Salted Caramel and Chocolate Torte

So, it's been a while but I haven't ceased baking, just been caught up in the excitement of finishing exams, leaving school and having a whole summer ahead of me. But, this newfound freedom means lots of exciting new bakes, and hopefully many more blogposts on more adventurous items!

I woke up one Thursday morning with the enthusiasm to bake and salted caramel was calling me. I searched the internet for a recipe and found a salted caramel and chocolate torte on the BBC GoodFood website. This torte was really for my own enjoyment, I think I ate at least 50% of it, but it would be perfect for a dinner party as a quick fix dessert that's bound to catch the attention of your guests.

This really couldn't have been simpler to make and tasted incredible, I adapted the recipe slightly and will be sure to make it again - probably very soon.

The Ingredients; 

• 175g digestive biscuits (I used half dark chocolate digestives and half regular digestives to give an extra chocolatey hit to the base). 
• 85g butter 
• 397g can of caramel 
• 300g plain chocolate
• 600ml double cream (plus extra to serve)
• 1tsp sea salt 

The Method;  

1. Prepare a 20cm spring form baking tin by lining the bottom with grease-proof paper, it can be helpful to also line the sides with a thinner strip of grease-proof paper to aid the removal of the torte from the tin. 
2. Start by crushing your digestive biscuits to a fine crumb with a few larger chunks for the base of your torte. This is made easier by placing the biscuits into a ziplock plastic bag and crushing using a rolling pin. 
3. Next, melt the butter and pour over the biscuits in a bowl, mix well and flatten into the base of the baking tin. Place in the fridge to cool for at least 10 minutes whilst preparing the next stage of the torte. 
4. Pour the caramel into a bowl but keep 2tbsp to one side. In the remaining caramel, stir in the sea salt and pour over the biscuit base - try to leave about a 1cm gap around the edge of the biscuit base. Place back into the fridge to set. 
5. Break the chocolate into squares and put in a glass bowl above a pan of boiling water - try not to let the bowl and the water touch. Continue to stir until melted and smooth and then remove from the heat but keep above the pan. 
6. Once the chocolate has cooled slightly, add in the double cream (but reserve 1tbsp for the remaining caramel). Stir until thickened and then leave to cool. 
7. Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel on the torte and spread until flat and smooth. Place in the fridge for 4+ hours to set completely before serving. 
8. Add the tbsp of cream to the 2tbsp caramel and mix well, this will decorate the top of the torte once set. 
9. Remove the torte from the tin and remove the grease-proof paper. Spoon the caramel/cream mixture into a small freezer bag and snip off a tiny amount of the corner, then pipe of the top of the torte. You can then choose whether to decorate the torte with salted caramel chocolates, salt, or just to leave plain with the piped caramel. 
10. This is best served very cold from the fridge, with a little cream and a few fresh raspberries. 

I can highly recommend! After eating over a number of days, we discovered that the saltiness of the tart increases over time; so your time of consumption will depend on how salty you fancy your torte! 

The perfect quick fix dessert that will undoubtedly impress - or one just to be eaten when you fancy a chocolate fix!

Happy baking! x