In the days following Christmas, there are lots of recipe ideas for the food leftovers knocking about. So we thought we’d offer the same service after Easter. You know, for all that chocolate that you’ve not eaten. Are we being a bit optimistic that you’ve got chocolate leftovers?!
This is a lovely, simple recipe. The cake is perfect as an indulgent afternoon coffee accompaniment – or dinner party dessert.
It incorporates readily available ingredients and can be rustled up in a few hours – with time between stages to get on with other jobs if required.
The cake delivers everything that you might expect from a chocolate fudge tart – it’s intense, rich and smooth on the palate. A small amount of salt flakes add a delicious, subtle contrast to the sweetness. There’s flexibility regarding the chocolate that you incorporate depending upon your personal taste or budget. You also have the option to add a bit of booze if you like. Rum, brandy, Cointreau, amaretto, Kahlua – maybe a bit of whisky. Perhaps you’ve got some of those left over from Christmas (or is that wishful thinking again?). Wherever you get the ingredients from, make sure to give it a try.
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- 150g/5¼oz Hob-nobs
- 45g/1½oz cocoa powder
- 45g/1½oz light brown sugar
- ¼tsp table salt
- 80g/2¾oz salted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 1 x 400g/14oz tin condensed milk caramel*
- 375g/12¼oz dark chocolate
- 150g/5¼oz double cream
- Pinch of sea salt flakes
- Line the base of a 25cm round tart tin with greaseproof paper, grease the sides with some extra butter
- In a food processor, blitz the Hobnobs, cocoa powder, sugar and salt
- Add the butter and pulse a few times to incorporate
- Firmly press the crumb mixture into the tin, taking extra care with the sides and aiming for an equal thickness throughout
- Chill for 10 minutes in the freezer
- Bake the tart case at 200ºC/390ºF/Gas 6 for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool
- Put all the ingredients (apart from the salt flakes) into a saucepan and gently warm over a low-medium heat. Keep stirring the mixture until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth and glossy
- Pour the filling into the cooled tart case and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours
- Just before serving, sprinkle with the salt flakes
- *I make my own by boiling an unopened tin of condensed milk for an hour. I boil a few tins at a time and keep them for making things like banoffee pie and millionaire's shortbread.
Tart for tart’s sake
Regular readers will know that we’re quite partial to a chocolate cake or tart.
Justin demanded asked very nicely if I would make the chocolate mocha ganache tart that appeared before our eyes in Stella magazine recently.
It was quite a lengthy procedure, but I like baking, so it wasn’t too great a hardship.
Also, having just sampled the first slice, I can confirm that it was well worth the effort!
It has an exquisite, subtle coffee flavour and beautiful smooth texture.
We have a couple of friends coming over for a bite to eat later – we may give them a small piece each!
Recipe: Serves 6 generously
For the pastry:
- 175g (6oz) butter, softened
- 150g (5½oz) icing sugar
- 2 eggs
- 350g (12oz) flour
- 50g (1¾oz) ground almonds
- 40g (1½oz) cocoa powder
For the ganache:
- 125ml (4fl oz) milk
- 2 tbsp coffee beans, whole
- 65g (2½oz) sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp instant coffee
- 275g (9½oz) dark chocolate, 66% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
- 225ml (8fl oz) double cream
- 2½ tbsp cocoa powder
In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle (I used the K-beater), combine the butter with the sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a spatula. Slowly add the dry ingredients until blended. Wrap in cling film for 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Lightly flour the work surface and roll the pastry into a circle 3mm (⅛in) thick. Transfer to a loose-bottomed 25cm (10in) tart tin. Line with paper and baking beans. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 4 minutes. Leave to cool.
In a small saucepan bring the milk and coffee beans to a simmer, remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 20 minutes. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks to combine. Put the instant coffee and chocolate in a separate heatproof bowl. Strain the milk and discard the beans. Return the milk to the pan, add the cream and bring to a simmer. Pour the hot milk on to the egg yolks in a very thin stream, whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the pan and place over a low heat. Cook gently but don’t allow it to simmer, stirring until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Immediately pour this into the bowl of chocolate, and stir to melt. In a small pan simmer 100ml (3½fl oz) water with the cocoa powder to dissolve it. Whisk it into the ganache.
Pour the ganache into the tart shell and chill for at least three hours to set. Once cold, slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.