Crunchie Crescent Cake

   If you have the pleasure of throwing a birthday party for the kids this weekend, have a charity cake-making event at work, or simply are just in the mood for something sweet but different, this is guaranteed to tick all the boxes! Serve with a steaming pot of tea and some whipped cream for the final flourish, and get the kids involved with the baking process to add to the fun - the crunchie bars can be put into a freezer bag and broken up with a rolling pin - this can be their job and they'll have a whale of a time! 

Time required: 20 mins for prep, 1 hour for baking.

Ingredients

• 450g unsalted butter, cubed
• 300g golden caster sugar
• 300g self-raising flour
• 2-3 tablespoons milk
• 5 eggs, medium-sized
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 crunchie bars, smashed up
• 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 300g icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180c fan/350f/gas mark 4. Mix your golden caster sugar and 300g butter together until light and fluffy, for 5 mins. In a separate bowl, beat all the eggs together with the vanilla extract until they are at the same consistency as the sugar/butter mix, for 3 mins, then add the egg mixture to the butter one. Now add your flour with the milk, a quarter at a time, and fold in until clear and smooth - use a fork for this as an option as it will really get the air into the mixture. Make sure there are no bits and this is lovely and smooth! Put into a spring-clip tin and bake in the open for 50-60 mins until golden brown. Insert a skewer into the thickest part of the cake - if it comes away clear, you're done. Leave on a wire rack to cool.

2. While cooling, create your frosting. Mix the final 150g of your butter with 5 tablespoons of coco powder, 300g icing sugar and a dash of milk and mix until you get the desired colour and consistency.  If you feel you need to add a little more of anything to ensure the consistency is right, do it. If you need to add more cocoa powder for a darker colour, add it! The consistency should be firm enough to hold it's shake, forming peaks as you remove your spoon from the recipe. When the cake is completely cooled, add the frosting with a spatula. 

3. Finally, get your creative juices flowing and cut some card to form a crescent moon shape. Hold it over the top of the cake and fill the gap (where the moon would actually be) with your smashed crunchie  - this will help it to be neat and form a consistent shape. Pop in the fridge to cool and stiffen. #

Tip - you can cut other shapes if you desire - stars, stripes, swirls, and also the great thing about this is you can use any chocolate car - Aero, Dairy Milk, Whisper, Toffee Crisp, or all of the above - this is just one option! The trick is to be creative and make this your own!