Additional Ingredients

200 grams	Plain White Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly)
25 grams	Cocoa Powder
50 grams	Icing Sugar (Silver Spoon)
150 grams	Unsalted Butter
3	Egg Yolk
1 tsp	Vanilla Bean Paste (Nielsen-Massey)

How to make Southern Mud Pie

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1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
2. Mix plain flour with cocoa powder, icing sugar and unsalted butter and rub together with your fingers. To this, add the egg yolks and one teaspoon of vanilla paste and mix.
3. Flour a surface and knead the pastry mixture a little, before pressing into a patty and wrapping in cling film. Leave this in the fridge to rest and cool for 30 minutes.
4. When cooled, roll out the chocolate short crust pastry to a 3mm thickness, line a tart tin, fill with baking beans and place in an oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Then, remove the beans and replace in the oven for another 10 minutes.
5. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the surface of the water does not touch the bowl.
6. Put to one side to cool then preheat the oven to 160°C (fan 140°C)/32F/Gas Mark 3
7. Cream the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy using an electric hand whisk or a freestanding mixer.
8. Gradually beat in the eggs one at a time on a low speed.
9. Sift the cocoa powder and stir in, along with the cooled melted chocolate.
10. Stir in the double cream and the chocolate extract, infusing the two together.
11. Pour the mixture into the cooked pastry case and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until just set.
12. Leave to stand on a cooling rack then chill in the refrigerator.
13. Remove from the refrigerator one hour before serving then whip the whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar in to soft peaks to accompany.
14. Pile on the top of the pie and decorate with chocolate fans, chocolate balls and a dusting of icing sugar and cocoa powder. Enjoy!

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