• Ingredients: 33
  • Serves: 12
  • Bake: 10 hr (includes soaking raisins)

Maida heatter's chocolate cookies with gin-soaked raisins with golden raisins, gin, sifted confectioners sugar, sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably dutch-process, instant espresso powder, all-purpose flour, salt, large egg whites, vanilla, oz pecans , toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped. To make this maida heatter's chocolate cookies with gin-soaked raisins for 12 persons you will need 10 hr (includes soaking raisins) for baking.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/3 cup gin
  • 3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
  • 2/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
  • 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
  • 2 tbsps. all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 8 oz pecans , toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped

Cake:

  • 8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Mousse:

  • 2 cups fresh raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons red currant jelly melted with 1 tbsp. water
  • Red currant bunches

For cream topping

  • Special equipment: 3 baking pans and a 3 1/2-quart straight-sided glass trifle or soufflé dish

For assembly

  • Coconut buttercream
  • 3 1/2 cups fresh coconut shavings or 2 2/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Filling and frosting cakes

  • 2 11-inch-diameter tart-pan bottoms or cardboard rounds
  • 1 8-inch-diameter tart-pan bottom or cardboard round
  • 1 5-inch-diameter tart-pan bottom or cardboard round
  • 14 12-inch-long, 1/4-inch-diameter wooden dowels

Decoration

  • Mix of large and tiny white roses and fresias

Berry compote

Directions

  1. Step 1 Mix confectioners sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, flour, and salt with an electric mixer at low speed.

    For this step you will need

    • 1 cup sugar
    • 2/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
    • 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
  2. Step 2 Drain raisins in a sieve, without pressing, then add raisins to dough with pecans. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

    For this step you will need

    • 1/2 cup golden raisins
    • 8 oz pecans , toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
  3. Step 3 Working quickly, drop 1/4 cup dough for each cookie onto a baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 3 inches apart, and gently pat down each mound to about 1/2 inch thick.
  4. Step 4 Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven, rotating sheet halfway through baking, 15 to 17 minutes total, or until cookies appear cracked and centers are just set.

Nutrition information

Calories 303 Carbohydrates 41 g (14%)
Fat 14 g (22%) Protein 4 g (8%)
Saturated Fat 2 g (8%) Sodium 162 mg (7%)
Polyunsaturated Fat 4 g Fiber 4 g (15%)
Monounsaturated Fat 8 g Cholesterol 0