Chocolate and Marmite Caramel Cake: even some of the hardest sceptics will change their minds once they've tasted this!

The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clandestine-Cake-Club-Cookbook/dp/1782060049/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375036838&sr=1-1&keywords=clandestine+cake+club  is fast becoming one of my favourite baking books and I've only owned the book less than six months! In case you are unfamiliar with the concept of this cake club, it's all about meeting up with like-minded amateur bakers in your area and sampling some of their delicious home-cooked delights. The simple rules of the club are: cupcakes, brownies, cookies or pies are not allowed as this defeats the whole ethos of getting together and sharing proper cake! The club was founded by Lynn Hill who has spread this wonderful concept across the United Kingdom and further afield. Anyone interested in setting up a club can get details from this address: www.clandestinecakeclub.co.uk.

The book features all the favourite recipes of the club, with chapters on Classic Cakes, Victorian Cakes, Fruity Cakes, Chocolatey Cakes etc. I have already tried a number of recipes including one of my favourite the Elderflower Cordial Cake on page 48 - this is a divine concoction of dreamy sponge, elderflower buttercream and a white chocolate ganache covering. The Passion Fruit Cake on page 85 is another delight to behold: aromatic sponge cake with a passion fruit curd and white chocolate icing. In case you'd forgotten how to do a Swiss roll, the Strawberry Swiss Roll on page 28 is another winner with a simple strawberry and whipped cream filling...

The Chocolate and Marmite Caramel Cake on page 176 was a real success when I baked this as part of a get-together with friends and it was fun to try and get them guessing what the 'secret ingredient' was (I didn't tell them about the Marmite!)

Slicing up the cake ready to serve my guests. Decorated with some chocolate rose leaves.

Chocolate & Marmite Caramel Cake (Recipe supplied by Becs Rivett, copyright Lynn Hill 2013)

Serves 8-10
175g dark chocolate (broken up)
175g butter, softened
175g caster sugar
4 large eggs, separated
90g ground almonds
90g plain flour, sifted

Caramel Marmite Buttercream

In case you've never seen a jar of Marmite!

120g butter, at room temperature
440g soft light brown sugar
180ml milk
2 tsp Marmite, or more to taste
480g icing sugar, sifted

Creaming the butter and sugar

The completed cake which can be decorated however you like

1. Preheat the oven to 180

   

   Combining the chocolate and almonds

   degrees. Grease and line two 18cm sandwich tins.
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir gently and remove from the heat.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the melted chocolate and ground almonds.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the egg whites and sifted flour into the mixture bit by bit until completely incorporated. Divide the mixture between the tins and spread evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes until springy to touch. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tins and then turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

   

   Silky melted chocolate

   
     

   

   Folding in the whisked egg whites

   Make the buttercream. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat, then mix in the brown sugar, milk and Marmite, stirring until it comes to the boil. Boil for a minute, then remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Check and add more Marmite if desired (remember the flavour will be diluted with the icing sugar).
5. Whisk in half the icing sugar and then leave to cool, checking and stirring regularly to to regulate consistency. Once cool, whisk in the remaining icing sugar. If it is still runny, sift in enough icing sugar to reach a spreadable consistency.
6. Assemble the cake by spreading a third of the buttercream over one of the cooled cakes, then sandwich with the other cake. Cover the top and sides of the whole cake with the remaining buttercream.

   

   Making chocolate leaves using washed rose leaves and painting on melted chocolate.

   

   Cake  ready to go out and be served, no time to fiddle about and set up artistic photos!

   This really is a rich and chocolatey cake. The saltiness of the Marmite in the buttercream adds that extra depth and reveals the taste of caramel rather like the ever-popular trend of salted caramel. I did find I had to add extra icing sugar to reach a good consistency for the icing to be spread though.

Next time: seasonal recipes using black currants and gooseberries

Strawberry Mousse Cups: my own creations!

Summer's not summer without a strawberry recipe and with Wimbledon due to start in the next few days, how about treating yourself to these lovely strawberry mousse cups?! This is my own recipe where I have drawn upon other recipes I have come across over the years and hence created this concoction. Obviously, if you are following my challenge then you'll know that this recipe won't count but it's so yummy I just wanted to share it!

