Mississippi mud pie

Visiting my sister, I know never to go empty handed. Clothes and toys for the kids maybe? No. Gifts for my sister and bro-in-law maybe? No.

Mississippi mud pie? Yes.

This cake is the most rich cake ever! Goo-ey, dark, intense chocolate, a hint of coffee, lashings of whipped cream and an almost treacle-like crunchy base. I can only ever manage the smallest slither, yet my sisters can sure do some serious damage to this cake!

TREACLE BISCUIT BASE

• 125g digestive biscuits, crushed
• 50g butter, melted
• 25g demerara sugar

MUDDY FILLING

• 400g plain chocolate (I used Bourneville), broken into pieces
• 225g butter
• 2tbsp instant coffee
• 2tbsp boiling water
• 300ml single cream
• 350g dark muscovado sugar
• 6 eggs

TO FINISH

• 150ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks

METHOD

1. Pre-heat the oven to around 180C. Lightly grease a 20cm spring-form, or loose bottomed cake tin.
2. To make the base, mix together the crushed digestive biscuits, the melted butter and the demerara sugar. Spoon into the prepared cake tin.
3. Level the mixture out evenly using the back of a metal spoon. I also like to get a potato masher involved to make sure the base is nice and flat.
4. Now turn to the muddy filling. Measure the chocolate, butter, instant coffee, and water into a large pan and heat gently until the butter and chocolate have melted.
5. Remove from the heat, and gradually beat in the cream, sugar and eggs.
6. Pour the mix onto the prepared biscuit crumb, and pop into the oven for around 75-90 minutes, or until the cake has less of a wobble. It may need longer than this, however – it will firm up completely as it cools.
7. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin.
8. Decorate the top with whipped cream and blimmin’ dig in!

Slightly adapted from the one and only – Mary Berry. Thanks M!