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1
Make the chocolate crumb base
10 mins
Medium heat, about 70°C (160°F)
Melt 115 g butter with 50 g sugar and 30 g cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Take the pan off the heat, whisk in the beaten egg, then return it to low heat and stir for 1–2 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly — it should coat a spoon. Take it off the heat and stir in 200 g graham crumbs, 100 g coconut and 50 g walnuts until everything is evenly damp. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the lined pan, using the back of a spoon or a flat glass.
Press hard — a loosely packed base crumbles when you cut it. Run a flat glass over the top to level it.
Done when: A firm, even layer that holds together when pressed with a fingertip.
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2
Chill the base
30 mins
Fridge, about 4°C (40°F)
Put the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes until the base is cold and firm to the touch. A warm base melts the filling and the layers slide into each other.
Use this time to make the filling — it goes on as soon as the base is cold.
Done when: Cold, hard base that does not dent when pressed.
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3
Beat the custard buttercream
10 mins
Room temperature
Beat 60 g soft butter with 20 g custard powder, 30 ml milk and 5 ml vanilla until smooth, then beat in 240 g sifted icing sugar a little at a time until the filling is thick, pale and spreadable. It should hold soft peaks and taste gently of vanilla custard. Spread it evenly over the cold base, right to the edges, and smooth the top with a spatula.
If the filling is too stiff to spread, beat in milk half a teaspoon at a time; if it is too soft, chill the bowl for 10 minutes.
Done when: A thick, pale-yellow layer, smooth on top, about 1 cm thick.
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4
Chill the filling
30 mins
Fridge, about 4°C (40°F)
Return the pan to the fridge for 30 minutes until the filling is firm. A soft filling squashes out sideways when you pour the warm chocolate on top.
Score the chocolate later, not now — the filling needs to be cold first.
Done when: Filling that feels firm and does not move when the pan is tilted.
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5
Pour the chocolate topping
5 mins
Low heat, about 50°C (120°F)
Melt 115 g semisweet chocolate with 15 g butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring until glossy and smooth. Pour it over the cold filling and tilt the pan so it runs into a thin, even layer. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then lightly score the top into 16 squares with a knife — this stops the chocolate cracking when you cut the bars later.
The butter in the topping is not optional: it keeps the chocolate from setting rock-hard and shattering.
Done when: A thin, glossy chocolate layer, scored into squares.
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6
Chill, then cut with a hot knife
2 hours chilling
Fridge, about 4°C (40°F)
Chill the pan for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until the chocolate is set. Lift the slab out by the parchment, then cut along the scored lines with a large knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts — a hot, clean blade slices the chocolate instead of cracking it.
Warm the knife under hot tap water and dry it before every cut; a cold knife drags and cracks the top.
Done when: Clean-cut bars with three neat layers: dark base, pale custard middle, glossy chocolate top.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the bars cold or at cool room temperature, straight from the fridge. If they have been in the fridge overnight, let them sit for 10 minutes before eating — the filling softens and the flavours open up.
Canada
55m
