Mississippi Mud Pie

This decadent, rich pie has a thick filling and a crumbly biscuit base, similar to a cheese cake. It is said to resemble the muddy banks of the Mississippi river and remains a popular dessert in the southern states of USA. There are many variations, most of which have just one layer of chocolate filling, but I like to vary it with having a paler coffee filling on top of a dark chocolate filling.

Ingredients:

For the biscuit base:

200g digestive biscuits

60g butter, diced

60 dark chocolate, chopped

For the Chocolate Filling:

90g dark chocolate, chopped

90g butter, diced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

90g dark muscovado sugar

100ml double cream

For the Coffee Filling:

90g white chocolate, chopped

90g butter, diced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

90g white sugar

100ml double cream

10ml instant coffee powder, dissolved in 30ml hot water and cooled

For the topping:

100ml double cream, well chilled

50ml icing sugar

1 Chocolate Flaky to scatter on top.

Method:

To make the base, put the digestive biscuits into a re-sealable bag and lightly bash them with a rolling pin until evenly crushed. Tip into a large bowl. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir until smooth, then take off the heat, pour onto the crushed biscuits and mix until evenly combined. Tip the crumb mixture into a 23cm cake tin with removable base. Using the back of the spoon, press the mixture onto the base and up the sides of the tin to cover evenly. Chill to allow the base to firm up.

Preheat the oven to 180°C

To make the chocolate filling, melt the dark chocolate and butter together in a bowl over simmering water and leave to cool slightly. In another large bowl, beat the eggs and muscovado sugar together, using an electric mixer, until thick and doubled in volume. Whisk in the cream, then fold through the melted chocolate and butter.

To make the coffee filling, melt the white chocolate and butter together in a bowl over simmering water (as above) and leave to cool slightly. In another large bowl, beat the eggs and white sugar together, using an electric mixer, until thick and doubled in volume. Whisk in the cream and the dissolved coffee, then fold through the melted chocolate and butter.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuit base and carefully top that with the coffee mixture. Try not to get them mixed together. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until just firm. Allow to cool completely before removing from the tin.

For the topping, whip the cream with icing sugar until it holds soft peaks. Spread this over the top of the cooled pie and finish with a scattering of broken up flaky. Cut into slices to serve.