When you want to go all out...
Ingredients
For the Base:
- 75g (3oz) butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
- 115g (4oz) plain flour
- 25g (1oz) caster sugar
- 30g (1¼oz) pecans, chopped quite finely
For the Chocolate Layer:
- 45g (1½oz) cornflour
- 30g (1¼oz) cocoa
- Pinch of salt
- 175g (6oz) caster sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 450ml (16fl oz) milk
- 25g (1oz) butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Creamy Layer:
- 250ml (9fl oz) double or regular cream
- 200g (7oz) cream cheese
- 150g (5oz) icing sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4.
- To make the base, place the flour and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter until it has a consistency like coarse breadcrumbs. Mix in the pecans, then form a soft dough. Spread evenly into the cake tin.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Leave the base in the tin and place on a wire rack to cool.
- Meanwhile, sift the cornflour, cocoa and salt into a bowl, then add the sugar and mix well. Beat in the egg yolks and milk and mix together. Transfer to a saucepan, place on a medium heat and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture becomes thick. It is at the right thickness when it holds a figure of eight traced into the surface. Whisk in the butter and vanilla, then set aside to cool.
- Whisk the cream until quite stiff. Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar to become soft and then fold in the cream.
- To assemble, with a dessertspoon blob all the cream cheese mix onto the biscuit base. Smooth it out a bit, then blob on the chocolate mix. Swirl with the handle of a teaspoon for a marbled effect, then place in the fridge to set. This should take a few hours or could be done overnight.
