After the excesses of the holiday one can feel a trifle bothered to be going into complicated cooking expeditions.

Easy and simple are usually important characteristics I look for before I embark on any recipe, and this delightfully simple but extremely decadent little desert satisfies all criteria.

Inspiration for this dessert came forth because I had one too many Swiss rolls lying around in my larder.

This heavenly desert offers the right amount of delectable satisfaction and is a head turning delight after any lazy Sunday afternoon lunch or dinner.

Layers upon layers of melting chocolate coupled with rich strawberry compote, it will leave your guests wanting more!
 

Ingredients:

• Ready made swiss roll or even left over cake
• Slab of cooking chocolate – dark
• Almond essence
• Whipping cream
• Strawberry jam

Method:

Break you slab of cooking chocolate and melt in a glass bowl on the fire, be careful that it doesn’t burn.

Then slice your Swiss roll thinly and set aside. In a separate bowl, whip your cream, slowly add the chocolate whilst whipping.

Add a dash of almond essence. If you prefer, you can add a dash of a liqueur of choice. Since most pudding in my house gets eaten by children I left the alcohol out.

Whip until the cream and chocolate have amalgamated but do not whip to stiff peaks, its good if the mixture is a bit runny.

Then start putting your pudding together. A layer of sliced Swiss roll, a thin layer of jam, then a layer of the chocolate mixture, continue until dish is covered with your final layer being chocolate.

Set in the fridge to chill, about 4 to 5 hours.

Decorate with some shopped nuts or sliced strawberries, decadently delicious!

By Mayuri Jayasinghe