Chocolate Ripple Log

I was talking to a coworker the other day about her cousin's recipe for something called Tim Tam Glory which brought up memories of this dessert here. This is something my mother would make that I had totally forgotten about. What I do remember about it was that it was soaked in rum. And it wasn't until I was recounting the story of this dessert to another coworker I realised how wrong this was. Her first comment was "and your mother served this to you as kids?!". The weirdest thing is that my mother hates alcohol...

It seems that this "recipe" is an Australian thing, although Google tells me that this is what Americans will call an ice box cake.

I think what makes this one Australian is that it uses a particular Arnott's biscuit: the Chocolate Ripple. It really is different from any other chocolate biscuit and they were a little hard to find.

This one didn't end up tasting anything like my mum's. I wasn't as liberal with the rum because in the end I had to by Bunderberg Rum rather than dark rum as I wasn't going to buy a full bottle of rum. Stupid me, should have just bought a full bottle of whiskey (which would work just as well) which I will drink than a half bottle of Bundy which is now going sit in the back of the cupboard. I just don't think straight when I have a recipe burning a hole in my brain and a weekend ahead of me.

Chocolate Ripple Log
1 pkt Choc Ripple biscuits
300ml cream
1 tsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
black coffee, rum (or other alcohol: 1 tablespoon will give it a kick)
shaved chocolate

Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until a firm peak forms. Mix the alcohol and coffee together. Place a line of cream on the serving plate (helps to stand the biscuits upright). Brush the biscuit with the coffee mixture and smear with cream and stand on the plate. Repeat, forming a log. Cover the whole thing in cream and put in the fridge overnight. Overnight is best to let the coffee seep in and biscuits go cake-like. Top with chocolate before serving and cut on an angle to produce the best effect.
Tip: dunking the biscuits in the coffee might seem a better idea than brushing, it's not!

Can't wait til next Friday when I find out exactly what the Tim Tam Glory dessert is.