My sister loves dark chocolate and she loves peppermint – moreover, she loves them both together! Therefore, on her birthday I came up with this slice which combines the two.
The base has no flour and is dense and fudgy, while the frosting is light and creamy.
The amount of frosting to make is dependent on whether you’re after a shallower or deeper topping. If you prefer a shallower topping, you may want to halve the amount of frosting. Also, for a shallower topping, the addition of gelatin is optional. For a deeper topping as in the photos in this post, I add gelatin so that the frosting holds its shape.
Base
Ingredients:
- 250 g dark chocolate, chopped (I use Whittakers 60% dark chocolate block)
- 125 g butter
- 4 eggs
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190° C.
Line a 20 cm square baking pan with baking paper.
Melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth. Set aside.
Beat together the eggs and sugar until thick and pale.
Fold in the chocolate and butter mixture. Ensure all of the ingredients are well combined.
Pour into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Take care not to overcook the base as it may become dry. It will be risen and starting to come away from the edges of the pan when it’s ready.
I find once I take the pan out of the oven, the base shrinks down before my eyes! Don’t worry, it is still deep enough for the purpose of a slice!
Allow the base to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Because the slice has shrunk back, the sides tend to be uneven (ie wider at the bottom than the top) so I often trim the sides to make them even before applying the frosting. The top also tends to be uneven but I leave that as is – it just means that there are some places where the frosting is deeper than others.
Frosting
Ingredients:
- 400 g sour cream
- 4 tablespoons icing sugar
- 1½ – 2 teaspoons peppermint essence
- Few drops green food colouring
- (Optional) 1 teaspoon gelatin
- (Optional) 1 tablespoon water
Method:
Beat together the sour cream, icing sugar, peppermint essence and food colouring.
If not using gelatin, the frosting is now ready to spread on the slice.
If using gelatin, place the water in a small heatproof bowl and stir in the gelatin. Let stand until the gelatin has softened (about five minutes).
Place the bowl in a larger bowl containing boiling water or in a small saucepan of boiling water and stir until the gelatin melts. As soon as the gelatin has melted, beat it into the frosting. Spread the frosting on the slice immediately.
Store the slice in the refrigerator. Allow the frosting to set before cutting the slice into pieces.
