Recipe Fail.

So, I had a tin of condensed milk (minus two tablespoons) to use up.  Of course, one option would be to pass it to The Daddy, with a spoon - I'm sure it would be gone in minutes!

Instead, I decided to try a baked slice recipe from my latest favourite baking book Ladies, A Plate.

Sigh.  I suppose there is one in every recipe book - a recipe that Just Doesn't Work.

Here is what went wrong:

In the book, the cake / biscuit part of the slice was a rich, dark chocolate brown.  Despite following the exact ingredient measurements, my cake / biscuit part was a soft tan.  No discernible chocolate colour.

Despite being a slice, this recipe called for a size cake pan that I do not have - and that is saying something.  If I don't have a particular tin, sorry, I don't believe that it's a standard size!  I have over two dozen tins!  I made do with a standard slice tin.

The method is just plain strange and unworkable.  Generally, a slice like this includes a biscuit/cake type base, which is pressed into the base, followed by a gooey layer, which is poured on, followed by an icing layer, which is poured or spread on.  This slice has two cake layers, one on either side of the gooey layer - now, obviously you can't press a cake layer over a molten, gooey layer.  So the recipe instructs you to roll out both cake layers, then lay them in the tin.  Okay - well, the dough is waaay too soft to roll out.  And it's too soft to move without breaking if you do manage.  And it's near impossible to cut it to the correct size, then lower it exactly down.  So this caused me great frustration!  

Now that I've done it, here are my tips (none of which are included in the recipe!) - firstly, you need a whole lot of flour when rolling it out.  I'm talking a couple of tablespoons on the bottom and top of the dough you're working on!  You need to roll it into a rectangle larger than the tin, then measure the area, and cut it out with a sharp knife - it needs to be pretty exact.  Then to lower it on, I recommend using the method of gently draping it over the rolling pin to move - don't try to move it with your hands, it will break!  Even with all this, my top layer tore a little as I put it on.  So I just patched it with some scrap dough - you know what?  This is okay.  Once it's baked, the whole lot is covered in icing anyway, so it won't show.

If you use the icing recipe that is suggested, it will crack while you cut it, ruining the smooth effect, even if you use a hot knife.  So I recommend using melted chocolate instead of icing.

To be honest, once I had assembled the layers and baked the slice, I still wasn't optimistic, and was about to dump the whole thing in the bin.  But I went ahead and iced it, allowed it to cool, and sliced it up.  And I'm glad I did!  It doesn't look like the picture (the colour of the cake is worlds apart, they must have used a different amount of cocoa from the recipe!).  But it does taste really good - and after discarding the dodgy pieces from the very edges (by discard, I mean give to The Daddy), I was left with around 24 decent little bars of slice!

Ultimately, I will make it again.  I am shocked to say this.  But I will.  Next time, I'll use more cocoa in the cake part, and use melted chocolate on the top.  I'll use more flour when rolling it out.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Chocolate Caramel Fingers

Preheat oven to 200 degrees, and line a slice tin with baking paper (including up the sides).

Prepare the caramel filling by combining in a small saucepan:  1 tin of condensed milk (minus two tablespoons, in this instance!), 100g golden syrup, 115g butter, 100g sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Combine over low heat, stirring, until it all comes together in a thick caramel.  You don't need to boil it or anything, just stir it over the heat for a good few minutes.  Set aside to cool.

For the cake layers, cream together 170g softened butter with 115g caster sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in an egg and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Sift together 250g plain flour, 1 tablespoon cocoa and 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and mix into the creamed ingredients to form a soft dough.

Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for about half an hour.

Roll out the first half to fit the tin - lay it in the tin, then pour over the caramel.  Roll out the second layer, then carefully lay over the caramel layer.

Bake the slice for 20 minutes or until it feels firm on top.

While hot, ice with a simple chocolate icing (I used 120g icing sugar, 3 tablespoons of cocoa, 30g melter butter, and boiling water to get an icing consistency) or spread with melted dark chocolate.

Let cool, then carefully lift out of the tin (using the baking paper lining).  Cut into roughly 30 small fingers.

I'm not happy with the batch I made (above).  But I think I can fiddle with it and get it right.

Do you get disappointed when a recipe doesn't work?  Do you ever give it another go, or do you write it off in disgust?  Maybe you are the sort of person who NEVER has a recipe failure?  I would like to learn your secrets...