Special Taste

How to make No-Bake Chocolate Cake

SERVES 12

Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

1  1/3 cups (200g) blanched cashews, soaked overnight in cold water
250g chocolate ripple biscuits
1 tbs ground coffee beans
70g unsalted butter, melted
500g cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
300ml thickened cream
2/3 cup (165ml) maple syrup
3 titanium-strength gelatin leaves
2/3 cup (165ml) strong espresso
250g each dark and milk chocolate, melted, cooled
Cocoa powder, to dust

1. Grease and line the base and sides of a 22cm spring-form cake pan with baking paper. Rinse and drain cashews. Whiz the biscuits in a food processor to crumbs, then pulse in coffee and butter. Press into the base of prepared pan. Chill until needed.

2. Wipe processor clean and add cashews. Whiz until very smooth. Add cream cheese, vanilla, cream and maple syrup, and whiz until well combined.

3. Soak gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Place espresso in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, then squeeze out excess water from gelatin and add to espresso, stirring until melted and combined. Pulse melted chocolate and espresso mixture into the cashew cream, then pour over chilled base. Chill for 5 hours or until firmly set. Dust with cocoa to serve.

MAKES 6

You can also make this cheesecake in a 20cm spring form cake pan. Increase cooking time to 1 hour. You will need a kitchen blowtorch.

300g shortbread biscuits
80g unsalted butter, melted, cooled
1kg cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1 tbs cornflour
3 eggs
1 cup (120g) malted milk powder (from supermarkets)
125g dark chocolate, chopped
200ml thickened cream

MERINGUE

1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar Pinch of cream of tartar
2 egg whites
20g white marshmallows, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Grease and line the sides of six 7.5cm x 8cm-deep round ring molds with baking paper. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

2. Whiz biscuits in a food processor to fine crumbs, then pulse in butter to combine. Divide evenly among prepared pans and press into bases. Chill until needed.

3. Wipe processor. Add cream cheese and whiz until smooth. Add sugar, cornflour and eggs, and whiz until well combined. Add milk powder and whiz to combine. Divide the mixture among molds and bake for 18 minutes or until set on the edges, with a gentle wobble in the center. Turn off the oven and leave door slightly ajar. Cool in the oven for 2 hours.

4. Meanwhile, during the final 10 minutes of cooling, make ganache. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place cream in a pan over medium heat and bring to just below boiling point, then pour over chocolate and stir until smooth. Divide among molds (about 2 tbs per cake). Cool slightly, then chill for 4 hours or until firm.

5. When ready to serve, for the meringue, place sugar, cream of tartar and egg whites in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Using electric beaters, whisk for 6 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Transfer to an electric mixer and whisk in the marshmallow on high speed until marshmallow is dissolved and mixture is thick and glossy. Divide mixture among tops of cheesecakes. Using a blowtorch, caramelize the tops of the meringues.

6. Carefully push cakes out of molds from the base to release. Serve immediately.

SERVES 15

100g dark (70%) chocolate, chopped
200g unsalted butter
200g brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup (100g) hazelnut meal
1 cup (150g) plain spelt flour
2 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g each roughly chopped white and milk chocolate
1/3 cup (50g) hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 30cm x 40cm baking tray with baking paper.

2. Melt dark chocolate in microwave and stir until smooth. Cool completely.

3. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until pale. Beat in egg and cooled dark chocolate, then    sift in the hazelnut meal, flour, cocoa and bicarb soda, and fold through. Fold in the chopped white and milk chocolate and spread onto prepared baking tray. Press hazelnuts into the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until just firm to touch. Cool to room temperature before breaking into pieces to serve.

SERVES 4

1 1/3 cups (200g) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp caster sugar
150g sour cream
150ml milk
25g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
200g blueberries
Maple syrup, to serve

HONEYCOMB & BACON BUTTER

200g caster sugar
1 tsp glucose syrup
1 tsp honey
11/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbs sunflower oil, plus extra to brush
3 rashers smoked streaky bacon
150g unsalted butter, softened

1. For the honeycomb, line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. Melt the sugar, syrup, honey, 1 tbs water and a pinch of salt in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 7 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the bicarbonate of soda, then carefully pour into prepared tray. Set aside to cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large fry pan and cook bacon for 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel, then roughly chop.

3. Once cooled and set, break off a 10cm (35g) piece of honeycomb and whiz in a food processor with the bacon until finely chopped. Add the butter and pulse to combine. Place flavored butter on a large sheet of baking paper and roll into a log, twisting ends to secure. Refrigerate until set. Reserve remaining honeycomb.

4. Place flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, milk, butter and eggs, then add to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Place a large fry pan over medium heat. Once hot, brush with extra oil. Add small ladlefuls of batter to pan – the pancakes should be about 8cm in diameter. Cook for 3 minutes or until little air bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden.

6. Serve pancakes in a stack, topped with honeycomb and bacon butter and finished with a drizzle of maple syrup.

SERVES 4

1 cup (50g) panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 1/2 tsp each coriander, fennel and cumin seeds, crushed
1 egg white
1/4 cup (70g) Dijon mustard
4 x 200g pork loin chops
Sunflower oil, to shallow-fry Aioli, to serve

PEAR & FENNEL SLAW

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 firm pear, cut into batons
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbs thick Greek-style yogurt
1 tsp nigella seeds

1. Combine panko, parsley and spices in a bowl. Whisk egg white and mustard in a separate bowl. Brush pork with mustard, then coat in breadcrumbs.

2. Heat 1cm oil in a heavy-based fry pan over medium-high heat. Cook pork for 3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel.

3. Combine all slaw ingredients in a bowl. Serve pork chops with slaw and aioli.

SERVES 4

2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 large thin pita breads (or tortillas)
3 tsp sumac, plus extra to serve 
3 truss tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch basil, leaves picked, a few reserved
3 cups (300g) grated mozzarella
2/3 cup (50g) grated Parmesan
1 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil Lemon wedges, to serve

1. Preheat oven grill to medium. Spread garlic over 2 pita breads and sprinkle with sumac. Layer tomato over breads, season, then scatter over basil and cheeses. Top each with another pita bread to form gozleme. Brush a large ovenproof fry pan with 2 tsp oil and place over medium heat. Transfer one gozleme to pan and cook on one side for 3 minutes or until crisp. Brush top with 1 tsp oil, then place under grill and cook for a further 3 minutes or until crisp and golden. Keep warm and repeat with remaining gozleme.

1. Sprinkle over extra sumac and basil leaves. Serve with lemon to squeeze over.