This is the “black sheep” offspring of my Passionfruit Lemon Delicious Slice. You see, I was eating said zingy lemony comestible, when it came to me: There should also be a slice with a biscuity base and a silky custardy filling which is chocolate. And so I made it chocolate.

Of course, I wasn’t capable of making a chocolate slice that was just chocolate. A friend of mine in NZ had been going on about these brownies she had which had a nut brittle on top, and that got me to thinking, and thinking led to a thin layer of crispy almond croquant toffee on top of my chocolate slice. The almond croquant is totally optional: it’s made separately, and the croquant is laid on top of the slice once everything has been cut, and it’s also totally wonderful, and fabulously simple to make. But the chocolate slice is kind of gorgeous “naked” too.

I have to say, I am so glad I had my dalliance with the lemon and passionfruit so that I could then come up with this Velvety Chocolate Slice. It is everything a chocolate slice should be. It has a wonderful dark chocolate biscuit crust with just the right amount of crumble and bite. The chocolate custard layer is made with ruinous amounts of 70% cocoa solids chocolate, eggs and cream. It is indulgence, pure and simple. Needless to say it was outrageously popular with the chocophiles in the office!

Another word about the croquant – the toffee is moisture sensitive, and will, after a number of hours, start to “melt” on the slice, so you’ll have a little layer of liquid caramel between the crunchy croquant and the chocolate slice. This is not a bad thing, but I think it’s best to assemble the toffee onto the chocolate slice just before serving to keep everything just right!

Velvety Chocolate Slice with Almond Croquant

Makes 24 pieces

Dark Chocolate Biscuit

ingredients

200g flour
50g rice flour
45g cocoa
100g icing sugar
250g unsalted butter

mixing

Line a deep 20×30 cm cake pan with bake paper by folding up the sides of a single sheet of paper up the walls of the pan like wrapping half a present. (I use an old-fashioned expandable cake pan. If you don’t have one it’s well worth looking around to see if you can get one- they are very versatile).

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture starts to bunch together into lumps.

Tip the chocolate biscuit dough into the lined cake pan, and spread out evenly, then press down firmly. With a fork, make prick marks all over the base.

Bake the shortbread for 25 minutes at 175°C until it is firm.  Reduce the heat to 150°C.  Pour the Velvety Chocolate Filling straight over the hot base and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until the filling is set, but still wobbles a little when you jiggle the pan. You’ll see the outside of the filling will be a little risen, but the centre should be set on the surface but still wobbly.

Let the slice cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. To serve the slice, remove from the pan (this is where the expandable cake pan comes into its own, because you don’t risk breaking the slice lifting it out – it just slides out sideways), peel away the bake paper and trim the edges of the slice a little.

Once the slice has been trimmed, cut in to 24 even pieces. When you are ready to serve the slice, top each piece of slice with a piece of almond croquant. Or, serve it “au naturel” with perhaps a dusting of icing sugar or cocoa.

Velvety Chocolate Filling

ingredients

300 mL cream
300g 70% cocoa solids chocolate
150mL milk
5 eggs
80g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/16 tsp salt

mixing

Heat the cream until nearly boiling. Add the chopped chocolate, let sit for a few minutes, then stir until smooth. Let the mixture cool to blood temperature, then add the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.

Almond Croquant

ingredients

100g salted butter, cubed
100g caster sugar
75g flaked almonds
sea salt, to taste

mixing

Toast the almonds by spreading them out in a single layer on a baking tray lined with bake paper or tinfoil. Place in an oven at 200 degrees Celsius, or place under a hot grill. Bake or grill for about 2-3 minutes, checking for colour, and shaking the tray a couple of times during this period. Nuts burn incredibly fast, so watch them like a hawk! As soon as they start to turn gold, take them away from the heat: they will continue to brown a little even after they are out of the oven or no longer under the grill. Immediately transfer the nuts onto a cold flat surface to stop the cooking process – you can just scoot the nut-covered bake paper or foil onto the bench.

Prepare a sheet of baking paper marked with a 20×30 cm rectangle (you want the rectangle as a guide for spreading out the croquant).

Combine the butter and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring as the butter melts. Let the mixture boil, stirring every few seconds to prevent sticking and encourage the sugar to dissolve. Once the mixture is boiling, let boil, stirring about once every 30 seconds until the mixture is a toasty golden brown.

Remove the mixture from the heat and tip in the toasted flaked almonds. Stir until the almonds are all coated and well distributed. Tip the hot mixture onto the prepared baking paper and use a palette knife or silicone spatula to spread the mixture out to the shape of the marked rectangle, taking care to ensure an even thickness over the whole area. The croquant will be about 2mm thick. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt.

Let the croquant cool for a few minutes to harden slightly. Before it sets completely, use a large sharp knife to cut it into 24 even pieces. Let harden completely, then store in a single layer (between sheets of baking paper is fine) in an airtight container until ready to use.

Enjoy!xxx