Chocolate and coffee cream pots

150g (5oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 x 142ml carton whipping cream
6tbsp coffee liqueur
250g (9oz) mascarpone cheese
5tbsp icing sugar
Chocolate shapes, to garnish (optional)

These tasty pots of creamy chocolate are perfect for parties as they can be made up to a few hours in advance.

In short	Preparation time: 10 mins Serves: 4 people Cuisine: Vegetarian Course: Desserts
Nutrition (per portion)	700 calories 49g fat (33g saturates)

Method

1. Place the broken chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the base should not touch the water) until completely melted. Stir carefully and remove the bowl from the heat. Put to one side and allow the liquid to cool.

2. Whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form and then gently stir in the coffee liqueur.

3. Beat the mascarpone cheese and icing sugar together until smooth and then carefully stir in the coffee cream mixture. Pour over the cooled melted chocolate and swirl together with a fork to make a marbled pattern. Do not mix too well.

4. Spoon this creamy mixture into 4 small individual pots or ramekins and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Garnish each pot with chocolate shapes or grated chocolate

Photographs Peter Cassidy; food Sunil Vijayakar