Skite cake

I made Russian fudge a couple of weeks ago and have had half a tin of condensed milk sitting in the fridge since then. Now, it would be a shame to waste it, right? I didn't necessarily want to make fudge again, but most baking recipes I've come across require a full 400 g can of condensed milk. A quick Google search using "200 g condensed milk" revealed something called skite cake from Ladies, a Plate. Sounds good. The finished product is a slice with a slightly chewy base, chocolate syrup icing and a layer of chocolate caramel in between. All good!

Skite cake

Ingredients
Base

• 115 g butter
• 100 g sugar
• 1 egg
• 140 g flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• ½ tsp baking powder

Filling

• 200 g sweetened condensed milk
• 55 g butter
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tsp cocoa

Icing

• 3 tbsp water
• 45 g caster sugar
• 45 g butter
• 190 g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp cocoa

Method
Getting ready

• Preheat the oven to 180º C.
• Grease a shallow 12 x 8 in/30 x 21 cm tin and line the base and two sides with a piece of baking paper.
• Soften the butter and bring the egg to room temperature.
• Sift together the dry ingredients.

Mixing and baking

1. Cream the butter and sugar until well combined – you can do thin is a food processor or mixer. Add the egg, then the dry ingredients and spread the mixture evenly in the prepared tin. [I had to ditch the baking paper and press the mixture in with my fingers as it was very sticky, wouldn't spread and kept lifting the paper.] Bake for about 20 minutes until firm and cooked.
2. While the base is in the oven, combine the filling ingredients in a small saucepan and heat gently together, stirring until well combined.
3. Pour the hot filling onto the cooked base. Spread it out evenly and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Set aside on a rack until cool.

Finishing

1. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl.
2. Gently heat the water, caster sugar and butter in a small pot until the butter melts. Simmer for one minute to form a syrup.
3. Beating all the time, pour about ¾ of the syrup onto the icing sugar and cocoa. Add the remaining syrup if necessary to make a smooth, fudgy icing. Add a little hot water if it's still too thick. Spread over the cooled base and leave to set for about 20 minutes before cutting the skite cake into about 32 fingers. 

Skite cake