When you’re hosting a birthday party, and your friend says she’ll bring her own gluten-free option, it makes you think twice about the food you plan to put on the menu… I have certain rules when hosting birthdays, and those rules include guests not bringing their own food! As a result, the birthday cake was gluten-free, and so were the nibbles.
With so many friends (and more so, friends’ kids) with food intolerances these days, it pays to have some clue about how to cater for restricted diets. Although I haven’t yet gone out and bought gluten free (gf) flours, I’m sure that will be something to experiment with in future.
In the meantime, here’s a quick, easy, sure-to-provide-a-sugar-hit slice that has been a favourite of mine for years. Wonderfully uncomplicated to make, a breeze to store, and in my husband’s own words, “really, really good”!
FIVE-CUP SLICE
Ingredients
1 cup sultanas
1 cup (200g) Choc Bits
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup sweetened condensed milk (regular or dairy-free)
50g dark chocolate, melted
Method
Grease a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan, line base and sides with paper; grease paper. Preheat oven to 190degC/375F.
Combine sultanas, Choc Bits, peanuts, coconut and milk in bowl; mix well.
Press mixture into prepared pan, cover with foil, and bake in moderately hot oven (190degC) for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to 180C/350F, uncover, bake further 15 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned; cool in pan.
Drizzle chocolate over cold slice; cut into serving slices.
Suitable to freeze
Not suitable to microwave.