We ate it once it had firmed up but was still slightly warm. It’s lovely with a cup of tea, but works very well for pudding – particularly if eaten still warm with some cold pouring cream or vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
For the base
150g cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease the tin
200g plain flour
90g granulated sugar
For the topping
90g unsalted butter
110g golden syrup
70g dark brown sugar
50g porridge oats
125g desiccated coconut
3 heaped tbsp blackcurrant jam
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.
Step 2
Grease a round 23cm round cake tin and line with baking parchment.
Step 3
Put the ingredients for the base in a large mixing bowl with a big pinch of salt.
Step 4
Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour and sugar until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Step 5
Start to roughly pat the mixture together so you have some big and small lumps, then tip it into the prepared cake tin and press it down and out with your fingertips – until you have a layer of shortbread covering the base of the tin.
Step 6
Take a fork and lightly prick the shortbread base all over.
Step 7
To make the topping, put the butter, golden syrup and brown sugar in a small saucepan with a pinch of salt.
Step 8
Melt the mix, stirring occasionally, then bring to a simmer and let it bubble for 1 minute.
Step 9
Put the oats and desiccated coconut in a mixing bowl and pour over the melted butter. Mix well to fully combine.
Step 10
Spoon the jam onto the shortbread base and spread it out carefully – almost to the edges, leaving ½ cm clear around the edge.
Step 11
Spoon the coconut mixture over the top of the jam and evenly spread to the edges.
Step 12
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden and is firmed up around the edges.
Step 13
Leave to cool on a wire rack, either completely, or until it’s just barely warm (it needs a fair bit of cooling time to firm up). Slice and serve.