OK, so I guess I’d better come clean first up. You see with my day job I spend a serious amount of time thinking about, talking about and tasting biscuits (or cookies for our North American readers). Yes my friends I am lucky enough to work in the product development department of Australia’s largest biscuit manufacturer and yes, I love my job.
The only down side, apart from the threat to my waistline is that I tend to overlook biscuits as a sweet snack when I’m out of the office. Lets just say that they don’t have the same appeal when you’ve been working with them day in day out.
But recently I was leafing through some of my Mum’s old recipes and inspiration struck. And when I rocked up to work the next day and someone had left out packets of the key biscuit ingredient to my Mum’s masterpiece in our communal area of biscuits that are ‘free to a good home’. It just felt like it had to be. Who was I to get in the way?
Now for someone who only drank a little champagne every now and then, my Mum was serious about boozy desserts. I remember being little and sneaking a taste of some leftover choc ripple cake from a rare dinner party the evening before and almost being bowled over by the strength of the brandy. Coupled with a serious amount of whipped cream it was one rich rich dessert.
So rather than recreate Mum’s efforts, I decided to posh things up a little. Dropping the sugar and using a blend of marscapone with the cream to make for a less sweet vibe, a reduction in the amount of cream coverage, a sprinkling of hazelnuts for crunch and a thick thick coating of dark chocolate ganache. Still super rich but not something that would make you nervous if you were faced with a random breath test.
So I guess you’re wondering where the alchemy comes into it. And I’m glad you asked. See with a little time the moisture from the cream ‘migrates’ (as we say in the baking business) into the biscuits leaving them soft and cakey and seriously yum. And then there’s the magic of how when you slice it on the diagonal you get the tiger striped effect. A pretty cake without even having to think about turning on the oven, just the thing for summer entertaining.
chocolate & hazelnut surpise biscuit cake
serves 8 – 10I know you’re wondering where the surprise comes into it this and no it’s nothing like the ‘tuna surprise’ that my friend Kate’s sister Meghan invented when she was cooking at a pub in England. In that case the ‘surprise’ was that there wasn’t actually any tuna in the dish. I ‘m happy to report that here we have both chocolate and biscuits and hazelnuts present and accounted for and that the surprise is just how good a simple idea can actually be.
If you aren’t lucky enough to live in Australia or New Zealand and have access to Choc Ripple biscuits, I’m afraid that you’re going to have to experiment. What you’re looking for is a nice dark cocoa based plain rough topped cookie (think Oreo in colour) about 4 – 5cm in diameter. Good luck
Feel free to play around with this, I’d be tempted to halve the chocolate drizzle as it is quite decadent but it’s up to you really. I’ve also heard of it being made with ginger nuts and chocolate grated over the top. Something I must remember to try.
1C cream (35% milk fat)
1t vanilla extract
250g (1/2 lb) marsapone
1 packet (250g or 1/2lb) Arnott’s Choc Ripple biscuits
250g (1/2lb) dark chocolate (approx 70% cocoa solids), broken into chunks
1/2C cream (35% milk fat)
small pinch salt
1 egg yolk, optional
60g (2 oz) hazelnuts, peeled, roasted & coarsely choppedWhip 1C cream until soft peaks form, you don’t want it to be too firmly whipped as the thick marscapone will thicken things up. Stir through vanilla and marscapone. Take a biscuit and spread with a thin layer of cream mixture on the top side. Place on a work surface cream side up then repeat with another biscuit and stack it on top of the first. Repeat until all the biscuits are used and you have made three stacks.
Take a long serving platter and lay biscuit logs on it to create on big log. Cover as evenly as possible with remaining cream mixture and refrigerate for 30mins.
Meanwhile, bring the 1/2C cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and add chocolate chunks and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. If the mixture starts to separate, whisk through the egg yolk. Allow chocolate to cool until still runny but not hot enough to melt the cream.
Remove log from the fridge and scatter hazelnuts over the top. Drizzle over chocolate and return to the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. To serve remove from the fridge and slice on an angle so you get the striped ‘surprise’ effect with the biscuits.