Strawberry mousse in an edible chocolate cup

Strawberry Mousse Cups

Serves 6
200 g strawberries
125 g Marshmallows (Approximately 15 normal sized)
1 tsp lemon juice
120 ml double cream
For the chocolate cups
125 g plain chocolate
1 tsp white vegetable fat such as Trex

1. First make the chocolate cups by melting the chocolate and the vegetable fat together in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remember not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.
2. Brush the melted chocolate inside 6 cupcake baking cases (I always do a spare one just in case!). Place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set - you should still have quite a bit of chocolate mixture left over. Repeat once more. This can be done a few hours ahead.

Melting the chocolate with the Trex

 3.  Lightly crush 50 g of the strawberries and combine with the marshmallows in a saucepan and heat until melted. Stir in the lemon juice and cool completely.

4.  Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold in the marshmallow mix with the remaining chopped strawberries.

5. Carefully peel off the paper cases from the chocolate so you are left with the chocolate shell and fill the chocolate cups with the mousse mix. Chill until ready to serve. You can garnish with whipped cream or a single small strawberry.

Melting the marshmallows with the strawberries

Chopped strawberries to add to the mousse mix

Folding in the strawberries

Ready to chill in the fridge

Assembling pudding for my guests (this moreish cake recipe will be featuring soon!)

Rhubarb crumble - Gregg Wallace's favourite and just right for this time of year

Rhubarb crumble served with homemade custard

Rhubarb crumble is Greg Wallace's 'favourite pudding of all time' and when you dig that spoon into that crunchy and crumbly topping with the sharp fragrant rhubarb you then know why! This pudding is highly underrated in my opinion, it's not until you make a batch that you remember why you loved it in the first place. This version is rather lovely and has the added twist of some stem ginger and stem ginger syrup but you can omit this and add an extra 25-50 g of caster sugar. It also has the bonus of being a simple dish to prepare and then cooked in the oven for 40 minutes or so.

Rhubarb from my mother's garden - thanks Mum!

Anyone that has seen Gregg on television on programmes such as MasterChef will have gathered that he is their puddings aficionado. Nothing pleases him more than a sublime and delicious pudding for him to sample and judge. In terms of my favourite cookery books, Gregg's favourite puddings (2010) http://www.amazon.co.uk/GREGGS-FAVOURITE-PUDDINGS-WALLACE-HARDBACK/dp/B00BO9URDQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371572595&sr=1-3&keywords=gregg%27s+favourite+puddings is definitely one I reach for when I want a reliable, reassuring, and sumptuous pudding! As well as plenty of wonderful pudding recipes he also includes basics such as icings, glazes, custards, sauces, pastries and so on. Other recipes I can recommend and that I have followed are his pavlova on page 130 (I always use whatever fruit is in season), Rum and raisin ice on page 150 (if you like this flavour you'll absolutely love this recipe!). Also his custard recipes (page 170) , chocolate sauce (page 175) and pastry recipes (pages 176-177) are all fail-safe stand-bys you can dip into as and when needed.

Being summer it's absolutely fitting then that I do include a nice seasonal recipe. Rhubarb crumble can be found on page 28 of Gregg's book.

Rhubarb crumble (Octopus Publishing Group Ltd 2010)

Serves 6
1 kg fresh rhubarb
125 g caster sugar
2 pieces of stem ginger, chopped
2 tbsp stem ginger syrup
For the crumble
250 g plain flour
125 g butter, diced
25 g caster sugar
25 g demerara sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Top and tail the rhubarb and remove any stringy skin. Cut the sticks into 2.5 cm lengths, place in a large ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Add the stem ginger and stem ginger syrup.

   

   Prepared rhubarb

   
   
2. To make the crumble, sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar.
3. Cover the rhubarb with the crumble mix and press down lightly. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
4. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot with custard.

Ready to bake in the oven

Golden brown straight from the oven

Cooking up some Quick Custard (page 170), stirring in the vanilla extract

If you want to serve your crumble with custard, and quite frankly who wouldn't, it's very easy to make your own. Here are instructions for Gregg's Quick Custard page 170, slightly less naughty than his proper variety, also to be found on that page, as it doesn't contain cream!

Quick Custard

Serves 2-4
2 egg yolks
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp caster sugar
300 ml milk
Half tsp vanilla extract

1. Beat egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.
2. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan, pour on to the egg mixture and stir. Return the mixture to the cleaned saucepan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
3. Add the vanilla extract, then strain. Serve warm.

