I was on my daily ramble (more like scramble) through the countryside this morning. It was exceptionally blustery. If I had tried to open my umbrella to shield myself from the onslaught of rain I feel quite certain there would have been a Mary Poppins moment. There was only one thing I could think about whilst battling the elements…Chocolate Concrete. Chocolate concrete is an old school recipe that I got from my Granny. There’s nothing quite like this recipe, it’s so versatile, quick and easy to make. I probably make it once a fortnight and it gets consumed like there’s no tomorrow. 

Ingredients

For enough to last less greedy families than mine you’ll need:

• 12oz/300g Margarine
• 120z/300g Sugar
• 2oz/50g Cocoa
• 16oz/400g Plain flour
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

All you need do is to melt the margarine and add the vanilla extract to it. Sieve all the other ingredients into a bowl and mix them up. Mix the melted margarine into this.

When you do this you’ll be convinced that it’ll never mix and there’s far too much flour and cocoa and that I’m a fool. Just keep on going and soon it’ll look like the above.

Put this into a tin, brush the top with water and then sprinkle with sugar – this gives it a nice crust on top. Bake at about 150C for 15-20 minutes or until firm when pressed. read more