Chocolate and walnut fridge cake

Preparation

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  1. Grease a non-stick loaf tin thoroughly or, preferably, line it with baking parchment.
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  2. Put the digestive biscuits into a large bowl, or a large plastic bag, and carefully crush them using the end of a rolling pin
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  you want very small pieces of biscuit, but not to pound them completely into crumbs! Chop the walnuts into little pieces and mix in with the crushed biscuit. Sprinkle the cocoa into the bowl and mix that in too.
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  3. Cut the butter into small pieces, break the chocolate into pieces too, and melt them both together over a low heat in a large saucepan, stirring constantly. When they are melted and well combined, turn off the heat and stir in some of the biscuit mixture, repeating until all of the mixture has been added.
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  4. Pour or spoon the mixture carefully into the prepared tin, shaking gently to make sure that it gets into the corners, and put into the fridge for up to 2 hours, until completely set and chilled.
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  5. When the cake has set, make the topping. Melt the butter and chocolate as before, stirring well until they are completely melted and mixed together. Take the cake out of the fridge and pour on the chocolate topping, making sure that it is evenly spread. Leave to cool for a little while, then sprinkle the cocoa evenly on the top. Put back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or until the topping has set solid.
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  6. When set, carefully cut the fridge cake into slices using a very sharp knife. You may wish to take it out of the fridge for a few moments before cutting it, to allow it to soften slightly, if it has been chilled for some time.
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  <strong>Variations:</strong> There are many versions of a no-bake cake
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  I love to combine walnuts with chocolate, but you can easily customise this recipe to include your favourite flavours. Here are a few ideas for you to try:
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  For a healthier ingredient, try crumbling in breakfast cereals, maybe cornflakes or Weetabix, instead of the digestive biscuits.
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  You could replace the digestives with your choice of biscuit, perhaps arrowroot or crunchy oat biscuits.
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  Some recipes suggest including golden syrup or condensed milk in the ingredients.
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  Alter the flavour by adding a few drops of peppermint or orange essence to the melted chocolate.
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  Add a fruity flavour by using raisins and sultanas, sour cherries or the zest of a lemon. Or try adding grated coconut.
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  Children will love to decorate the top of the cake by scattering on hundreds and thousands or chocolate sprinkles.