YOU WILL NEED
one 20cm (8in) round or square cake tin about 7cm (2¾ in) deep (or use a flan ring)

1. Melt the butter with the golden syrup in a heavy-based pan. Do not let it boil.
2. Remove from the heat and add the cocoa powder, dark chocolate and vanilla extract.
3. Stir until you have a very smooth, glossy mixture.
4. Add the pistachios, figs and crushed biscuits to the chocolate mixture and stir well.
5. Line the base and sides of the cake tin with baking parchment or plastic wrap.
6. Place the mixture in the tin and press it down. (If you are using a square tin, make sure you press it down well into the corners.)
7. Leave to cool at room temperature before covering and chilling in the fridge. It will take about 2 hours to set completely firm.
8. When set, remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack.
9. Melt the dark chocolate and white chocolate separately.
10. Spread the dark chocolate all over the cake.
11. Decorate with the Maltesers before the chocolate sets, so that they stick to the cake. Position chocolate sticks as desired and drizzle with the white chocolate (and a little extra dark, if wished).
12. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
13. Keeps for up to two weeks, although it seldom lasts that long, once people know that it is there!

Tips

For children you can leave out the pistachios and soft figs included here and replace them with the same weight in biscuits.
You can also replace the pistachios with pecans, toasted almonds or macadamia nuts, and the figs with raisins, sultanas or dried cherries.

SERVES 16-20 portions