That looks delicious!!! I’d take a spoon to it in a heartbeat! :)
Chocolate, cream, mascarpone, and hazelnuts. You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m drooling and super upset I don’t have access to Choc Ripple Biscuits.
My mom used to make a version of this when we were kids, and we always gobbled it up in no time! Yours looks beautiful (very posh!) ;)
Magnolia Bakery (from Sex and the City) does a version of this that I have just made. They lay their biscuits out in horizontal circles of 7 biscuits, top with cream and repeat for about 6 or seven layers in total. Yum. Now I have to try your version to compare!
I love the idea of the chocolate over the top! Choc-ripple was always one of my favourites.
Your blog is super. So are your photographies. They make me hungry. I have spent a nice moment when seeing them. Thanks a lot.
MMmmm yuummm I like food-related alchemy hee hee and your biscuit cake looks reallly really good ^^!
I’d forgotten just how much I love your blog.
We had somethng along this vein in our childhood too!
Spectacular
Clance, we used to dip our choc ripples very briefly in OJ before layering with cream, which speeds up the alchemy and adds flavour (we called it a jaffa log!). But recently I did this with baileys instead of the OJ and it was superb! So yum and easy, and great for little hands to help.
What a gorgeous dessert. I should make it next time I want to impress my guests. :)
You have me grinning like an idiot all alone in my house right now, thank you so much!
You made pudding log!
My ex-boyfriend insisted that his mother teach me how to make “pudding log” because it is their family signature dessert.
It consists of graham crackers sandwiched with CANNED chocolate pudding, then the whole thing is coated in Cool Whip and sliced on the bias to create a striped effect.
It’s very popular with small children and the elderly and I had to make it! I felt so ashamed! I was highly criticized when I made the radical changes to make my own pudding and whipped cream!
now i feel better about myself because someone else has had pudding log and made it fancy!
Choc ripple cake is one of my favourites, but something that I eat very rarely. This version just makes it seem less 80’s housewife, and more like something slightly fancy (but simple to make) to take to a dinner party.
mmm i love soaking my biscuits in coffee! this reminds me of an arnott’s version of tiramisu. it does look very pretty!
chocolate ripple cake is the best. I tend to make it like your mum did. Not suitable for children.
chocolate ripple cake seems the reason for the existence of choc ripple biscuits – ours was always alcohol free which I like but I love your ideas for making it a bit posher!
Mmm…..if only our marketing team would allow me to do that with our recipe !!!
The joys of being able to be creative outside the restrictions of the everyday consumer’s pantry!
This recipe also works with Arnott’s Butternut Snaps and Ginger Nut (well with Ginger Nut’s from QLD, VIC, TAS, SA & WA …..think the NSW ones would be too hard…but I will try it out one day…think I have found a project for my next blog!!
Keep up the delicious work!
xSonja
In australia we call it the chocolate ripple cake, often found on the chocolate ripple biscuit packet :) In mine I use cream and add a tsp of brandy to it… makes it yummy ! I also break up a cadbuary flake bar on top and then put some glazed red cherries or strawberries on top…. not sure if id melt the chocolate over the top its a rich cake as it is :) looks lovely though
Hi there, this looks familiar. My mum used to make a similar dessert with choc chip cookies soaked in sherry (but brandy would work too). They get to make a slanted stack (like a horizontal log but one overlapping the next if that makes sense). Then topped with whipped cream and dusted with cocoa powder for decoration. Yummy scrumptious and very easy. I can’t wait to try your version, but I want to experiment with the Baileys too (any excuse to experiment with Baileys, lol …).
Jules, keep up your blog, it’s great!
hi sophia
choc chip and baileys sound like a perfect alternative version for this.
I’ve also been meaning to try a ginger version using gingernut cookies and stones green ginger wine without the chocolate
lisa – flake would be perfect on top of this cake – thx for sharing
Love this recipe! My friend’s children made this for a dinner party they were having. They were so proud when it was done! The little budding chefs that they are. I’ve posted it on my chocolate blog today Annmarie Kostyk, Chocolate Goddess with credits and trackbacks to you. Thanks!