Forgive the blurriness and general unattractiveness of the above photograph – the camera ran out of batteries at the critical moment. Don’t let it put you off trying this dessert, another recipe from the blonde and buxom Angela. We’ve decided to do a whole Stolen series with recipes from her ex-husband, and this one is certainly delicious. Extremely rich and deliciously creamy. You simply put in the fridge when the layers are constructed, so you can put it together in a convenient tupperware container if you happen to be taking it to work for the masses to eat (I also like this because you can see the cream oozing out between the layers through the plastic).

2-3 packets of sponge finger biscuits (depending on the size of your container) (the brand I used was Unibic)
300g dark cooking chocolate
700g thickened whipping cream
1 egg yolk
Frangelico, Brandy, Rum – whatever spirit you prefer
2 cups milk

Get the boring bit out of the way first, and whip the cream.

Now, I had some problems with the chocolate. As you can seen from the above picture, rather than a smooth layer of chocolate, I had a rough layer of little chocolate blobs. However, I didn’t follow Angela’s instructions, so I’ll write them out here as she did.

In a microwave carefully melt the chocolate. Remove before it has completely melted and whisk in the egg yolk and a generous dollop of whipped cream. You don’t want the consistency to be too runny – you want a smooth cream texture.

I did mine in a saucepan, added the egg yolk, and the chocolate completely solidified and nothing I could do could smooth the texture. The dessert still tasted gorgeous, but it ruined its looks a little, I think.

In a bowl, mix together the milk and alcohol. I didn’t measure the Frangelico, and just pour in several big glugs – it wasn’t actually that noticeable in the finished dessert, and in future I’d probably do 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup. Taste the mixture to check the strength.

One by one, dunk each biscuit in the milk mixture for 1-2 seconds – not longer, or they’ll be too soggy – then place it into the container until you have completely covered the bottom with tight rows of biscuits.

Smooth a layer of chocolate over the biscuits, and follow this with a layer of whipped cream.

Repeat the process with another layer of dunked biscuits, chocolate and cream.

Repeat with another layer of dunked biscuits and chocolate. Refrigerate the dessert, and add a top layer of whipped cream prior to serving. The dessert is at its best if chilled prior to serving. Decorate with chocolate flakes if you wish.