MILLIONAIRE'S SHORTBREAD WITH A TWIST - TM & TRADICIONAL METHOD

This year for my birthday, I decided to make my own cake. My husband usually makes it for me, but he was busy and besides, I fancied trying this recipe. You sometimes find them in bakeries, and I love them. I have to say, it turned out sensationally good, and you have to be careful not to eat too much 😋😅. This recipe is a little different from the traditional one as it includes hazelnuts, which can be replaced with other types of nuts, such as walnuts. You can also add dried fruit, like dried cherries or blueberries, before pouring the caramel over the biscuit.

Ingredients

Biscuit base

65 g granulated sugar

150 g plain flour

65 g semolina

150 g unsalted butter, cold, diced

Caramel layer

120 g granulated sugar

120 g unsalted butter, diced

370 g sweetened condensed milk

80 g golden syrup

80-100 g of peeled hazelnuts

Chocolate Layer

200 g of dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 22cm square tin (at least 2.5 cm deep) with baking paper.

Traditional Method

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. It will look like breadcrumbs at first, but keep mixing until a dough forms.

Transfer to the prepared tin and press down firmly. Bake for 20-25 minutes (180°C) until golden. Leave to cool and add the hazelnuts to the biscuit once it is cold.

Meanwhile, prepare the caramel layer.

Put all the caramel ingredients into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Stir often until the sugar has dissolved.

Increase the heat slightly and simmer gently until the temperature reaches 112°C - 115°C. This is the soft-ball stage. If you don't have a sugar thermometer, you can check if it's ready by dropping a small amount of the caramel into cold water: it should form a firm ball that doesn't collapse when removed from the water, but does compress when pressed.

When the caramel is ready, remove the saucepan from the heat. Submerge the base of the saucepan in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Stir well and pour over the biscuit and hazelnuts. Leave to set for at least 2-3 hours until firm and completely cool.

For the chocolate topping

Melt the dark chocolate and spread over the caramel layer.

Thermomix

Shortbread Base

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a square cake tin (22 cm) with baking paper then set aside.

Place sugar in mixing bowl and grind 5 sec/speed 10.

Add flour, semolina and butter then mix 30 sec/50°C/speed 4. Transfer to prepared cake tin and press down firmly. Bake for 20-25 minutes (180°C) until golden brown. Meanwhile, wash and dry mixing bowl and make the caramel layer.

Caramel Layer

Place sugar, butter, condensed milk and golden syrup in mixing bowl then heat 35 min/120°C/speed 2 or longer until temperature reaches 106°C with a temperature probe.

Scatter hazelnuts over shortbread base then pour caramel on top, spreading it out evenly. Leave to cool and set. Meanwhile, wash and dry mixing bowl.

Chocolate Layer

When caramel layer has set, place chocolate in mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 9. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula then melt 3 min/50°C/speed 1.

Scrape down again then stir 2 min/speed 2 without heat. Pour onto the cooled caramel and spread out evenly then leave until partially set. At this point, mark into 16 squares. Cut all the way through when fully set, before serving.

Tip: You can use a hot knife to score the chocolate, which will help prevent it from cracking in all directions and give you neater squares.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Makes 16 pieces

Comments

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