No Ordinary Caramel Slice

If the humble caramel slice was to undergo an extreme makeover, I imagine the after photos would look something like this.

Why toy with perfection? Well, it was the wish of my eight-year-old niece that I take her favourite cafe treat and gussy it up into a birthday cake pretty enough to be the centrepiece of her high-tea themed party.

It's not the only time I've been asked to make a caramel slice cake. The first was for a wedding. A couple ordered 80 pieces of caramel slice and a large round 'cake' to cut at their reception earlier this year. Hey, what the bride wants, the bride gets in my book.

A wedding is a big deal. It required practice, so Charlie was the first to get one for his birthday cake. He liked it well enough and word spread... to my niece.

It usually looks like this, cut smooth with not a spare crumb to corrupt me, ready to be boxed. And it is in this form that it is loved by my family and friends, so this is how I will share the recipe. It's rich, so cut it small. Then you won't feel so bad when you can't stop at one.

Caramel Slice

(Makes 16 medium squares)

Base:

80g butter, melted

2/3 cup self-raising flour

2/3 cup desiccated coconut

1/3 cup caster sugar

Filling:

125g butter

125g brown sugar

395g can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup golden syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

100g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Preheat oven to 180C.

Grease a 22cm square baking tin and line with non-stick baking paper, leaving a 2cm overlap on each edge. 

For the base, mix together the dry ingredients with the melted butter. Press into prepared tin with the back of a spoon until smooth and even. Bake for 10 mins.

For filling, stir all ingredients in a medium heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat until just simmering. Turn heat to low and cook while stirring for appx two minutes until golden.

Pour on top of the baked base and return to the oven for 15 mins.

Cool completely in tin.

For the topping, melt together both chocolates in a heatproof bowl (I use a metal one) over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until smooth. Cool for a couple of minutes before you pour it over the filling. Gently angle the tin so the chocolate spreads to all four corners. Put the slice in the fridge to set for at least two hours, preferably overnight. Lift it out of the tin by taking hold of the baking paper overhanging each edge and pull up. Loosen with a knife if the corners are a bit stuck, but it should lift out easily. 
The best way to cut it into squares is by dipping a large knife into a jug of hot water and then wiping the blade carefully with paper towel, or a clean tea towel, before each cut. Cut in half first, then cut the halves into thirds, then into 12 squares - or more if you like.