chocolate

ingredients

• 200g digestive biscuits
• 110g whole pecans, roughly chopped
• 110g pistachio nuts, peeled
• 10 glace cherries
• 2 ready-made meringue nests, smashed up
• 150g unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 200g dark chocolate

method

This chocolate cake is wicked! And even better, you don't need to do any baking. 

Break the biscuits into small pieces directly into a large bowl. Add the pecans, pistachio nuts and cherries and mix together. Put the rest of the ingredients into a separate heatproof bowl and put on a low heat over a pan of simmering water until the butter and chocolate have melted.

Combine the biscuit mix with the chocolate mixture. Line a 30 x 20 cm plastic container with cling film, leaving plenty of extra film at the edges to help turn the cake out later. Whack everything into the container, place in the fridge to firm up, then turn out and cut into chunky slices.

This cake can be kept in an airtight container for a few days, and it actually improves in flavour!

Low-Fat Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

Makes 5 pieces Prep and Cooking Time 60 minutes

For the crust
1 cup ground sugar-free cream-filled chocolate cookies
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) low-fat butter

For the cheesecake mixture
4 cups low-fat cream cheese
3 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons maltitol syrup
1 cup Splenda
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1  Remove cream filling from the cookies, then place the cookies in a food processor or blender. Process until finely ground.
2  Melt the butter. Using your hands, mix the butter with the ground cookies. Press the mixture firmly onto the bottom of a springform or removable-bottom pan. Bake for 5 minutes.
3  Preheat oven to 350°F. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese using a flat beater. Add egg yolks. Pour in syrup. Mix till smooth.
4  Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until well blended.
5  In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks and fold in cream cheese mixture.
6  Pour filling into the crust and bake the cheesecake for 30 to 40 minutes.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Lollipop Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, white sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Push craft sticks into the center of each ball. Place balls, with sticks parallel to the cookie sheet, 3 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten them slightly using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. This is the time to decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar if you desire.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. When cookies are completely cool, wrap in plastic wrap and tie with a pretty ribbon.

Lollipops 1

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (3-ounce) box cherry gelatin dessert mix
• Nonstick cooking spray

Special Equipment:

• 20 (4-inch) lollipop sticks
• Metal tablespoon-size measuring spoon
• Candy thermometer

Directions

Butter 2 large baking sheets. Arrange 10 lollipop sticks on each baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Stir sugar, corn syrup, and butter in small saucepan over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue cooking for 7 minutes, or until candy thermometer registers 275 degrees F. Stir in gelatin until smooth. Using a metal tablespoon and working quickly, spoon syrup over 1 end of each lollipop stick. Cool completely. Wrap each lollipop in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.

Hot chocolate fondant

INGREDIENTS

• 50g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
• 2 tsp cocoa powder, to dust
• 50g good quality bitter chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), in pieces
• 1 free range egg
• 1 free range egg yolk
• 60g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp Tia Maria liqueur
• 50g plain flour, sifted
• Icing sugar, to dust
• Creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream to serve

METHOD

How to make hot chocolate fondant

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/Gas 3.

2. Butter four ramekins (about 7.5cm in diameter), then dust liberally with cocoa, shaking out any excess.

3. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick, then incorporate the chocolate mixture. Fold in the liqueur, followed by the flour. Divide the chocolate mixture between the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes.

5. Turn the chocolate fondants out on to warmed plates. Dust the tops with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate fondant

• Ingredients:
• 50g melted butter , for brushing
• cocoa powder , for dusting
• 200g good-quality dark chocolate , chopped into small pieces
• 200g butter , in small pieces
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 4 eggs and 4 yolks
• 200g plain flour
• Caramel sauce (see 'Goes well with') and vanilla ice cream or orange sorbet, to serve

Directions:

First get your moulds ready. Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of the pudding mould. Place the mould in the fridge or freezer. Brush more melted butter over the chilled butter, then add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip the mould so the powder completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa back into the jar, then repeat with 1 the next mould.

Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about 10 mins.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail; use an electric whisk if you want. Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together.

Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition, until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.

Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide between the moulds. The fondants can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20 mins or up to the night before. To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5 mins more to the cooking time.

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray, then cook for 10-12 mins until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven, then leave to sit for 1 min before turning out.

Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the moulds. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so you know it has come away, then tip back into the mould ready to plate up.

Starting from the middle of each plate, squeeze a spiral of caramel sauce - do all the plates you need before you go on to the next stage.

Sit a fondant in the middle of each plate. Using a large spoon dipped in hot water, scoop a 'quenelle' of ice cream.

Carefully place the ice cream on top of the fondant, then serve immediately. Repeat with the rest of the fondants.