluffy batter. Pour entire contents into springform pan, tapping pan lightly to remove any air pockets.Bake for 10 min. at 375 degrees, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes.Remove cake from oven and place on a moist wet towel for 20 minutes. Invert cake with another moist wet towel and a baking sheet covering the top. Then remove springform sides and bottom and invert the cake onto a serving tray or cake round. The cake must be cooled and at room temp prior to icing. If the cake is refrigerated before icing, it may cause the icing to look dull. Traditional chocolate icing is used to finish the cake. This rich chocolate cake sits about one and a half inches high.