Get creative in the kitchen this Christmas and impress your dinner guests with one of these heavenly chocolate desserts from Unwrapped Green & Blacks Chocolate Recipes, priced: £14.99 published by: Kyle Cathie Ltd (www.kylecathie.com)

Chocolate Christmas Stollen

Soaking time: 12 hours
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Proving time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

  • Use: 30cm x 19cm (12in x 7in) roasting tin
  • 75g (3oz) mixed dried fruit, chopped
  • 25g (1oz) mixed peel, chopped
  • 65ml (2 fl oz) dark rum
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 100g (3oz) Maya Gold Chocolate, or good-quality dark orange chocolate
  • 50g (2oz) glac cherries

DOUGH

  • 375g (13oz) strong white flour
  • 25g (1oz) cocoa powder
  • teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 2 teaspoons dried active yeast
  • 150ml ( pint) milk
  • 125g (4oz) unsalted butter
  • 50g (2oz) golden caster sugar
  • 2 medium eggs

COCOA MARZIPAN

  • 100g (3oz) ground almonds
  • 75g (3oz) icing sugar
  • 25g (1oz) cocoa powder

DECORATION

  • 40g (1oz) icing sugar
  • 25g (1oz) cocoa powder

1. Mix the mixed dried fruit and mixed peel in half of the rum and stir in the orange zest and juice. Leave to soak overnight.

2. Roughly chop the chocolate into small chunks and quarter the cherries. Mix with the soaked fruits.

3. To make the dough, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, nutmeg, mixed spice and the yeast.

4. Gently melt together the milk and 75g (3oz) of the butter, stir in the caster sugar until dissolved. Leave to cool. Separate one of the eggs, reserving the white. Beat the yolk with the other egg and whisk into the cooled milk mixture. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the liquid and mix well.

5. Turn out and knead gently on a lightly floured board. Place in the bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes while you make the marzipan.

6. Line the roasting tin with greaseproof paper and preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 6.

7. To make the marzipan, mix together the ground almonds, icing sugar and cocoa with the reserved egg white. Knead lightly together in the bowl until a pliable ball forms. Roll out to an oblong about the length of the tin.

8. Melt together the remaining butter and rum.

9. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured board. Knead a little, then roll it out into an oblong about 5mm (in) thick.

10. Brush the dough with melted butter and rum. Place half the fruit mixture on the top two-thirds of the dough, then fold the bottom third, two-thirds of the way up the oblong, then fold down the top third over it. Seal the edges with the rolling pin. Turn the dough clockwise so that the right-hand edge is now at the bottom, then roll it out into an oblong again. Brush again with the butter and rum and cover the top two-thirds with the remaining fruit mixture, fold, seal and roll again as before. Do not turn it this time.

11. Place the marzipan in the centre of the dough, fold in the two sides to meet in the centre and place, join-side down, in the lined tin. Brush the top with butter and rum and bake for 35 minutes.

12. As soon as you remove the stollen from the oven, brush with the remaining butter and rum mixture (which you may need to reheat slightly) and then dredge heavily with icing sugar. Allow to cool, then sprinkle with cocoa powder to serve.

Chocolate Truffles Makes 36 truffles 275g (10oz) dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids, broken into pieces 250ml (9fl oz) double cream 50g (2oz) unsalted butter at room temperature 50g (2oz) cocoa powder 1. Place the chocolate in a large bowl. Bring the cream to the boil and pour it over the chocolate. Stir gently until the chocolate has melted, trying not to create bubbles. Leave to cool for two minutes.

2. Add the butter in two stages and stir in gently. Once the butter is incorporated, the ganache should be smooth and glossy with no oil slick on the surface. Set the truffle mixture in the fridge for a minimum of three hours or overnight.

3. Remove the ganache from the fridge about 15 minutes before you want to make the truffles, depending on room temperature.

4. Put the cocoa into a bowl. Ensure that your hands are cold and dry , then dust them with cocoa. Take spoonfuls of the ganache mixture and roll them into balls in your cocoa dusted hands. Drop each shaped truffle into a bowl of cocoa, turn it around and then toss it between your palms to remove any excess powder.

5. The truffles can then be returned to the fridge and kept for up to two days in an airtight container.