Ingredients
Serves 4-6Mud Cake
250gr unsalted butter
250gr good quality dark chocolate
1 ½ cups hot water
¾ cup sugar
1¼ cups SR flour
¼ cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Choc-Pistachio Meringues
3 egg whites
¼ cup golden caster sugar (use regular caster sugar if necessary)
150gr pistachio nuts, chopped and toasted
100gr dates, chopped finely
125gr good quality white chocolate, chopped finely
Pistachio Praline
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup water
100gr pistachio nuts, chopped and toasted
1 x 250g tub mascarpone
Ganache
250g good quality dark chocolate
200ml cream
Method
Prepare one quantity of each of the four recipes given below:
Mud Cake, Choc-Pistachio Meringues, Pistachio Praline and Ganache.
Mud Cake
Melt butter, sugar and water in microwave oven or on the stove top, stirring until smooth.
Sift flour and cocoa and add to chocolate mixture. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
Pour into a greased and lined lamington tin and cook at 150°C for 15-25 minutes or until firm and cooked. Cool.
Choc-Pistachio Meringues
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until smooth and glossy. Fold in remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased and lined lamington tin and cook at 160°C for 20-30 minutes. Cool.
Pistachio Praline
Place caster sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer, without stirring until mixture becomes golden. Add warm nuts and pour mixture into a tray lined with oiled foil, and spread into a thin layer.
When the toffee is hard and cooled, grind to a rough praline in a mortar and pestle. Reserve a couple of tablespoons and fold the remaining praline through the mascarpone.
Ganache
Heat cream and chocolate in the microwave oven or on the stove top, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool.
To Assemble Chocolate Extravaganza:
Using a straight sided scone cutter (between 6-10cm diameter depending on the size you prefer), cut as many circles as possible from the mud cake and meringue layers.
Beginning with a mud cake layer, spread thinly with mascarpone. Top with a meringue layer and then spread again with mascarpone. Repeat layers again and then top with a cake layer. Press together so that they are quite firm and refrigerate until quite solid and holding together well.
Place a stack on each serving plate and when ganache has cooled and thickened, drizzle over each stack. Serve immediately.
Notes: You could serve these stacks with berries, as they are quite rich. You could also vary the layers if you have another favourite flavour. Both layers (mud and meringue) can be made as large cakes or muffin size.