Hot Chocolate Slice

A slice that re-imagines a hot chocolate with marshmallows. A cinnamon biscuit base with dark chocolate mousse and a vanilla marshmallow top...

Delicious Hot Chocolate Slice!

This post was supposed to be up 2 weeks ago, but first I messed up my timings and forgot that refrigeration was required. Then it was Paniyiri and I needed to get that post up before the sweet, sweet honey-puffs faded from memory. Back when I thought this slice up, it was a rainy cold almost-winter like morning. I had intended a bright and easy raspberry concoction but with rain falling, I felt like curling up with a hot chocolate and watching some Netflix.

These are the ingredients required for the base and mousse 

And this is all you need for the marshmallow.

And being the creative type I am, I parlayed this into the wonderful chocolatey slice you see on this page. With a cinnamon biscuit base, like a cookie you'd dip into a smooth, velvety hot chocolate which is evoked in the rich, dark mousse layer. And anyone who's got an iota of taste will know the best bit about hot chocolate is the marshmallow so of course, there's a thick cloud like layer of marshmallow.

This is the hot chocolate mix when the yolks are being stirred in, don't be alarmed by the texture as once you've stirred in the cream later on...

...it becomes smoother like this.

I give you Hot Chocolate Slice!

The base gets covered in mousse and the mousse gets covered in marshmallow. Circle of life.

This is the progression of the marshmallow. Looks a lot like egg whites.

I love hot chocolates. I'm not sure if I've said this before to you, but I don't drink coffee. I love the smell of coffee and have been known to borrow my friends coffees and huff on them like glue. Not that I've ever huffed glue, but I suppose it would be similar to huffing on coffee.

Ahh layers.

But I've just never graduated to coffee. Love the smell, hate the taste. When I was in Thailand recently, I accidentally ordered a milk concoction from Dairy Queen. I was so excited to see a Dairy Queen since you hear about them so much on American TV shows and movies, so I ordered what I thought was a caramel milkshake but it ended up having coffee in it. What a sad time that was in my life.

Birds eye view of slice. HEY! What's that bird doing in my kitchen!? Oh I am funny.

I do like going out to cafes and in fact, I will say to people "Do you want to go get a coffee?". It just sounds more grown up. But I will always get a hot chocolate. And it's so heart breaking when cafes don't have marshmallows. What's the point. Well, the point is delicious hot chocolate but it's always better with marshmallows.

That's a nice cut.

Now so you don't make the same mistake as me, I had better tell you that this slice makes some time to make. You won't be waking up on a rainy day, make this and be eating it within an hour. Both the chocolate mousse and marshmallow layers require refrigeration setting time. I suppose now that I'm writing that I can see that some people might be confused by the title of this slice, Hot Chocolate Slice as it's served cold and not hot, but them's the breaks. It delicious and it really does taste like a hot chocolate drink.

That bloody bird is still in my kitchen!

Please don't be put off by the total time required to make this slice. The prepping and cooking of the ingredients is very quick and the rest of the time, the slice is just sitting pretty in the fridge, requiring no input from you.

Love me some marshmallow.

The mousse in this slice is really cocoa-y and dark. It's not too sweet either, with most of the sugar coming from just what's in the chocolate...plus a tiny bit extra. But this means that the mousse is well balanced with the marshmallow topping, which is sugary sweet. And the cinnamon biscuit base with desiccated coconut is the perfect texture and taste to go with the soft layers of mousse and marshmallow.

Slice in the foreground, slice in the background. 

The slice has layers in order of softness. The varying textures are part of what makes this slice so enjoyable.

All gone!

Hot Chocolate Slice

Prep time: 20 mins 

Cooking time: 20 mins

Refrigeration time: 8 hours

Total time:  8 hr 40 mins 

Servings: 12 big slices 

Cinnamon Biscuit Base

1 cup self raising flour

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

150g melted butter

Dark Hot Chocolate Mousse

80g butter

1/4 cup cocoa

300g dark chocolate, broken in small pieces

3 eggs, separated

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/2 cups cream

Vanilla Marshmallow

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon gelatine powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon Biscuit Base

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
2. Brush the sides of a 16 x 25cm slice pan  or dish and line the base with baking paper.
3. In a large bowl, add the flour, coconut, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until combined.
4. Make a well in the centre and add the melted butter. Stir until all the ingredients are moist.
5. Turn the mixture into the prepared slice and press into the bottom, to the edges.
6. Bake for 12 minutes ,until golden.
7. Set aside to cool.

Dark Hot Chocolate Mousse

1. Melt the butter, cocoa and chocolate in a small pan until it forms a paste.
2. Turn the heat off and add the 3 egg yolks and stir vigorously, then set aside off the stove. Do not be alarmed if the mix is lumpy, it will smooth out once the cream is added.
3. Whisk the egg whites, gradually adding the sugar, til stiff peaks form.
4. Fold a large dollop of the chocolate mixture through the egg whites, then fold through the remaining chocolate mixture.
5. Once the egg whites are folded through, fold the cream through.
6. Pour the mousse onto the cinnamon biscuit base and smooth the top.
7. Refrigerate for 4 hours until completely set.

Vanilla Marshmallow

1.  Add sugar, water and gelatine in a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until all the gelatine has dissolved.
2. Increase heat to medium and simmer for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Once it has cooled for 5 - 10 minutes, add to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high for 9 minutes. Mixture should double in volume, become white and form stiff peaks.
4. Fold in vanilla extract.
5. Spoon marshmallow on top of the set mousse and smooth top.
6. Refrigerate for 4 hours until completely set.
7. To serve, cut with a knife heated in hot water and wiped dry.