So it finally happened. I submitted my thesis, and now I am in limbo waiting for the final exam, and the next stage to begin. But mostly, I am exhausted.
The last weeks were horrible. I lost all interest in food, had porridge for almost every meal, and developed hideous stomach cramps that took me out for hours. I am fairly sure they are related to stress, but a small creeping doubt has manifested itself, and prompted me to give up dairy.
I have eaten dairy my entire life with no repercussions other than total joy, but recently, I have noticed an uncomfortable correlation between it and hours of unbearable stomach pain, migraines, and general tiredness for days after. I have been lactose free for a month, and so far, so good.
HOWEVER, I am not saying this is it. I think self-diagnosis is dangerous, and now that I have more time, I am definitely going to reintroduce and see what happens. But for now, what I do best, adapted.
Inspired by bake-off, i.e. watching ten variations on millionaire’s shortbread, dairy-full and delicious, forced me to do some research, get into the ‘alternative’ aisles, and construct this…which I would give the ultimate badge of honour, in that it tastes like it is not dairy-free. Which is all I want in a cake.
Accidentally Vegan Millionaires’ Shortbread
For the shortbread base:
250g plain flour
75g caster sugar
175g Sunflower Spread (or similar) (if you are lactose intolerant, then you can use Lactose free butter for a more buttery taste, although obviously not vegan).
For the Caramel
300g brown sugar, I used a light brown
70ml soya cream
70 ml coconut cream, check the fresh aisle of Marks and Spencer
70 g of Sunflower/Lactose free butter
200g of Dark Chocolate (again here you can choose, I used a dark chocolate with no milk, (Lindt 70%) which is not technically vegan. You could use your own favourite vegan chocolate, or any other!)
Method:
Line a tin with baking paper and grease it. I used a square brownie tin.
I think shortbread genuinely works better in a blender, less hand contact means it is less likely to be rubbery, and remains SHORT, which is the endgame here obvs. Put all the shortbread ingredients in the blender until a rough dough forms. Don’t worry if it is crumbly, that’s perfect.
Tip in the tin, and quickly press out. Use your knuckles, then press out with a fork. Touch it as little as possible to get an even base. Prick all over with a fork and bake for half an hour at Gas Mark 5ish, until golden brown. Leave to cool.
While it is cooking, make the caramel. This requires careful attention so MONITOR and do not touch it. Hot sugar is like lava, and burns forever (see my croque en bouche entry for more on this). Use a heavy bottomed pan. Pour in the sugar and the both creams, and mix until the sugar begins to dissolve. Add the butter. Turn on a medium heat, and stir continuously whilst bringing to the boil. Turn the heat down, and stir until you reach soft ball stage.
Soft boil stage: drop some caramel into a glass of cold water. If it forms little balls, it is ready. Here is a google search for soft ball stage, because it’s tricky to know. If you have a sugar thermometer then use that, but I don’t, so I didn’t.
When the caramel is ready, take off the heat. Pour over the cooled base. Leave to cool for 20 minutes, then put in the fridge until cool. Don’t put it straight in the fridge, or will destroy everything you hold dear in there.
Melt the chocolate, pour over the (cold) caramel and shortbread layers. Cool until solid. Cut in to squares. Watch bakeoff. Don’t feel left out.
Peace and love
Unchained Baking and Danny xx
Sometimes in London you can occasionally get too frantic to function. I had a week of deadlines, meetings, work and teaching that left me wrecked, and by 7pm on Friday night I fell asleep and dreamed of marking.
Unchained Baking 