Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield:  12 Servings

• 4-5 egg whites, at room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
• 200g  caster sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 115g  plain chocolate, grated

To Serve :

• ground cinnamon, for dusting
• 115g fresh strawberries
• chocolate-flavoured cream

• Whisk the egg whites until they are foamy, then add the salt and cream of tartar and beat until very stiff.
• Whisk in the vanilla essence, then slowly whisk in the sugar, a small amount at a time, until the meringue is shiny and stiff.
• This should take about 3 minutes by hand, and under a minute with an electric beater.
• Whisk in the cinnamon and grated chocolate.
• Spoon mounds of about 3 tablespoonful’s on to an ungreased non-stick baking sheet. Space the mounds well.
• Bake in a preheated oven, 150°C. /300°F. /Gas Mark 2, for 1 hour, or until set.
• Carefully remove from the baking sheet.
• If the meringues are too moist and soft, return them to the oven to firm up and dry out more and let it cool completely.
• Serve the chocolate meringues dusted with ground cinnamon and accompanied by strawberries and chocolate-flavoured cream.

Cook time: 15 min

Yield: 3 Servings

• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp. icing sugar
• 100 ml. milk
• 500g ready-made custard
• 3 large croissants
• 6 tbsp. ready-made chocolate or chocolate hazelnut spread

• Mix the cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons icing sugar in a jug and gradually add the milk to form a smooth paste.
• Slowly stir in the custard and whisk together until smooth.
• Cut the croissants in half horizontally and spread each cut side with the chocolate spread.
• Sandwich together again and arrange in a shallow ovenproof dish.
• Drizzle the chocolate custard around the croissants and bake in a preheated oven, 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, for 15 minutes.
• Dust with the remaining sifted icing sugar to serve.

Cook time: 25 min

Yield: 12 Servings

• 125g  plain flour
• 200g  self-raising flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 125g  white chocolate, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp. bicarbonate of soda
• 200g  golden caster sugar
• rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
• 200g butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 125ml. soured cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 125ml. sweet dessert wine
• icing sugar, for dusting

• Sift both flours and baking powder into a large bowl.
• Add the white chocolate, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and lemon rind and mix everything together.
• Mix together the butter, eggs, cream and vanilla extract in a large jug.
• Pour the wet ingredients on to the dry ingredients and stir together to combine.
• Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cups.
• Spoon the mixture into the cups and bake in a preheated oven, 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4, for 25 minutes until risen, firm, pale golden and a toothpick comes out clean when it is inserted into the center of a muffin.
• Loosen the muffins with a palette knife and cool on a wire rack.
• Pierce the muffins several times with a knife and pour over the sweet wine.
• Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Cook time: 45 min

Yield: 8 Servings

• 475g  white chocolate
• 125g  butter
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 125g  golden caster sugar
• 75g  wholemeal self-raising flour, sifted
• 50g  ground almonds

• Melt 225g chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• Reserve the rest of the chocolate for decoration.
• Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale, thick and foamy.
• Slowly whisk in the melted chocolate.
• Fold in the sifted flour and ground almonds.
• Whisk the egg whites in a large grease-free bowl until softly peaking.
• Beat a large spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, to loosen it slightly, then fold in the remainder using a large metal spoon.
• Grease an 8 inch springform tin and line with a greaseproof cake liner or nonstick baking paper.
• Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in a preheated oven, 180C (350F), Gas Mark 4, for 45 minutes or until a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean.
• Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then release and remove the sides of the tin and continue cooling.
• Grate half the reserved white chocolate and melt the rest in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• Spread the melted chocolate over the top of the cooled cake, then scatter over the gratings.

Cook time: 10 min

Yield: 10 Servings

• 300g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
• 100ml evaporated milk
• 175g digestive biscuits, broken into small pieces
• 125g stoned dates, prunes or dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 100g mixed nuts, roughly chopped
• 50g plain dark chocolate

• Heat the milk chocolate gently in a heavy-based pan with the evaporated milk.
• Stir frequently, until the chocolate has melted.
• Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. and leave until cool, but not set.
• Stir in the biscuits, dried fruits and mixed nuts.
• Grease the base and 3 sides of a deep 7 inch square cake tin and line with clingfilm.
• Prop up one side of the tin so that it sits at an angel of 45 degrees and the unlined side of the tin is uppermost.
• Spoon in the cake mixture and level the surface.
• Leave until firm, then transfer to the refrigerator to set completely.
• Remove the cake from the tin and peel away the film.
• Melt the plain dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan with simmering water.
• Using a teaspoon, drizzle lines of melted chocolate over the cake.
• Leave to set again, the serve thinly sliced.