Boy Bakes Treats - Chocolate Cherry Slice

Chocolate Cherry Slice

Boy Bakes Treats - Chocolate Cherry Slice

Luscious coconut and cherries on a dark chocolate base, and so incredibly pink, this is one lavish treat. It's loosely modelled on Australia's oldest (circa 1924) and perenially popular Cherry Ripe bar, which I feel holds a special place in the hearts of many Australian chocolate fans, as it was the first taste - the gateway, the first steps - into the dark, mysterious, and delicious world of dark chocolate. It was just as good as regular chocolate, but so much better...

But if you've ever thought you improve on the original, one of the best things about making things your damn self is that you can tinker and tweak to your heart's content. If you want to add more of that dark chocolate goodness, use a little extra for a thicker base, or drizzle some across the top (or both!). If you really want to indulge your sweet tooth, sprinkle a little icing sugar over the surface. Just make sure your cherries are chopped finely so you get a good dispersal of flavour throughout the slice. The food colouring is just there for a little pop, but based on personal experience, it doesn't take much for your mixture to go from pink to PINK.

MAKES

20-24 squares

PREPS

25 minutes
plus setting

COOKS

30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300 grams dark chocolate, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 1 cup dessicated coconut
  • 1 cup glacé cherries, finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon pink food colouring

Directions

  1. Lightly grease a 20 x 30cm baking tin. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending the paper 2cm above the edge for easy removal later.
  2. Drop 200 grams of the chopped chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan with a few centimetres of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Allow the steam to melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Once the chocolate is fully melted, pour it into the prepared tin and use a spatula to smooth it out to all edges. Place in the fridge to cool and set.
  3. Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius/360 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork in a medium bowl, add sugar and beat until combined. Fold in the coconut, chopped cherries and food colouring. Pour the mixture into your baking tin and spread evenly over the cold dark chocolate layer.
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is lightly golden and firm to the touch. Let the slice cool completely in the tin.
  6. Drop the remaining 100 grams of the chopped chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and follow the steps above to melt. Once the chocolate is fully melted, drizzle it over the cooled slice, then put in the fridge. Once completely cold - the dark chocolate layer needs to be hard - use a knife dipped in hot water then dried with a tea towel to cut into slices.

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Recipe notes