This recipe is definitely not for the faint hearted, in fact It’s best not to even think about the calorie content!  You’ll only be able to manage a small square anyway leaving you with the lovely job of making 15 other people happy with a slice too! It’s a lot of fun to make and it does taste amazing, I love the combination of salty and sweet. It’s also great for using up any leftover chocolate and eggs from Easter (as if that’s a thing) or you know you can just go and buy more chocolate instead!

I like to make this when I’ve got a few open packets leftover from recipe testing jobs, I never throw anything away, always try to create something new with it. Some of my favourite recipes have actually been the product of a lot off odds and ends being used up. I love being able to get in the kitchen and just be creative with what I have, rather than shopping for new ingredients.

This would make a perfect weekend bake with the kids, there’s lots of chocolate to break up, biscuits to crush and jobs that even tiny hands could have a go at. Cooking with children can be a really good way to connect with them, you’re both working on something together and can share a sense of pride and achievement once you’ve finished. It’s easy to let your mind fill with the present, enjoy the here and now without pressure or worry for the future.

The traybake will take a good 4-6 hours to set, or overnight is best if you can manage it, so it’s a good recipe to show us the importance of patience. I used to hate recipes that I couldn’t finish in a couple of hours. I’d become agitated by the thought of the long wait to see the results. Working on your patience is a skill that will help you to achieve mindfulness. Patience really is a virtue, we’re often in such a rush that we put too much pressure on ourselves, we create more stress and anxiety. We then stop enjoying our day-to-day activities and  start to worry, feel a sense of panic and dread when we think of everything we need to achieve.

I especially found this when I lived in London, I became so agitated and impatient waiting to get on a tube or a train, even on my the days I wasn’t working! I would cause myself so much extra stress just to shave a couple of minutes from my journey. I always felt a little on edge, I never strolled anywhere, always walked at a brisk pace. While it is important to be punctual and have respect for other people time, we also need to balance this by allowing ourselves the gift of time too. Stop, breath deeply and ask yourself do I really need to rush? Why am I getting so frustrated in this queue? What’s really that important that I need to put pressure on myself?

More than likely you’ll come to the conclusion that it’s okay, you have an extra 10 minutes and there’s really no need to worry. If you’re someone who like me used to feel uncomfortable relaxing or ‘doing nothing’ you may have got into a habit of packing your day really full. You trick yourself into thinking that you like being this busy, as secretly it doesn’t give you time to think or worry about your anxieties. This is a flawed coping mechanism, firstly we have no margin for error when things do go wrong, as they often do! When that does eventually happen we can become overwhelmed as we don’t have time to get everything done anymore. Our stress bucket starts to fill up at an alarming rate, we often become inflexible to others and cancel enjoyable plans due to our own self-inflicted pressure. Secondly this doesn’t stop the anxiety at all, it only stops you working through your worries, and you’re on the road to a panic attack or unhealthy outlet at some point.

Time is the only thing that makes us truly equal, we are all given the same 24 hours each day and no one persons time is any more important that anthers.  People will often try to make you feel that their time is more precious or more important than yours but stand your ground and believe in yourself always. There is nothing more important in this whole world that filling your time, your 24 hours, with things that bring you happiness. A happy you will create happiness for those around you. I honestly think working on patience will give you back a sense of freedom and alleviate a lot of unnecessary anxiety! So practice this weekend, make this refrigerator cake and promise me you won’t even go near it for at least 6 hours, I hope you all enjoy some mindful cooking and waiting!

Salty & Sweet Millionaires Refrigerator Cake

(cuts into 16)

75g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 tbsp golden syrup

225g chocolate, dark, milk or a mixture, broken into pieces

20g salty & sweet popcorn

100g Ritz crackers

50g salted peanuts

85g Daim bars, other chocolate bar, broken into chunks

75g marshmallows, quartered, or use the tiny ones

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL

200g unsalted butter

397g can condensed milk

4 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp sea salt

FOR THE TOPPING

100g milk chocolate, finely chopped

100g dark chocolate, finely chopped

100g white chocolate, finely chopped

Line a 20cm square tin really well with cling film, leaving the edges hanging over the sides of the tin (so you will easily be able to lift the cake out once it’s set).

Put the crackers into a sandwich bag and seal, bash with a rolling pin to break into small chunks. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a small pan, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.

Tip your biscuits, popcorn, daim, marshmallows and nuts into a large bowl and pour on the melted chocolate mixture. Stir to coat everything evenly and then tip into the tin. Level off with a spatula and chill while you make the salted caramel.

Put the butter, condensed milk, golden syrup and salt into a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Gently bring up to the boil, stirring occasionally , then once gently bubbling cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until golden and thick. Keep stirring often or it may go a little lumpy, don’t worry too much if it does have a few lumps, they will settle once it cools. Pour onto the base then leave to chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge, until firm to the touch. (When I got mine out the fridge a little of the liquid marshmallow from the surface had come up from the base, don’t worry about this as you’re covering it anyway).

Melt each chocolate over a pan of barely simmering water, don’t stir until it’s almost fully melted or the chocolate could seize. Pour alternate lines lengthways down the cake, repeating each set until all the chocolate has been used up. Use a metal or wooden skewer to drag lines widthways and create a marble affect. (See video) Return to the fridge until completely set, about 4-6 hours or overnight. Cut into squares to serve, will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.