Rum. It sometimes feels as though I can barely turn a page in Nana’s books without seeing this word printed or scrawled. I could probably dedicate a whole blog to the rum based recipes in Nana’s books (and could guarantee that they would all be as delicious as her famous rum balls). While this golden liquor is not my tipple of choice, mix it with some coconut, sugar and anything creamy and it’s a different story. The taste of rum (in baking) takes me back to my childhood, to sitting in my Nana’s kitchen after a morning on the farm with Pop.

As you may be aware by now, I am terrified of the slice. So many elements to go wrong. When flicking through Nana’s books recently to find something to take to a bbq with friends nothing could have been more appropriate than chocolate rum slice. I realised I would once again have to face my fears and tackle the dreaded slice. Here we go.

You will need:

Base
– 250g pkt plain sweet biscuits (I used the ever reliable Marie biscuit)
– 125g butter or substitute
– 1 tablespoon cocoa

Filling
– 220g white marshmallows
– 1/3 cup milk
– 125g dark chocolate
– 1 tablespoon rum (I used this amount purely as a suggestion – don’t be too shy)
– 3 teaspoons gelatine
– 1 tablespoon water
– 2 cups cream
– 1 cup cream, extra
– 30g dark chocolate, extra

Do this:
Combine finely crushed biscuits and sifted cocoa. Add melted butter, mix until well combined. I found that my mixture was still quite crumbly so I added a little more melted butter until I was happy with the consistency (this may be a little more dry and crumbly than you expect). Press on to base only of aluminium foil-lined 18cm x 27cm lamington tin. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
Filling: Put marshmallows, milk and chopped chocolate in top of double saucepan over hot water. Stir until marshmallows and chocolate are melted. Add rum, cool. Sprinkle gelatine on water, dissolve over hot water, then add to marshmallow mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Pour filling on to prepared base, refrigerate until set. Spread extra whipped cream over, sprinkle with extra grated chocolate.

To serve: Serve with good friends.

This slice was very popular. I thought it would be too rich, but the marshmallow gives it a nice lightness. It looks like a cheesecake and even after eating it some could not be convinced otherwise. This one is a real winner!

Love Kath and Kate xx