GRACE’S
Honeycomb Cheesecake Blondies
For Arya
Grace explored many textures and tastes during the development of this recipe, but there was something that always drew her back to honeycomb – with its appeal of caramel, but lighter balance and crunchy twist. For Grace, this felt particularly nostalgic, reminding her of flavours she experienced as a child. It took her nearly 20 tries to get it right, but she persevered: ‘There’s something in perseverance that reminds me of Arya, my daughter – she’s everything I love!’ The resulting melt-in-the-mouth blondies were well worth it.
MAKES 12 GENEROUS SLICES
For the honeycomb
vegetable or sunflower oil, for greasing
50g caster sugar
25g golden syrup
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the blondie batter
330g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
3 medium eggs
330g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
330g plain flour
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp fine salt
For the cheesecake swirl
180g full-fat cream cheese
1 medium egg yolk
20g icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
First, make the honeycomb. Line a deep baking tray with baking paper and smear with a little oil.
Tip the sugar and golden syrup into a deep saucepan and place over a low heat, swirling every now and again until all of the sugar has dissolved (you don’t want it to bubble at this stage).
Once the sugar has melted, turn the heat up to medium, bring to a simmer and keep swirling for 2–5 minutes until it turns a deep amber colour. At this point, immediately take the pan off the heat and beat in the bicarbonate of soda with a spatula. It will start to foam and rise in the pan. Continue to mix for a few more seconds, then scrape the mixture out onto the oiled tray (be careful as the mixture will be very hot).
Leave it aside for at least 30 minutes – the honeycomb will continue to foam and grow and will eventually set rock hard.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4. Line the base of a 20 × 25cm baking tin with baking paper, greasing the sides with butter.
To make the blondie batter, melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan over a low heat until liquid but not hot and spitting.
In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Once the butter has melted, add it to the egg mixture and gently whisk until smooth and glossy.
In another small bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Tip this into the glossy mixture and mix until there are no pockets of flour remaining.
Break the honeycomb up into 2–3cm chunks and add to the blondie batter. Briefly stir through, then scrape it into the lined tin, spreading it flat.
In one final bowl, make the cheesecake swirl. Mix together the cream cheese, egg yolk, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Dollop large blobs of the cheesecake mixture across the top of the blondie batter, then use a butter knife to swirl it into the batter to give a marbled effect on the top.
Bake for 40–45 minutes until golden brown all over but still a bit wobbly in the middle (the wobble is crucial, otherwise you’ll have dry, cakey blondies). Once baked, leave to cool completely in the tins before cutting into 12 squares and tucking in!