Delicious rhubarb crumble and homemade custard

Next time: Coming soon my own recipe for strawberry mousse cups, perfect for Wimbledon and summer dining...

Salted Chocolate Tarts - perfect for entertaining

A delicious slice of Salted chocolate tart served with creme fraiche

Salted chocolate and salted caramel has been a flavour trend for the last few years now and so I've been meaning to make something along these lines for ages. Originally I was going to do a trio of chocolate deserts or to give it a posher title an assiette of chocolate but time got the better of me. That said, I will definitely make these lovely little tarts again along with a couple of other deserts when I next have friends round for dinner. However, one thing I found was that they were too salty for me, so I will be amending the amount I add next time, other than that they were  fairly straightforward to make and by doing the pastry in the food processor it did mean you ended up with a light melt-in-the mouth texture.

This recipe, Salted Chocolate Tarts With Caramelised Pecans page 250, comes from one of my favourite books of the moment and one that I've only had in my possession since this Christmas: Masterchef Everyday 2012 http://www.amazon.co.uk/MasterChef-EveryDay-DK-Cookery-General/dp/1405394358/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369689152&sr=1-1&keywords=masterchef+everyday  The 'everyday' aspect of the book focuses on 20 recipes that the presenters, John Torode and Greg Wallace from the popular television series, have adapted to make them more user friendly for the likes of us to incorporate into our weekly repertoire of meals. There is also of course the usual Masterchef recipes that have featured in the programmes by the likes of celebrities such as England Rugby player Phil Vickery, musician Danny Goffey or journalist and presenter Kirsty Wark as well as  the recipes from the contestants of the general public. As always the food is beautifully assembled and presented with the obvious attentions to detail. The photography is excellent, although not all recipes are accompanied with a picture, however, where you do get a photograph, it will give you the confidence to recreate the look at home. The recipes that have been simplified for 'everyday' are dishes such as Pan-fried Gurnard page 74, Tea-smoked Duck page 122, White Chocolate Parfait page 254 and Trio of Italian Desserts page 290.

The last section of the book is entitled 'What's in my fridge?' and aims to offer quick and easy meals using ingredients in said fridge. It concentrates on chicken, bacon, cheese, eggs for example. So you get on page 336 the Perfect Omelette and a recipe for Tortilla, on page 330 it's Grilled Lemon and Honey Chicken.

I must also mention that the contestants are not just a name and photograph attributed to their respective recipes, the first section of the book is dedicated to giving a brief outline of all the 'people' involved. I think this grounds the book in a reality that is then demonstrated by the contestants' passion and enthusiasm for each of their recipes.

Salted Chocolate Tarts With Caramelized Pecans (copyright 2012 Dorling Kindersley Limited)

Serves 4
For the pastry
90g softened butter
40g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
125g plain flour                                                       

Making the pastry in the food processor

2 tsp cocoa powder
For the filling
175g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
175ml double cream
175g light muscovado sugar
1 and half tsp sea salt (Beware! Next time I'm reducing to about 1tsp!)
For the pecans
100g Caster sugar
12 pecan halves
pinch of sea salt
To serve
chilled creme fraiche

1. Pulse the butter and sugar in the food processor, add the egg yolk. Sift the flour and cocoa into the mixture and pulse until the mixture just comes together. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade (400 degrees Fahrenheit). Roll out the pastry and use to line four 8-10cm (3-4in) loose-bottomed tartlet tins, making sure there aren't any holes. Line the tarts with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool. 
3. To make the filling, put the chocolate, cream, muscovado sugar, and salt in a large bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally until the mixture is melted and completely smooth. Spoon the filling into the pastry cases and put in the fridge for about 2 hours until set.     
4. To make the caramelized pecans, put the caster sugar and 2 tbsp water into a saucepan and dissolve completely over a very low heat, shaking the pan occasionally. Turn up the heat and boil until it turns golden brown. Working quickly, stir through the pecans and sea salt, then transfer onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, spreading out with a spatula. When cool, break up the pecans, trying to keep each one whole. When the tarts have almost set, top each one with 3 pecans. Serve with very cold creme fraiche.
   
