Caramel and Salted Chocolate Rice Bubble Cake

Don’t forget you need to cater for the adults at a kid’s party too. Well, that’s my excuse for this — a slightly more grown-up version of a childhood favourite (my grandmother used to give it to us for breakfast!). If you’d prefer them to be really kiddie-friendly, then leave the salt off the top. Makes about 24 pieces

Photo: Alice in Baking Land

Ingredients

• 7 cups rice bubbles
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp glucose syrup (optional but helps prevent sugar crystallising)
• 1/3 cup cream
• 200g butter, cubed
• 1–2 tsp flaked or rock salt, to taste
• 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• extra flaked or rock salt, to sprinkle (optional)

Method

Grease a 30 cm x 20 cm sponge roll tin well with butter or baking spray. 

Place rice bubbles in a large bowl and set aside. 

In a large heavy-based pot, heat sugar, water and glucose over a high heat. Swirl occasionally, but do not stir as sugar will crystallise. Use a clean wet pastry brush to occasionally brush down the sides.

Boil sugar until it turns an amber colour (or until it reaches 160°C on a candy thermometer). You’ll know it’s almost ready when you start to smell the caramel. 

Remove from heat and pour in cream – be very careful as it will bubble up. Stir in butter until melted and then stir in salt. Carefully (because it is VERY hot) taste the caramel and adjust salt to taste.

Pour caramel over rice bubbles and stir until coated – it takes a bit of effort to get them all coated, but just work as fast as you can. 

Press mixture into prepared tin (coat your fingers in oil if rice bubbles are sticking to them) and leave to cool on the bench to room temperature. Then refrigerate until chilled.

Use a knife to loosen edges of rice bubble cake and turn out onto a board bottom side up. 

Place chocolate and oil in a small bowl and melt in the microwave on medium (or on the stove in a small heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water) and spread thinly over the bottom of the rice bubble cake. Sprinkle with extra flaked salt. Chill until chocolate is set then slice with a sharp knife. Store in the fridge in an airtight container, with baking paper between the layers, for up to 2 weeks.