MARTHA COLLISON’S Mississippi Mud Pie

One of the GH Cookery Team’s favourite cookbooks of 2017 is Crave, from GBBO star Martha, as it does what it says on the tin. Plenty of mouthwateringly good recipes for the festive season and beyond.

‘If an intensely chocolatey dessert is what you are after, you won’t find one more satisfying than this. The four layers meld together beautifully – smooth chocolate pudding, fudgy cake and a mountain of whipped cream, all piled into a dark, buttery case’

Hands-on time 50min, plus cooling and chilling. Cooking time about 30min. Serves 12

for the base 300g (11oz) Oreo cookies, or other chocolate sandwich biscuits 75g (3oz) butter, plus extra for greasing for the flourless fudge cake layer 150g (5oz) soft light brown sugar 3 medium eggs 1tsp vanilla extract or bean paste 3tbsp golden syrup 125g (4oz) dark chocolate, chopped 75g (3oz) butter for the chocolate pudding 2tbsp cornflour 100g (3½oz) caster sugar 1tsp salt 500ml (17fl oz) whole milk 175g (6oz) dark chocolate, chopped for the topping 300ml (½ pint) double cream Cocoa powder and chocolate shavings, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 and grease a 23cm (9in) loose-bottom cake tin with butter.

Start by making the base. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until they form fine crumbs. Alternatively, place them in a large plastic bag, seal and bash them with a rolling pin. Transfer crushed biscuits to a bowl. Melt the butter, pour it into the bowl of biscuit crumbs and stir through until well coated. Press the crumbs into the cake tin using your hands, pushing the mixture about 5cm (2in) up the sides of the tin. Use the back of a spoon to make sure the base is firmly pressed into the tin, then chill until needed.

To make the fudge cake layer, whisk the soft brown sugar with the eggs in a bowl using an electric handheld whisk for about 5min until very thick and pale, then whisk in the vanilla. Put golden syrup, dark chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until melted. Fold the chocolate mixture into the whisked eggs and sugar until well combined, then pour over the chilled base. Bake for 25-30min until a crust has formed but the centre retains a slight wobble, then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before returning it to the fridge. 4 While the fudge layer and base is baking, make the chocolate pudding. Combine the cornflour, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and slowly whisk in the milk in a slow, steady stream, stirring all the time so lumps don’t form. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula, for about 10min. Use a whisk if lumps start to form. When the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and has a custard-like consistency, add the chocolate and continue stirring for another 2-3min until the mixture is quite thick. If there are any lumps, push mixture through a sieve to remove them. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and cover with a sheet of clingfilm, then transfer to the fridge to cool completely. 5 Whisk the cream for the topping in a bowl until it forms soft peaks. Pour chocolate pudding mixture on top of the base and fudge cake, then spoon the cream over the top. Dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle over chocolate shavings to serve. This pie will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. GET AHEAD Make up to the end of step 4 up to a day ahead; keep chilled. When ready to serve, complete recipe to assemble. MARTHA’S TIP To make this incredibly indulgent chocolate pudding gluten-free, simply swap the chocolate biscuits for your favourite gluten-free alternative. PER SERVING 620cals, 6g protein, 38g fat (23g saturates), 62g carbs (52g total sugars), 2g fibre