Mini Mississippi Mud Pies

Another month...another last minute entry into Random Recipes. Following last month's challenge of baking the recipe at the front and/or back of your randomly selected recipe book...this month we had the middle!

I started writing this post yesterday at nearly midnight and having revisited today I think I may have been a bit harsh on this recipe so after the taste testers had a little nibble today I'm revising to a more favourable opinion!! However, after both Lemon & Limoncello Mini Cupcakes and Window Cookies last month, the middle of this month's random recipe book didn't quite live up!

The book I selected this month was Mini Pies by Sara Lewis, it's a nice little book with lots of cute bakes and on page 40 of 80 were these Mississipi Mud Pies. I've been looking forward to making them and to be fair they didn't turn out too badly but I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

The pastry seemed to turn out ok, I haven't done a lot of baking with pastry and I think really it could just do with a bit of neatening up. The book also suggests a nice recipe for hazelnut pastry which would also be great in a mud pie. I'm going to try and make a few more pastry recipes soon as a bit of a challenge I think!

The best thing about this recipe is that I got to use baking beans, they've been sat in my cupboard unused for ages. I was a bit worried about the pastry sticking to my tin as the recipe just stated to just press it straight in, so I greased and floured the muffin tin. This did the trick as they came out easily but it also left white floury marks on the pastry case, so next time I would probably just grease the tin.

Last night I think the main problem was the filling, the recipe states plain chocolate but I think maybe a nice bit of Green & Blacks would do the trick...it might even taste nice with some orange flavoured chocolate for something a bit different. When I made the filling it was too runny despite following the instructions to the letter, so it certainly wasn't set after the stated two hours in the fridge but this morning when I woke up, as if by magic it had really firmed up. Although if I was making these again I'd probably recommend making a classic ganache which would be perfect.

Once the filling set, it just needed a dollop of cream and some chocolate curls to finish it off. The light cream against the dark truffle-like filling provides a good visual contrast. So overall probably a 6 out of 10 for this recipe...could be great with a bit of experimentation and a few tweaks! :-)

*Update: I'm also entering these Mississippi Mud Pies into the United Bakes of America Challenge by Cupcake Grazy Gem. If you've not visited her blog before you really should, there are all sorts of inventive bakes and many are inspired by the US of A! I've been meaning to enter for a while and these mud pies are perfect! You can enter any American inspired bake...check out further details by clicking through to Cupcake Crazy Gem.

Shortcrust Pastry Ingredients

325g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
85g unsalted butter
85g vegetable shortening
4-4 1/2 tbsp cold water
Weigh out all the ingredients except the water into a food processor and blitz. The mixture should take on a breadcrumb like texture. Then with the processor still on, gradually add in the water until the pastry just comes together. Turn it out and form into a ball and then wrap in clingfilm. Chill for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190c/170c fan/ gas 5. Roll out the pastry fairly thinly on a floured surface. Cut out 10cm circles with a cutter and gently press into the holes of a muffin tin. The recipe did not suggest greasing the tin but I was very unsure whether they'd come out so I did.

Prick the bottom of each pie with a fork and then line each pie with a crumpled square of baking paper before filling with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and remove the baking beans and paper. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes to ensure you don't get a soggy bottom!

Chocolate Filling
100g plain chocolate, chopped
125ml semi-skimmed milk
1 egg
2 tbsp icing sugar

Heat and melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water (or the microwave). Whilst the chocolate is melting, whisk together the milk, egg and sugar. Once melted, remove the chocolate from the heat and gradually add the egg mixture, mixing as you go. Finally, pour into the cases.

Chantilly Cream

225ml double cream
2 tbsp icing sugar

Whisk the cream and icing sugar together to form soft peaks. Spoon the cream on top of each pie. I used a piping bag with a round nozzle for a neater finish. To decorated add some white and dark chocolate curls.

* Adapted from Mini Pies by Sara Lewis

Weekly Bake-Off: Mississippi Mud Pie

Do you love baking and are you a fan of Mary Berry? Then perhaps you should check out the Weekly Bake-Off blog. I recently discovered the Weekly Bake-Off where the aim is to work through all one hundred recipes in Mary Berry's 100 Cakes and Bakes, one per week.

The recipe is set by the host every Monday and then should you take on the challenge a picture of your efforts should be tweeted by the end of the week before all resulting pictures are rounded up on the blog at the end of the week.

The recipe this week was Mississippi Mud Pie! I've never made it before so was a little apprehensive as to what it would be like but in fact it turned out quite well. I followed the recipe faithfully, it called for 39% cocoa plain chocolate which I couldn't seem to find but when I googled it... turns out this is Bourneville! However, were I to make this again I think I would go for something a lot more chocolatey as the taste test panel felt that although quite tasty, it didn't quite deliver that chocolate intensity that you might expect and that it was not quite chocolatey enough. They also described the texture as half way between a mouse (or a mousse even!) and a torte.

When cooking the sides puffed up massively above the height of the tin which was quite alarming when the middle stayed put...however, don't panic, when you take it out of the oven it cools in the tin and sinks back down to level again!

Overall, I enjoyed the bake and will definitely be joining in with the Weekly Bake-Off again. Why not give it a go as it's a great way to widen your repetoire and Mary Berry's recipe book is currently only £4 on Amazon... a bargain. Happy baking!

For the crust:

• 100g crushed digestive biscuits ( I blitzed mine in a mini food processor)
• 50g butter, melted
• 25g demerara sugar

For the filling:

• 200g plain chocolate (39% cocoa solids)
• 100g butter
• 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
• 1 tbsp boiling water
• 300ml single cream
• 175g dark muscovado sugar
• 6 large eggs, beaten

Grease a 20cm springform tin and heat the oven to 180c/Fan 160c/Gas 4. First make the base by mising together, the biscuits, the melted butter and the demerara. Press the biscuit mixture in to the base of the tin in a even layer.

For the filling, break the chocolate in to pieces and then gently heat it in a pan with the butter, coffee powder and boiling water until completed melted. Once ready remove from the heat and then beat in the cream, sugar and eggs. The prepared mixture is then poured in to the tin over the biscuit base. Bake in the oven for around 1 hour and 15 minutes or until set. Leave to cool in the tin, before removing and serving with whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar.

* Adapted from Mary Berry's 100 Cakes and Bakes (My Kitchen)