Chocolate cherry coconut slice

This is a super easy slice recipe from Janelle Bloom (published in Super Food Ideas magazine, August 2003, p72), which I used to make semi-regularly for my husband and eldest son.  I haven't made it in at least 4 years, but it has made a reappearance in our kitchen by special request from my hubby.

This is very similar to the chocolate cherry slice you can buy from some bakeries.  The food colouring is entirely optional, but I am so used to seeing the garishly pink version that you can buy, that the pallid version without colouring looks strange to me.  So I content myself with just a few drops and a pale pink result.  The recipe specified cooking chocolate (shudder) - I have used normal Cadbury eating chocolate.  Also in my notes I have written for a firmer result, to use 30g of copha in the topping instead of 60g of butter - I don't have the original recipe, but I assume this was my own change to allow the slice to survive in my son's lunchbox in humid Queensland weather a little better.  I think it tastes better with butter, and this time I have used butter.  I did toy with the idea of leaving the butter out and making it with 260g of milk chocolate instead.  I think that would work okay, but it would probably be harder to slice without the topping cracking once set, but you could use a hot dry knife. 

The slice states that it makes 24 pieces, which is what I cut it into this time, though I think I used to do 20 pieces.  24 pieces does make for quite small squares of slice, but then it is very sweet, so small servings isn't necessarily a bad thing.  But if you were wanting to slice it into pieces the size a bakery normally sells, then the yield of the recipe would be more like 16-20 pieces.

Chocolate cherry coconut slice

Makes 24 small pieces

Base:

• 150g butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1.5 cups of plain flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder

Filling:

• 3 cups dessicated coconut
• 395g can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• few drops of pink food colouring, optional
• 200g red glace cherries, chopped

Topping:

• 60g butter, chopped
• 200g milk chocolate

Method:

1. Grease and line an 18 x 28cm slice tin.  Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Base: Combine butter and sugar.  Add flour and baking powder.  Mix well.  Press into pan with a metal spoon.
3. Filling: Combine coconut, milk, eggs, and colouring (if using).  Stir in cherries.  Spoon over base.  
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until light golden.  Cool.  
5. Topping: Melt butter over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low.  Add chocolate, stirring constantly until smooth.  Pour over coconut filling.
6. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set.
7. Cut into squares to serve. (If you wipe the knife clean between each cut, the pieces will look much cleaner).

I used my Wilton decorating triangle to make a pattern in the chocolate.