Caramel Slice

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a 20 cm square tin and line with baking paper.

To make the base, sift flour in a medium bowl before adding the brown sugar, coconut and 1/3 of a cup of melted margarine. Mix well until combined. Press into the tin and bake for 10 minutes or until base has risen and is slightly browned. Allow to cool while making the caramel.

To make the caramel, melt the butter and sugar (or maple syrup) in a saucepan on medium heat. Add plant milk to the mixture and cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes stirring regularly with a rubber spatula. Place 2 Tbsp of cornstarch in a small bowl, add a few spoonfuls of the caramel mixture and mix until cornstarch is dissolved. Add the cornstarch mix to the saucepan, stirring constantly until mixture thickens (be careful to scrape the bottom of the saucepan as the mixture will stick). The mixture should be thick. If it hasn’t thickened, repeat the procedure with another tablespoon of cornstarch. If you’re using canned plant-based condensed milk, skip this step and pour the full can onto the base.

Immediately pour the caramel over the base and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until the rim of the caramel is slightly browned. Let the slice cool to room temperature.

Once slice has fully cooled, melt the chocolate using a double boiler or microwave. Pour evenly over the slice and place in the fridge to set for at least an hour.

When the chocolate is still soft but cool enough to keep its shape, run a knife through the chocolate layer in the sizes that you would like your slices to be. This will prevent the chocolate from cracking when cutting later. Once firm, cut into slices and store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

Ingredients:

Base:

• 2/3 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
• 2/3 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/3 cup vegan butter, melted

Caramel centre:

• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 3/4 cup of sugar or maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups of plant-based milk of your choice (soy or coconut works best)
• OR you can use a 300-320g can of dairy-free sweetened condensed milk (try natures charm coconut or oat condensed milk)

Topping:

• 250g dark chocolate