Contents:
- Editor's welcome
- Dave Richardson: Man of Rochdale 2023
- Best in region for Rochdale BNI
- Wardle’s rare George V post box
- Access all areas at Hopwood Hall
- BLOKES at Hare Hill House - a safe space for men to socialise
- Hairdressing trend - Wednesday's bangs
- Benches for new Town Hall Square inspired by global fabric designs
- 11 years of bespoke slow fashion at Violet Flamingo
- Triple layer Easter traybake »
- Rochdale Riverside Brick Show
- Nature’s Elements: discover your inner magic
- Historical follies photographed from unique aerial perspective
- Lamb shanks with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables
- Springhill’s Volunteer Appeal 2023
- 10 years of comedy with ACE LIPS
- Seasonal small business markets at Hare Hill House
- The financial habits to make 2023 less taxing
- Ian Henderson becomes Dale’s all-time record goalscorer
- Gardening tips for spring
- Legal changes ahead for businesses
- Dani Burke: mental wellness through art
- Why spring can still get up your nose
Spring 2023Triple layer Easter traybake
by Natasha Brown - owner of Brown’s Cakes
This Easter traybake has three fabulous layers. It’s time consuming to make because each layer needs to set but it is well worth the effort!
If making this with children, please don’t let them make the caramel as it can burn if it splashes on to skin. The brownie, the crispy layer and the decoration at the end are all easy to do though and kids will enjoy making these parts
Ingredients
For the brownie:
- 275g melted butter
- 375g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 75g cocoa powder
- 100g self raising flour
- 100g chocolate chips
For the caramel layer:
- 100g butter
- 100g dark brown sugar
- 1 tin of condensed milk
For the crispy topping:
- 100g Rice Crispies
- 100g crushed biscuits (any biscuits work, we use chocolate fingers and digestives)
- 50g butter
- 120g golden syrup
- 200g milk chocolate (using good quality chocolate gets the best results)
For decoration: Any chocolates can be used for the decoration. I used Mini Eggs, Maltesers Mini Bunnies and Creme Eggs along with a drizzle of melted chocolate and a few sprinkles.
For the brownie base layer:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line a 10” square tin (other sizes will work but they may be thicker or thinner and the cooking times may vary). I like to line the tin with one piece of 10” x 20” paper laid in one direction and another piece the same size laid across it. This way makes it easier to pull the traybake out when it’s all finished.
Put all the ingredients except the chocolate chips into a mixing bowl and mix them together with a hand mixer. When everything is combined, stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the mix into the lined tin and put in the oven. After 30 minutes cover the brownie with tin foil and cook for another 10 minutes.
The brownie should then be only slightly wobbly in the centre.
Leave the brownie for a couple of hours to cool down then make the caramel.
For the caramel:
Put the sugar, butter and condensed milk into a heavy saucepan (a good saucepan makes this easier). Heat the mixture over a medium heat whilst stirring continuously for about 5-10 minutes until it appears thicker and a lovely colour. The caramel will bubble a lot so be careful and don’t stop stirring. It can burn in the pan and can also burn your skin so beware!
Pour the caramel over the cooled brownie and leave for a couple of hours to cool.
For the crispy topping:
Crush the biscuits in a plastic bag so that you have a mixture of fine crumbs and chunks and mix these in a large bowl with the Rice Crispies.
Gently heat the chocolate, butter and syrup either in a pan on the hob or short blasts in the microwave. Once this is all melted together, pour it over the biscuits and Rice Crispies and stir well to cover all the Rice Crispies.
Gently spread this mixture over the caramel. Do this gently so that it covers the whole caramel to form a complete layer.
For the decorations:
You should add the decorations before the crispy layer sets.
I cut open the Creme Eggs and pushed them in to the top layer along with the Mini Eggs and Maltesers Mini Bunnies. I also added some sprinkles to give a bit of colour.
Once this was set, I warmed some milk chocolate in the microwave and drizzled this over the whole traybake. You can go as far as you like with the decoration; be minimal or completely over the top.