Toasted Nut Cassata - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup mixed glace fruit, chopped
2 tablespoons brandy
300 ml cream
2 teaspoons caster sugar
125 g dark chocolate
15 g butter
2 liters vanilla ice cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cocoa
60 g almonds, slivered
60 g coconut biscuits
300 ml cream, extra

Preparation

Line base of 20cm (8\") springform pan with aluminium foil.
Combine glace fruit and brandy, mix well, let stand 10 minutes.
Whip cream and sugar until thick, fold in fruit and brandy, spread cream mixture over base of springform pan, freeze.
Put chopped chocolate and butter in top of double saucepan, stir over gently-simmering water until melted; cool.
Combine half the softened ice-cream and vanilla, add approximately half a cup of this ice-cream to melted chocolate mixture, mix well and add chocolate mixture to ice-cream, mix well; the melted chocolate gives the ice-cream a \"chocolate chip\" texture.
Stir in sifted cocoa, mix well; spread chocolate ice-cream over cream layer; freeze.
Spread remaining half-softened ice-cream over chocolate layer.
Place almonds in moderate oven 5 minutes or until light golden brown; crush coconut biscuits lightly; sprinkle combined biscuits crumbs and almonds over top of cassata; press crumbs and almonds lightly into ice-cream; freeze until firm.
Pipe extra whipped cream decoratively around top.