Chocolate Desserts Recipe - Paradise Ring

Ingredients

• 20 ladyfingers

• 1 round sponge cake, 7 inch (18cm) diameter

• 14 oz (400g) dark or semisweet baking chocolate

• 8 eggs, separated

• 3 tbsp (45ml) instant coffee

• 5 tbsp (75ml) powdered gelatine

• 1/2 cup (125ml) hot water

• 1 cup (250ml) whipping cream

• additional chocolate for decoration

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Method:

1. Lightly grease 8-inch (20cm) round spring form cake pan. Trim ladyfingers to roughly same size. Place sponge cake in center of pan and pack ladyfingers in gap around edge, flat side against cake.

2. Melt 3/4 of the chocolate in fairly large bowl over pan or hot water. Stir in egg yolks and instant coffee. Dissolve gelatine in hot water and when it is clear, pour into chocolate mixture. Stir and leave to cool slightly.

3. Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold into chocolate mixture. Turn mixture into prepared pan and leave for several hours to set (see note).

4. Lightly whip cream until just stiff. Melt remaining chocolate. Spread cream over the chocolate mousse and drizzle on the melted chocolate, stirring it with a skewer to give a marbled effect. Carefully remove sides of pan and slide pudding off base onto a plate.

5. Tie a ribbon around the ladyfingers to keep them in place. Dribble additional melted chocolate over tops of ladyfingers and pipe any remaining cream around base.

Note : Gelatine mixtures tend to toughen in the refrigerator so the ring is better left to set in some other cool place.