Kathy Tsaples' Chocolate Log

INGREDIENTS

• 125g dark chocolate

• 125g milk chocolate

• 90g butter

• 150g caster sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 ½ tbsp. cocoa powder

• 1 tsp instant coffee

• 1 ½ tbsp. vanilla extract

• 6 traditional Greek kourabiethes, broken into chunks

• 100g pistachio kernels, lightly toasted

• 45g whole almonds, toasted

• 1 cup plain halva, roughly diced

• 1/3 cup dried figs, roughly chopped

• ½ cup rose-flavoured loukoumi (Greek delight), chopped

• Icing sugar, for rolling

METHOD

1. Melt the chocolates together in a bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Set aside.

2. Cream the butter and the sugar until light, fluffy and creamy.

3. Beat in eggs one at a time.

4. Stir the cocoa and the coffee into the melted chocolate. Add this to the butter and egg mixture and combine well. Stire in the vanilla extract.

5. Add the biscuits, pistachios, almonds, halva, figs and loukoumi and mix well. Refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.

6. Remove from the fridge.

7. Lay a long sheet of cling wrap on the work bench. Spoon the mixture onto the cling wrap in a large sausage shape, wrap tightly and roll to form a neat cylinder shape. Twist the ends tightly and refrigerate overnight.

8. The next day, unwrap the log and roll it in icing sugar

9. Serve on a platter decorated with beautiful green leaves to make it look like a log on the forest floor.

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