Ingredients

Spiced chocolate cake base:
• 250g Dark chocolate
• 125g Butter
• 3 Eggs
• 30ml Brewed strong coffee
• 225g Selati Castor sugar
• 75g Self-raising flour
• 15ml Mixed spice
Ice-cream filling:
• 1 tin Ideal milk (chilled)
• 1 tin Condensed milk
• 80ml Selati Icing sugar
• 750ml Cream
• 45ml Brandy
• 5ml Ground cinnamon
• 1 Lemon, zested
• 100g Toasted flaked almonds
• 200g Fresh raspberries, halved

Brandied cherry chocolate topping:
• 250ml Cream
• 250g Dark chocolate
• 5ml Mixed spice
• 15ml Brandy
• 1 punnet Fresh Cherries, soaked in brandy syrup (equal quanties of sugar and brandy boiled together for 1 minute)

Instructions

Cake base:
• Grease and line a 25cm springform cake tin with baking paper. ( base and sides)
• Pre-heat the oven to 190C.
• Melt the chocolate and the butter over a double-boiler.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar and coffee until thick and pale. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture.
• Fold in the flour and mixed spice.
• Pour into the tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until cracked on the surface, but still slightly soft to the touch.
• Remove and leave to cool completely.

Ice cream filling:
• Whip the cream, brandy and sugar until thickened (firm peak).
• Stir the condensed milk into the whipped cream.
• Whip the ideal milk until very thick and frothy and immediately fold into the cream mixture, along with the brandy, lemon zest and ground cinnamon.
• Add the toasted almonds and raspberries and stir in.
• Pour into the lined cake tin on top of the cake base and freeze overnight.

Topping:
• Chop the chocolate and set aside in a bowl.
• Place the cream and mixed spice into a saucepan and heat. Bring up to the boil and remove immediately.
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave to stand for a minute.
• Starting from the centre, stir the mixture slowly until it becomes smooth. Add the brandy and set aside to cool.

When ready to serve:
• Remove the ice-cream cake from the freezer and remove from the tin.
• Pour the chocolate topping over and allow to run down the sides. Decorate with the brandied cherries.