6 oz Coffee liqueur (Tia Maria) (175 ml)
18 Savoiardi (sponge fingers); up to 20
1 c Double cream (300 ml)
1 1/2 oz Icing sugar (40 g); sifted
2 oz Chocolate chips (50 g)
2 oz Hazelnuts (50 g); toasted, skinned, chopped
2 oz Almonds (50 g); toasted, skinned, chopped
3 oz Chocolate (85 g); in pieces
To Decorate:
2 tb Cocoa powder
2 tb Icing sugar
Line a 1.2 L / 2 cup round-bottomed bowl or pudding basin with damp
muslin or cheesecloth, leaving it hanging over the rim.
Put all but 3 tb liqueur in a shallow dish, dip in the sponge fingers
one at a time and use to line the bowl or basin, placing them sugared
side outwards. Fill the bottom and any gaps with liqueur-soaked
trimmings so that the lining is completely solid. Chill for
30 minutes. Reserve the remaining sponge fingers and liqueur.
Whip the cream with the icing sugar until very thick and standing in
stiff peaks. Transfer 3/4ths to a separate bowl. Stir the nuts and
chocolate chips into the remaining 1/4th, then spread this over the
sponge fingers to make an inner lining. Return to the refrigerator.
Put the chocolate pieces and remaining 3 tb liqueur in a heatproof
bowl. Stand the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and heat
gently, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted and is
smooth. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then stir
into the remaining whipped cream. Use to fill the centre of the bowl
or basin and smooth over the surface. Cover with the remaining sponge
fingers dipped in the rest of the liqueur. Press the sponge fingers
down firmly, then cover with the muslin. Place a plate with heavy
weights on top and chill overnight.
To serve, remove the weights and unfold the muslin, then run a
palette knife carefully between the muslin and the bowl/basin.
Invert a serving plate over the mould and turn the Zuccotto out onto
it. Carefully remove the muslin. Decorate with alternate sections of
sifted cocoa powder and icing sugar. Fold a circle of greaseproof
paper into 8 sections, then cut out each alternate one. Place over
the Zuccotto and sift over the cocoa powder, then move the paper
around so that the cocoa powder is covered and sprinkle with the
icing sugar. If you are in a rush the Zuccotto can, of course, be
simply dusted with either icing sugar or cocoa instead of both but
the decoration is worth the effort for a special occasion.
