Chocolate Caramel Slice - Dark Edition

Chocolate Caramel Slice Dark Edition - waiting, watching ... always watching

 

INGREDIENTS

Base

• 1 cup (150g) plain flour
• 1/2 cup (40g) dessicated coconut
• 125g unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (90g) brown sugar

Caramel filling

• 190g unsalted butter, chopped
• 3 x 380g cans skim sweetened condensed milk
• 3/8 cup golden syrup (see Notes)
  
• 1/8 cup treacle
  

Chocolate topping

• 200g dark cooking chocolate (60% cocoa solids)
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt to taste (optional)
  

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Place all base ingredients in a bowl - flour, coconut, butter and brown sugar, and mix till it's just combined. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base of a lightly greased 20cm x 30cm tin, lined with non-stick baking paper, and bake for 15-20 minutes.
2. While the base is cooking, make the caramel filling. Place the butter, condensed milk, golden syrup and treacle in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the butter is melted and continue whisking for 7-10 minutes, or until you detect the mixture thickening slightly. In any case, turn off the heat after whisking 10 minutes after the butter has melted. *Scrape the sides and bottom of the pan as you go, to make sure it doesn't stick, clot or burn. Pour the caramel over the cooked base. It should be runny enough to just spread evenly by itself but, if not, spread so that it's an even depth with a palette knife, and then cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top. Cool slightly, and then refrigerate until cold.
3. Place the chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and stir until melted and smooth. If using salt, sprinkle or grind it to taste over the caramel, right before adding the chocolate to the slice. Then, pour the chocolate over the caramel mixture and spread evenly. Regrigerate for 30 minutes, or until firm. Using a warm knife, cut into slices or squares to serve.

NOTES - 21 September 2020

This recipe came about partly on purpose and partly through accident. I intended to do a version of the slice with a dark chocolate topping, and shopped accordingly. For the record, I chose the Cadbury dark cooking chocolate for this one. That was the intended part. It was only when I was underway that I realised I was almost out of golden syrup, and so I topped up the quantity with the treacle that I'd bought way back at chocolate caramel slice take 1.

The quantities for golden syrup and treacle in this recipe are a bit of an estimate. The amount of golden syrup I had left was a bit more than half a cup measure, and I topped up the same cup measure with treacle, to reach the required 1/2 cup quantity. The ratio was most probably in that 3:2 range. I think as long as you make sure there's more golden syrup than treacle, things will be fine. The treacle adds a slightly darker colour, and a more reserved flavour to the slice, toning down the sweetness a bit. Combined with the dark chocolate, it delivers a kind of "after hours" version of the slice, which is quite delightful.

Portioning on this occasion was a careful affair, warming and cleaning a 30cm cook's knife between each cut. Well worth the effort. And look at how that thing sits there, every layer a terrific consistency, beautifully balanced. I was very pleased with this one, and I'm delighted to share it.