Mississippi Mud Pie

I introduced my housemate Sophie, who blogs over at Sophie Says, to the Great British Bake Off this week and she loved it. So we decided to spend Wednesday afternoon making a Mississippi Mud Pie (seeing as it was Pies and Tarts week). This recipe is literally like a brownie in a pie crust topped with a mountain of whipped cream - delicious but a bit of a naughty treat!
But it turns out cooking in a student kitchen is not so easy as cooking at home. We realised we didn't even have a mixing bowl so we made a quick trip to Asda to pick one up - along with a rotary whisk. Then after making the pastry and leaving it chill for an hour we realised we didn't have a rolling pin either - a highball glass makes a very good substitute though!
Our first bake in the new house was a great success and I wanted to share the recipe with you all. Like the Scandilious Chelsea Buns these do take up a lot of your time, what with making the pastry and the two stage cooking process, so I recommend you try out this recipe when you've got a free afternoon to yourself.
Oh. And make sure you have all the equipment before you start the recipe!

For the pastry

• 260g plain flour
• 110g butter or Stork cubed

For the filling

• 150g dark chocolate cubed
• 50g unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g soft brown sugar
• 300ml double cream whipped into stiff peaks
  

Ready to bake

1. Combine the butter and plain flour in a large bowl until it resembles breadcrumb, then slowly add a tablespoon of water until it comes together loosely. Be careful not to use too much water or you will end up with a sticky dough, we used about 4 tbsp. 
2. Wrap the ball of dough in clingfilm and leave to chill in the fridge - this will make it easier to roll out.
3. After the hour is up roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin, carefully pick the dough up and lift gently into a buttered, fluted 23cm loose bottomed tart tin.
4. Put a sheet of greaseproof paper over the dough and fill with baking beans (or rice) and partially blind bake for ten minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes.
5. In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup together until smooth. Take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
6. Whisk the eggs with the brown sugar and vanilla egg extract until they are well combined, then pour in the cooled chocolate and beat together until smooth. Make sure the chocolate mixture isn't too hot or it will scramble the eggs!
7. Pour the chocolately mixture into the pie crust and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170C for 30 minutes. You want it to be set with just a slight wobble.
8. When the pie is cooled top with the double cream and add some chocolate flakes

This pie is very rich so will serve 8-10 people, make sure you eat it quickly because it's topped with fresh cream. But I doubt it will be in your fridge for long!

Beth xx