The Times Magazine - UK (2020-11-07)

The Times Magazine 53

EATING IN WITH RAHUL

ere we go again. We

spent last lockdown

making bread and cakes,

so I wonder what the

popular bakes will be this

time around.

Given the change of

seasons, my money is on sweet,

chocolatey treats with a bit of

spice thrown in. So I offer you

this week two favourites of

mine: a flapjack version of

millionaire’s shortbread, with

the same layer of caramel and

chocolate but on a seeded

base with an added kick of

ginger, and a chocolate and

hazelnut Swiss roll lightly

spiced with fennel and ginger.

Both are sweet, rich and

indulgent: perfect for a

dark, chilly evening.

H

MILLIONAIRE FLAPJACK^

Makes 8-10 slices

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes

Baking/cooking time: 40 minutes

For the flapjack

• 100g unsalted butter
  (plus extra to grease)


• 80g dark brown sugar


• 70g golden syrup


• Pinch of salt


• 200g oats


• 30g pumpkin seeds


• 20g sunflower seeds


• 25-30g chopped stem ginger

For the caramel

• 150g caster sugar


• 40ml water


• 70g unsalted butter


• 50g double cream


• 1 tsp ground ginger


• ½ tsp sea salt

For the chocolate

• 150-200g dark chocolate, melted

Make the flapjack
1 Preheat the oven to 160C fan/
Gas 4. Grease and fully line a
20cm diameter loose-bottomed
deep cake tin with baking paper.
2 In a saucepan melt the butter,
sugar and golden syrup. When
everything is melted, take the
JAY BROOKSpan off the heat.

You can find all of Rahul

Mandal’s recipes for The Times

at thetimes.co.uk

3 Add the rest of the ingredients

to a mixing bowl and mix with a

wooden spoon. Make a well in the

middle and add the melted butter

mix. Combine well, making sure

there are no dry bits left.

4 Pour the flapjack mix in the

baking tin. Use a spoon to press

it down and level it off. Bake in

the oven for 20-22 minutes or

until the sides start to get a bit

of colour. Take it out of the oven

and let it cool in the tin.

Make the caramel

1 Heat the sugar and water in

a saucepan. Don’t stir, but swirl

it from time to time so that the

sugar melts evenly. When the

sugar reaches an amber colour,

take it off the heat.

2 Heat the butter and cream

in a separate saucepan or in a

microwave. Slowly add it to the

amber-coloured sugar, whisking

continuously. (Be careful at

this stage, because the mix will

splatter.) Add the ginger and

sea salt and mix well.

3 Pour the caramel on top of

the flapjack and make sure it is

spread evenly on the top. Place

too much air from the batter.

Transfer to a piping bag or

zip-seal bag and set aside.

4 Fold the remaining 20g flour,

½ tsp ginger and all the cocoa

powder into the remaining

whisked egg mix. Transfer to a

separate piping bag or zip-seal bag.

5 Cut the ends off both piping

bags to create a 1cm opening and

pipe straight lines of alternating

batter along the short edge of

the tin.

6 Bake the sponge in the

preheated oven for 10-12 minutes

until springy to the touch or a

skewer comes out clean. Take the

sponge out of the oven and let it

cool in the tin for 5 minutes.

7 Lay out a piece of baking paper

slightly larger than the tin and

dust it liberally with icing sugar.

Flip the sponge on top of the

sugared paper and peel off the

lining paper.

8 Starting from the short end,

roll the sponge using the baking

paper to help. Wrap it in a clean

tea towel and cool completely.

Make the filling

Meanwhile, whisk together the

butter and icing sugar using

an electric whisk until pale and

fluffy. Add and whisk in the cocoa

powder and chocolate hazelnut

spread until well incorporated to

make a smooth, spreadable filling.

Make the decoration

To prepare the ganache coating,

heat the cream in a saucepan or

microwave until it is about to boil.

Pour it over the chocolate and

mix until smooth. Keep in the

fridge to cool and set slightly.

To assemble

1 Unroll the sponge and spread

the filling evenly. Sprinkle the

chopped stem ginger on top of

the filling. Roll it back again.

There may be a few cracks, but

it will be covered with ganache

later. Chill the filled roll in the

fridge for 15-20 minutes.

2 Coat the Swiss roll with the

ganache and sprinkle with

chopped hazelnuts to decorate. n

the tin in the fridge for 2 hours

to let the caramel set completely.

Make the topping

1 Melt the chocolate in a

microwave or in a heatproof bowl

set over a pan of simmering water.

2 Spread the chocolate on top

of the caramel and return the tin

to the fridge for another hour to

set. When all the layers are set,

take the flapjack out of the tin

carefully. Dip a knife in hot water

and carefully cut it into slices.

CHOCOLATE, HAZELNUT

AND GINGER SWISS ROLL

Makes 6-8 slices

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Baking/cooking time: 15 minutes

(plus extra for cooling)

For the Swiss roll

• 4 medium eggs


• 125g caster sugar


• Pinch of salt


• 80g plain flour


• 1 tsp ground fennel


• 1 tsp ground ginger


• 40g cocoa powder

For the filling

• 75g unsalted butter
  (plus extra to grease)


• 75g icing sugar
  (plus extra to dust)


• 20g cocoa powder


• 150g chocolate and
  hazelnut spread


• 2 knobs of stem ginger, chopped

For the decoration

• 50g double cream


• 80g dark chocolate


• 25g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Make the Swiss roll

1 Preheat the oven to 170C fan/

Gas 5. Grease and line a Swiss

roll tin with baking paper.

2 In a large mixing bowl, whisk

the eggs, sugar and salt using

an electric whisk for about

7-8 minutes or until the mixture

has tripled in volume.

3 Divide the whisked egg mix in

half. In one half, gently fold in

60g plain flour, the ground fennel

and ½ tsp ground ginger using

a spatula or large metal spoon.

Be careful not to knock out