   
   
   

   

   The prepared pastry ready for chilling

   

   Making the chocolate filling

   

   The filled pastry cases

   
   

Caramelising the pecans

A finished tart

A member of the household decided to add their own personal touch in the form of tangerine segments!

So how could you simplify this recipe? The book suggests that you could use bought sweet shortcrust pastry. Instead of making homemade caramelized pecans you could decorate with bough chocolate-coated pecans.

Next time: in the pipeline I have a lovely mini doughnut recipe from master baker Richard Bertinet. Also, Greg Wallace's wonderful rhubarb crumble...

Gianduja Gelato and Fresh Mint Ice Cream - courtesy of the brilliant David Lebovitz

Gianduja Gelato

About this time last year one of my earliest recipes was a Peach Ice Cream from David Lebovitz's brilliant book The Perfect Scoop (2011) .http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Perfect-Scoop-Granitas-Accompaniments/dp/1906417547/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369734037&sr=8-1&keywords=the+perfect+scoop You may remember me extolling the virtues of an amazing Gianduja Ice cream - essentially a chocolate, hazelnut affair that I must admit is in my top 5 of flavours: its smooth sublime texture and absolutely gorgeous taste really does it for me! Well I've made another batch and thought I'd add a few pictures to prove it.  (I've also added a link to the recipe which I've found on the web, although If you are serious about making ice cream this is one book that is worth purchasing).
http://thelittleloaf.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/gianduja-ice-cream-chocolate-chip-cookie-sandwiches/

Along with the sublime nuttiness of Gianduja, the Fresh Mint Ice Cream on page 99 looked very tempting and since my mint had gone completely unchecked in the garden, it was the perfect opportunity to make use of this abundant herb. What a zingy, invigorating ice cream it is! I wasn't sure whilst preparing it, the smell of the mint infusing in the cream was rather bland,  but after the first taste check I was hooked!  I'm now considering creating some after-dinner ice cream chocolates by scooping the ice cream into balls and dipping in melted dark chocolate and sugar - I'll let you know how I get on. (Here is a link to the Fresh Mint Ice Cream recipe) http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/06/cook-the-book-fresh-mint-ice-c.html

Roasting the hazelnuts

Cooling the gianduja custard in an ice bath

Not forgetting the wonderful zingy and invigorating Fresh Mint Ice Cream

Chocolate Coffee Lamb - Swedish-style

If you've never combined chocolate with savoury it is not as alien as you might think. This recipe is rather rich and decadent as far as casseroles go and it seems the sweetness of lamb perfectly complements the chocolate. I first sampled the combination of savoury and chocolate quite a few years ago when I attended a chocolate tasting/demonstration evening at a favourite local restaurant http://thelavenderhouse.co.uk/  Among other things we had a starter of sea bass with a foaming white chocolate sauce and a main course of duck and chocolate. I also sampled a  delicious hot chocolate drink, (which was great for me as I don't drink coffee), and ever since, the chef-patron Richard Hughes always goes out of his way to make me a special hot chocolate every time I visit!

Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb served with chunky croutons and creme fraiche, mashed potatoes and broccoli.

This particular recipe comes from Green & Blacks Chocolate Recipes (2003) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Blacks-Chocolate-Recipes-Unwrapped/dp/1856264890/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1367396181&sr=8-2&keywords=Green+and+Black%27s+chocolate+recipes This book has a luxurious feel to it with lovely recipes to tempt and tantalise, woven into the book are tales about the Maya of Belize and the whole cultivation and production of chocolate as well as advice on techniques of cooking and handling the gorgeous stuff. There is lots of good photography although I still like to see a photo accompany every recipe! There is of course a real mix of recipes from muffins, cookies and mousses to the savoury dishes such as Chicken Mole or Spicy Organic Pork and Herb Chilean Chocolate Sausages.
So what else am I hoping to try in the future? There are some fabulous mousse recipes which are always good for our household this time of year when are hens are laying well. I tend to end up using the yolks for custard-based ice creams and then racking my brains for new ideas to use up the whites. On page 115 there's Nigel Slater's White Chocolate Cardamom Mousse, on page 117 a Bitter Chocolate Mousse With Blackcurrants and on page 119 a Chocolate Nougat Mousse which uses Toblerone (I can't wait to try that one).

