"Every Path Has Its Puddle" Cake

A recipe inspired by some good advice from Madeleine McCready

In chapter 4 of Bree McCready and the Flame of Irenus Bree, Sandy and Honey meet a man called Dunubas. During a conversation with him Bree imparts some words of wisdom.

"My Mum has a saying. Every path has its puddle."

Dunubas looked puzzled.

"It means that life is full of problems," she explained, "but there are always ways round them."

Life is a bit like that, isn't it? We do our best to walk in a straight line but more often than not the road gets a little bumpy as obstacles get thrown in our way. Sometimes the puddles we face are deep, murky ones and sometimes they are nothing more than shallow, sparkly pools into which we can see our reflection and perhaps learn something about ourselves. Either way, the secret is to be prepared. Sink or swim! 

My 'Puddle Cake' is definitely one for jumping straight into! This no-bake traybake resembles a gravelly, bumpy path - the rocks and pebbles represented by Maltesers and smaller milk and white chocolate balls. If only all the paths we walked along were made from such scrumminess - we'd never get anywhere! The puddle on this path is an ice cold glass of milk which I think compliments the sticky sweetness of the cake perfectly. 

This recipe freezes well so it can be made a couple of months in advance of a special occasion...if you have the willpower to keep it that long!

Here's what you'll need:

400g of Maltesers - I used 4 big bags but kept some aside for decoration (and for testing purposes!)

450g of milk chocolate

180g of unsalted butter

4 tablespoons of Golden Syrup

250g of Rich Tea biscuits (approximately 30 biscuits)

Method:

Grease a 9" x 13" tray with a small knob of butter. This makes it easier to get the finished product out.

Break up the bars of chocolate into pieces and put them into a large bowl with 180g butter...

...and the Golden Syrup.

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt everything until smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile put the Rich Tea biscuits into a bag and get your rolling pin ready.

SMASH! the biscuits with the end of the rolling pin but not too much. You want some bigger chunks of biscuit left.

Weigh out 400g of Maltesers. No pinching!

Put the Maltesers into a separate bowl (large) and add the crushed biscuits.

Sweet 'rubble' to lay the foundations of your path

Now pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuit mixture and mix thoroughly. Try to coat as much of the Rich Teas as you can as this will allow the traybake to set well. You will notice that some of the chocolate comes off the Maltesers as the chocolate goo is still warm. I like this as it makes them look more like little rocks.

Pour the coated mixture into the foil tray. Spread evenly and press down with a fork (I sometimes use a potato masher to make things even more firm). Make a thick chocolate icing (just icing sugar, hot chocolate powder and a little milk) to spread over the top and then sprinkle the little chocolate balls evenly across. Finish by placing some Maltesers on top.

Chill for a couple of hours in the fridge and then cut into squares.

 Now pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy!!

So remember - the next time you come across a puddle on your journey you'll be prepared. So, take a deep breath, pull on your wellies and jump in! It may seem deep and dark but there's always a way out/round.