Back in Ireland, I used to watch a children’s television show called Blue Peter when I was a kid, and they would often demonstrate how to cook something. I first saw this recipe on the show and I made it myself all the time after that. It’s a mixture of melted butter, cocoa, broken cookies, and dried fruit that is pressed into a loaf pan and refrigerated until it sets. This is a very popular dessert in Ireland; in fact, a big trend there is to have a biscuit cake as one layer of a wedding cake. Or sometimes even the whole wedding cake. It’s a great recipe for teaching kids how to cook—it’s fast and there’s no worry about turning on the oven or stove.
Makes 8 servings
1 Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap.
2 Put the chocolate and butter in a large bowl and melt them together in the microwave or over a bain-marie, stirring until melted.
3 Whisk the sugar and cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture. Add the crushed cookies, raisins, and cherries and mix well.
4 Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press down firmly with a spatula, making it level on top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until set.
5 Cut into slices to serve. Keep stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 weeks.