Victoria says: “Millionaire’s shortbread is thought to date back to 19th century Scotland, but I’ve brought it into the 21st century by making it even richer. This traybake goes up a financial bracket with chocolate shortbread and a shimmer of edible gold.”

Makes 16

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
edible gold lustre, to decorate (optional)

For the chocolate shortbread:

75g caster/granulated sugar
150g soft butter
125g plain flour
75g rice flour
25g cocoa powder
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the salted caramel:

125g butter
75g light muscovado/brown sugar
25g golden syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 heaped teaspoon salt
a 379g can sweetened condensed milk

Equipment

A 20-cm/8-in. loose-bottomed square cake pan, greased and lined with baking parchment

Method

First make the chocolate shortbread. Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Sift in the flours, cocoa and salt, and mix together with the vanilla until just combined. Do not overwork the dough or your shortbread will be tough. Press the dough into the base of the prepared baking pan with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) Gas 2.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until firm and dry to the touch. Leave to cool in the pan on top of a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the salted caramel. Put all the ingredients, except for the condensed milk, into a saucepan and stir continuously over a gentle heat until the butter has melted and the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the condensed milk and increase the heat, stirring frequently, and being careful not to let the base of the mixture catch. Bring to the boil, still stirring every now and then, until the mixture has thickened and turned a deep golden colour. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Pour the still-warm salted caramel over the cooled shortbread base and leave to cool completely.

For the topping, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water to melt. Stir every now and then. Once melted, leave to cool slightly before pouring the chocolate over the cold caramel. Leave to cool completely before dusting the top with edible gold lustre, if using, and pushing the base of the pan out. Cut the billionaire’s shortbread into 16 even squares or alternatively, for larger portions, you can cut it into 8 bars.

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