Sweet and Salty Fridge Cake Bars.

Have you noticed that Nigella is everywheeeere at the minute? No? Oh ok...well maybe it’s because you don’t have an unhealthy obsession which means you HAVE to hunt down every appearance she makes and watch and listen, gaping mouthed, like she was the messiah and you cared about messiah’s and things....eeeeven if it means watching The One Show and all their stories about old folk and birds. Nono I don’t do that either.

But I’m lying because I do do that because Nigella is my chosen religion and I would do anything to be her pal and reading her books gives the same sort of sanctuary that your favourite rubbishly predictable film does and calms in the same way that pottering around the kitchen does, for me anyway.

And this bar of wonderment and deliciousness is, I think, Nigella and my ‘relationship’ (yesyes I’m still sane enough to realise that the term requires apostrophes) with her, epitomised in food. It’s unapologetically indulgent and bolstering, requires absolutely to stress or faff and leaves you just that bit happier.

So please don’t think I’m mental(er than you do already), and next time you need a bit of a hug have a go at this, or open a Nige book...or you know, get an actual hug off someone. All three would leave you ready to face all ills. With Love and Cake.

Sweet and Salty Fridge Cake Bar.

From Nigella Kitchen.

A few notes:

• Feel free to use some milk chocolate in the place of some of the dark or, in fact, in the place of all of the dark...it will just be a lot sweeter.
• And if you're in even more of a nonconforming mood you could experiment with the additions to the chocolate; you could use some sort of biscuits in the place of the Crunchies etcetc.

Makes enough for a party

You will need

a 23cm loose bottomed or spring sided cake tin, greased well

300g good dark chocolate

125g butter

3 tbsp golden syrup 

4x40g Crunchie bars

200g salted peanuts

• Break up the chocolate into fairly small chunks and pop it in a small saucepan along with the butter and golden syrup.
• Heat slowly until everything melts together and you have a lovely shiny chocolate sauce that you could just dive in to.
• Smash the Crunchie bars about a bit in their packets so they get broken up into a mixture of bite size chunks and a bit of rubble. Tumble into a mixing bowl.
• Add the salted peanuts and then pour over the melted chocolate mix.
• Stir everything around gently so things are evenly distributed and scoop into your cake tin.
• Smooth out the mixture to the edges of the pan and leave to set either in the fridge of somewhere cool for a good few hours.
• When they're ready, cut into squares or wedges and prise from the cake tin bottom with a fish slice.
• Hug.