The recipe I've chosen this time is the Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb on page 86 and what a success it was too! As the introductory blurb for the recipe states "Don't dare tell your friends what's in this dish until they have eaten it" and very sound advice I would agree. I once made the mistake  of telling my husband whilst he was finishing his Chocolate and Beetroot Cake, which he was lapping up, that it contained beetroot, well, that was it wasn't it! This casserole is very rich and perfect to warm you up on a chilly evening. It also freezes very well too, so make a batch and save some for a later date.
 .
Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb (copyright 2003 Green & Black's Ltd)

50g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp mustard powder
pinch of salt
1kg very lean lamb (fillet or leg) cut into 3cm cubes
75g butter
3 garlic cloves
1 large onion
12 shallots
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Kahlua (coffee liqueur)

Born and manufactured here in Norfolk!

250ml strong filter coffee
750ml lamb stock
50g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
SPICES AND SEASONING (CROUTONS)
A pinch of mace
12 cardamom pods, crushed
1 vanilla pod, de-seeded
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated or 1/4 tsp of the spice powder
1 star anise
3 bay leaves
FOR THE CROUTONS
1 slice of white bread
1 slice of granary bread
TO GARNISH
1 tbsp creme fraiche
chopped parsley
Serves 4-6

1. Place all the spices and seasoning for the croutons in a frying pan and gently dry toast over a very low heat for about 10-15 minutes, but don't let them burn. Tip into a small bowl and reserve until needed for the croutons. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
2. Season the flour with the mustard powder, salt and pepper. Toss the lamb in half the seasoned flour and coat well. Rub together 25 g of butter and the remaining seasoned flour.
3. Crush the garlic, slice the onions into rings and finely chop the shallots. Fry all three in the remaining butter and olive oil until they are golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. In the same pan, fry the flour-coated lamb in batches until browned on all sides. Remove and put in a casserole dish and add the garlic, onion and shallot mixture. Don't wash the pan!
5. Add the Kahlua and the coffee to the sticky brown residue in the pan and whisk over a medium heat for about 4 minutes, scraping all the bits in the bottom of the pan, to form a glossy, smooth sauce; the sauce should reduce by a half. Add the lamb stock and the flour and butter mixture, continuing to stir. Bring to the boil and pour over the meat and onion mixture.
6. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 160 degrees for a further 45 minutes or until the lamb is tender.

Dry frying the spices

Frying the onion, garlic and shallots

Kahlua, coffee and stock

Ready to go in the oven

7.  Stir in the pieces of chocolate ensuring it is well blended.
8.   While the casserole is finishing off, you can prepare the croutons: blend all the reserved spices to a crumbled mass discarding the cardomom pods. Cut the bread into cubes (I like mine large!) and gently fry with the spices and olive oil.
9.   Garnish with a swirl of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and the croutons.
10.   Serve with mashed potatoes and green veg.

The lamb casserole with the chocolate stirred in

A lovely casserole to indulge in on a chilly spring evening

We did really enjoy this casserole and if your worried about the fact that it does contain chocolate and you don't fancy eating it in a savoury context, don't be! It's not entirely obvious that you are tasting chocolate, but what it does offer as an added ingredient, is a richness and silkiness to the sauce which we really appreciated.

Next time: My last run on the chocolate for a little while - Salted Chocolate Tarts. Watch this space!

Snickers Mousse and Boozy Chocolate and Prune Terrine: for kids and grown-ups alike

Strictly speaking I'm actually making more work for myself by completing two recipes from the same book, nevertheless this book is choc-full (excuse the pun) of wonderful chocolate offerings that I found it really hard to choose just one recipe!

Snickers Mousse, decorated with chocolate and peanuts

The particular book is simply called Chocolate (2003) by Sian Cook http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chocolate-Best-Secrets-Womens-Institute/dp/074324012X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366554220&sr=8-1&keywords=chocolate+sian+cook and is part of a box set I own entitled More Best-kept Secrets of the Women's Institute. The other three books in the set are  Home Cooking; Tarts; Breads and Bakes. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Kept-Secrets-Womens-Institute-Boxed/dp/0743248589/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366554302&sr=1-1&keywords=More+best+kept+secrets+of+the+women%27s+institute You can therefore buy the book as a stand alone text or buy the whole set. I ended up with the whole set one day after my husband came home from work with it. It was part of a selection of books and nick knacks that those companies come round and leave at the work place for you to then choose and order in the coming days at very reasonable prices. Obviously appreciating cook books meant I was luckily not offended or annoyed at this purchase by hubby as I might be at the purchase of say a new mop or feather duster!

