Apricot Chocolate Refrigerator Cake

Serves 6-8
Can be vegan*

This is a grown-up variation on "Tiffin", the 'no cook' chocolate, fruit and biscuit cake. The Amaretto liqueur makes it really special. At Christmas you can buy apricots bottles in Amaretto but it is easy enough to marinate dried apricots in the liqueur for a few hours before making the cake.

Ingredients

100g/4oz good quality plain chocolate
100g/4oz butter or vegan margarine*
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tablespoon milk or soya milk*
250g/9oz vegan digestive or almond biscuits, crushed
100g/4oz apricots in Amaretto liqueur
50g/2oz chopped roast hazelnuts or almonds
150ml/5floz double cream, whipped (optional)

Apricot coulis

100g/4oz canned apricots, drained
1 teaspoon Amaretto liqueur

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water.

2. In a separate bowl, also over a saucepan of simmering water melt the butter or vegan margarine*, golden syrup and milk together.

3. Stir the melted chocolate and crushed biscuits into the golden syrup mixture and mix well. Add the apricots and nuts, and mix well.

4. Grease and line a 450g/1lb loaf tin with baking parchment. Spoon in the chocolate biscuit mixture, press down well and chill for 2 hours.

5. Make the coulis: pureé the apricots and Amaretto in a blender or press through a sieve.

6. Serve the cake sliced with some apricot coulis and whipped cream.