Chocolate Caramel Slice

Chocolate Caramel Slice

Home Cooking



During my exam panic a week ago, I developed some odd cravings... one was for caramel slice. It's a really simple, common, basic dessert you see in certain cafes, bakeries and school fetes. I never thought much about them before but suddenly, they seemed like the most enticing sweet food item on the planet.

I had to make some.

 
Amazingly, I had most of the ingredients in my pantry thanks to my forgetting about a can of condensed milk that I bought. Coconut, brown sugar and flour are staples in my house. All I really had to really purchase was some chocolate (which can't be a staple in my house because temptation is too difficult to resist).

My recipe was from Exclusively Food, though I halved the quantities to make less. Please click into their site to get the original quantities.

Chocolate Caramel Slice
Makes ~ 12 x 3cm squares

Ingredients:

For the base

• 60g brown sugar
• 25g (1/3 cups) desiccated coconut (I used shredded coconut which is more coarse)
• 50g (1/3 cup) self-raising flour
• 40g butter, melted

For the caramel filling

• 15g butter
• 20ml (1 tablespoons) golden syrup
• 200g (1/2 can) sweetened condensed milk

For the topping

• 70g chocolate (I used dark chocolate)

Procedure:

1. Line a loaf tin with non-stick paper. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Combine the brown sugar, flour and coconut together in a large bowl until evenly mixed.3. Stir in the melted butter until it all comes together.4. Press the dough into the loaf tin to form an even layer.
5. Bake in the oven for around 10min until it's golden brown and slightly risen. Set aside to cool.
6. Meanwhile, you can make the filling by stirring together the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan on medium heat. Once the butter had melted, stir in the condensed milk.
7. Stir constantly on medium heat for around 7-10min or until the caramel thickens.8. Pour the caramel over the base and return to the oven for a further 8-10min.9. Allow the slice to cool completely to room temperature.
10. Melt the chocolate over very low heat (or use the microwave or a double boiler) and gentle pour that over the slice so it forms an even layer. Refrigerate until the chocolate is just set.
11. Slice the slice (lol) using a knife dipped in warm water. I cut them into much smaller pieces than specified in the original recipe because I like to have some control... or at least attempt to control intake.


Ok... before I start going into my review of the product, I have a confession to make. After just typing out the recipe, I realize I made a crucial error. I didn't return the slice back into the oven after the caramel was layered on!

I'm sure that's what caused my biggest issue with this whole thing which was the slicing. When I tried to cut the slices, the chocolate would cut nicely, and the base would be a bit firm so I had to put some elbow into it and by then, the caramel would ooze out the sides. I think if I had put it in the oven like I was supposed to, it would be more set and the whole thing would have homogenized consistency, making it easier to cut.

That is why my slices have little smear marks on the side from where I tried to clean up the oozed bits to make them more presentable.

Bite shot

Forgetting that major oversight, the caramel slice was yum! And that's what matters right? My attempt to portion-control with smaller pieces was a farce because I ended up devouring the whole lot (with the aid of a friend) in just 1 day. Woo!