As far as this particular book of the whole set goes I hadn't once again cooked anything from it (I have from the other three books though). It was tricky to choose something so I did opt for two recipes. Partly because I had some soft cream cheese left over from making my last recipe of chocolate cheesecakes ('waste not want not' and all that) so had a go at the Snickers Mousse and partly because I wanted to go for something a bit more grown-up with the Boozy Chocolate and Prune Terrine. I did toy with lots of other recipes, for example the decadent Tiramisu Cheesecake (page 30) or the rich looking Baked Chocolate and Raspberry pudding (page 60). The Boozy Chocolate Terrine (page 33) was also ideal as it could be made then frozen for up to six weeks, a relief as we have indulged in a lot of chocolate recently!

With the Snickers Mousse (page 41)we have another recipe that only uses four ingredients and is a doddle to assemble. I only made three individual mousses as I only had half the quantity of cream cheese (Philadelphia), but what I did do, and I'm glad I did it, was instead using half a Snickers bar I used a whole Snickers bar thus I urge you to use two Snickers bars when making six individual mousses as opposed to the one stated in the recipe as I think it wont be sweet enough and the Snickers flavours won't come through! That's the only modification I made and they did go down very well in our household!

Just four ingredients!

Snickers Mousse (copyright WI Enterprises Ltd 2003.)

Serves 6
1 bar of Snickers (Remember though I recommend two!)
300ml double cream
1 tbsp cocoa powder
200g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
Peanuts, chocolate, sifted cocoa powder to decorate

1. Chop up the Snickers and place in a bowl with half the cream and the cocoa. Melt over a  pan of simmering water, stirring from time to time and until the ingredients are blended together.
2. Allow the mixture to cool. Whip the remaining cream until it reaches the soft peak stage. Beat the Philadelphia into the chocolate mixture and then fold in the whipped cream until it is thoroughly incorporated.
3. Spoon the mousse into little dishes or ramekins and then decorate with grated chocolate, peanuts and/or cocoa powder.

Melted Snickers with the cream and cocoa

Soft peak stage

Incorporating all the ingredients

Ready to chill and firm-up in the fridge for a couple of hours

Boozy Chocolate and Prune Terrine(copyright WI Enterprises Ltd 2003)

I would pour on the cream first if using and then dust with cocoa to avoid chocolate -coloured cream!

Serves 6
10 prunes, halved
40ml brandy
225g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
40g butter, cut into small pieces
300ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks
Single cream to serve if you like

1. Place the prunes in a bowl, pour over the brandy and cover. Leave to soak for at least 2 hours - the longer the better.
2. Put the chocolate and 30ml (2 tbsp) water in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter a little at a time, beating well - the chocolate will loosen and become glossy. Allow to cool for a minute and fold in the whipped cream carefully until all incorporated. Stir in the prunes and the brandy.

Prunes soaking in brandy

Very glossy chocolate

Gently folding in the cream

3. Lightly oil a 450g (1 Ib) loaf tin (I used flavourless groundnut oil) and line with cling film. Spoon the chocolate mix into the tin and level the surface. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

1 Ib tin greased and lined with cling film

Ready to chill in the fridge

4. To serve, turn out the terrine on to a board or plate and cut into slices. Pour some single cream around each slice and dust lightly with cocoa powder.

Slicing up the terrine. I froze the remaining terrine for those unexpected guests that might drop by one day ;)

Our verdict:  this is a rich but rather delicious dessert, great to serve at a dinner party. With the prunes and brandy, it also reminded me of something you would serve at Christmas as well as any other special occasion.

Some tips: When turning out the terrine you do need to run a knife carefully around the edges in the tin to loosen it and help it come out. I did find it quite tricky slicing the terrine neatly and this was mainly due to the fact that the prunes were probably a little too large. Next time I would definitely cut them into smaller slices rather than just halving them. Also, as mentioned in the book this is one pudding that is best assembled in the kitchen and then presented to your guests.


Next time: Continuing April Chocolate Month but with possibly a rest from sweet chocolate treats and  moving on to something savoury with chocolate? Watch this space!