Cook Time: 20 min.

Yield:  6 Servings

• 175g  plain dark chocolate
• 175g  butter
• 4 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 75g  golden caster sugar
• 75g  plain flour, sifted

Compote:

• 50g  golden caster sugar
• 2 tbsp. water
• 125g  fresh berries, halved and pitted
• 150ml  Moscato wine
• 100g  fresh berries, whole with stems

• Heat the golden caster sugar in a pan with the water for about 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and starts to turn syrupy.
• Add the halced cherries and cook,  stirring for 1 minute.  Pour in the Moscato wine and bring to the boil, bubble to reduce for 5 minutes,  then add the whole cherries and cook for 1 minute.  Let it cool.
• Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• Whisk the whole eggs, egg  yolks and golden caster sugar until very pale, foamy and doubled in volume.
• Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and gently fold in, then fold in the flour.
• Grease 6 cooking rings, 6 x 8 cm (2 ½ x 3 ½ inches), and arrange them on a baking tray lined with nonstick baking paper, or use base-lined tart tins.
• Turn the mixture into the rings or tins and bake in a preheated oven,  190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5, for 8 minutes until firm on the outside and squidgy in the center.
• Remove the rings or remove from the tins.  Drizzle with the syrup and serve with the cherry compote, arranging 2 whole cherries with stems on each plate.

Cook Time: 10 min.

Yield:  8 Servings

• 2 tbsp. instant coffee granules
• 100ml  hot water
• 50g  caster sugar
• 3 tbsp. Irish whiskey
• 300g   plain dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 300ml  double cream
• 200g  Greek yogurt
• 200g  Savoiardi biscuits or sponge fingers

To Decorate

• plain dark or milk chocolate curls
• cocoa powder, for dusting

• Dissolve the coffee granules in a pan in the hot water.  Add the sugar and heat gently until the sugar dissolves.
• Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for a minute.  Remove from the heat and leave to cool.  Stir in the whiskey.
• Melt the chocolate with half the cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt and remaining cream.  Leave to thicken slightly.
• Spread a thin layer of the chocolate mixture on to a flat plate, to make a 9 x 4 inch rectangle.  Dip one-third of the biscuits or sponge fingers in the coffee syrup so they are softened but not soggy.
• Arrange the dipped biscuits or fingers side by side on the chocolate, then spread over more chocolate mixture.  Dip half the remaining biscuits of fingers in the syrup and arrange them as before over the chocolate.
• Spread more chocolate mixture on top, then cover with the remaining syrup-dipped biscuits or fingers.
• Spread the remaining chocolate mixture over the top and sides of the cake to cover it completely, smoothing with the knife.
• Chill for 3-4 hours until set.  Decorate with chocolate curls and dust with cocoa powder.

Cook Time: 45 min

Yield:  12 Servings

• 250g   plain dark chocolate
• 250g  butter
• 5 eggs
• 50g   light muscovado sugar
• 125g  self-rising flour
• 75g  ground almonds

Chocolate Cream

• 150g  double cream
• 150g  plain dark chocolate, chopped

• Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of a simmering water.
• Beat the eggs and sugar until slightly thickened.
•  Sift flour over the mixture, then add the almonds and chocolate mixture and fold in until evenly combined.
• Grease and line a 23cm (9 inch) square cake tin.
• Turn the mixture into the tin and bake in a preheated oven, 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3, for about 35 minutes until just firm.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Heat the cream in a pan until almost boiling.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate.
• Leave until the chocolate has melted, then stir until smooth.
• Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool until thickened.
• Slice off the top of the cake if it has risen in the center.
• Halves the cake horizontally and sandwich the halves with 1/3 of the chocolate cream.
• Spread the remainder over the top and sides of the cake, swirling it decoratively with a palette knife.

Cook Time: 30 min

Yield: 12 Servings

• 225g  golden caster sugar
• 100ml water
• 325g  plain dark chocolate
• 225g  butter
• 5 eggs
• 300g  blueberries, to serve
• 12 tsp. creme de cassis, to serve

• Heat 150g sugar gently in a pan with the measured water until dissolved into a light syrup.  Remove from the heat.
• Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• Pour the hot syrup into the melted chocolate, then remove from the heat.
• Whisk the rest of the sugar together with eggs until they are light and foamy and tripled in volume.
• Beat the chocolate into the whisked eggs slowly until well mixed in.
• Grease a 23cm springform cake tin and line with nonstick baking paper.
• Tip the mixture into the tin and rest the tin on a trivet in a roasting tin.
•  Three-quarters fill the roasting tin with boiling water.
• Bake in a preheated oven, 120°C (250°F), Gas Mark ½, for 50 minutes until just firm.
• Leave the cake to cool in the tin in the water.
• Serve in wedges with a few blueberries and a drizzle of crème de cassis.

Cook Time: 5 min

Yield:  4 Servings

• 1  small sponge flan case
• 2 tablespoon apple juice or chocolate liqueur
• 4 tablespoons cherry, raspberry or strawberry jam
• 500ml  tall tub luxury chocolate ice cream
• 3 egg whites
• 125g  golden caster sugar

• Place the sponge flan case in an ovenproof pie dish.  Drizzle over the apple juice or chocolate liqueur, then spoon on the jam and spread it over evenly.
• Run a blunt knife around the sides of the ice cream to help loosen it from the tub.  Upturn the ice cream in top of the sponge flan case.  Place on a flat surface in the freezer.
• Whisk the egg whites in a grease-free bowl (if you see any yolk, remove it with a teaspoon) until they turn white and thick.  Lift up the bow and tip it slightly from side to side; if they don’t move, they are ready.  Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the sugar at a time until the meringue is smooth, glossy and stiffly peaking.
• Spread the meringue over the prepared ice cream base using a palette knife, making sure the ice cream is completely covered and the meringue seals the edge of the sponge flan case.  Return to the freezer for at least 1 hour (you can leave it for up to a day).
• Bake in a preheated oven, 220°C (425°F) Gas Mark 7, for 5 minutes until the meringue is just starting to get tinged with brown, then serve immediately.