Ann’s Cherry Ripe

My late mother-in-law, Ann, was a loving, spirited woman who raised six strong children on the sniff of an oily rag. She made no secret of her basic cooking and eating repertoires, but her one true weakness was chocolate, and this old favourite was one of the things she was known for. The brilliant thing, of course, is that it takes very few ingredients and just a few blinks to put together, but tastes a close second to the real thing! A great one for a homemade lunchbox treat.

MAKES 12 LARGE BARS OR 24 BITE-SIZED PIECES

INGREDIENTS

250 g (9 oz) dark chocolate melts (buttons) OR chopped dark chocolate

2 eggs

110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

90 g (3¼ oz/1 cup) desiccated OR dried shredded coconut

100 g (3½ oz) glacé cherries, finely chopped

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) fan-forced. Line a 20 cm (8 inch) square cake tin with baking paper.

Microwave the chocolate in a heatproof bowl for 1 minute on the highest setting. Whisk or stir with a spoon, then see whether the chocolate needs more melting. If so, buzz for another 30 seconds, but be careful not to overcook it or the chocolate will seize. The other way is to use the double-boiler method: pop the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, and sit it on a saucepan filled with about 3 cm (1¼ inch) of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted.

Spread the chocolate evenly over the bottom of the prepared tin. Set in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs and sugar in a medium mixing bowl, and whisk until pale and thick. Fold in the coconut and cherries, spread evenly over the chocolate and bake for 10–15 minutes until the coconut is slightly golden. Cool in the tin, then chill completely before cutting into bars or squares for eating.