Ingredients:

“The karydopita with chocolate is something different that you need to try, just to give your dessert a little twist,” says Vasilis Mataras.

250g butter
200g caster sugar
260g plain flour
5 eggs
100ml milk
300g walnuts (roughly chopped)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder

Syrup:

200g caster sugar
200ml of honey
300ml water
2 cinnamon sticks
half a lemon

Ganache:

600ml thickened cream
500ml water
400g caster sugar
100ml liquid glucose
pinch of salt
600g dark chocolate (53%)
200g cocoa powder

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C and line a 24cm round springform cake tin with baking paper.
2. Place the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl, using a whisk cream until thick.
3. Add the milk and whisk until combined. In a separate bowl sieve the dry ingredients together. Add in walnuts.
4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and fold together using a spider spoon.
5. Once combined, slowly pour the melted butter into the mixture and fold in until just combined, do not over mix.
6. Pour mixture into the tin and place in oven for 50 – 55 minutes.

In the meantime you can prepare the syrup

1. Place all ingredients into a medium sized saucepan and stir over a medium heat. Bring the syrup to a boil and let it boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

For the ganache

1. Mix together cream, water, sugar and glucose in a medium size saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Roughly break chocolate into the mixture or use buttons if you would prefer. Stir through until melted and combined.
3. Take off heat and sieve cocoa into the mixture. Set aside to cool.

Once pie is out of the oven pour half of the warm syrup over the top. You can keep it in the tin while you do this and the pie is still hot. Leave the pie for ten minutes to soak up the syrup and then pour the remaining syrup over. Cool to room temperature and take out of the tin onto a serving plate. Pour ganache over the top of the pie and refrigerate for one hour. To serve cut into slices and sprinkle with walnuts.