Baking for Nightshift- Ripe's Esmeralda Slice

Ripe is a fantastic Deli-like cafe located in Grey Lynn. They specialise in amazing homemade baking and beautiful salads and takeaway meals as well as the usual coffee. Awhile ago the owner Angela Redfern put out a cookbook which, for those of you who don't have it, is well worth the purchase if only for the salads and slices alone. This recipe, however, is not in the cookbook. Like many other passionate home cooks and one who love recipes, cooking magazines and cookbooks,I have (or had) and enormous pile of cut out recipes all piled into a box. I dragged that box out the other week and left it on the dining room table knowing that if it was there I was more likely to get onto the task of sorting them all out. Well I finally did get around to it. An enormous pile was ruthlessly thrown out and the recipes I knew I was likely to make now fit into the previously overflowing box. As well as that I managed to find a couple of recipes I had made and loved and then lost again. This recipe I cut from a newspaper of some sort and then had stashed it away in the bottom of the recipe box. 

Well today I made it and I think it will be perfect for my night shift tonight. If you like coconut and caramel this is the recipe for you. It is most certainly NOT low fat...in fact I think any cardiologist might have a small MI looking at the ingredient list. But hey, surely night shift is as good an excuse as anyone could want or need for a little indulgence.... It is easy to make and makes a good amount of slice. Make sure you use your larger slice tin for this recipe.

Ripe's Esmeralda Slice

Base
250g soft butter
2 Tbsp golden syrup
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 c dessicated coconut
1 tin caramelised condensed milk (either make your own or buy a tin as I did)

Cream the butter, golden syrup, vanilla and sugar together. Add the flour, baking powder and coconut and mix until well combined. Press into a lined slice tin.

Spread the caramelised condensed milk over the uncooked base.

Topping
2 c dessicated coconut
2 eggs
6 Tbsp condensed milk
4 Tbsp melted butter 
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and spread over the base and caramel.

Bake at 170C for about 40 mins until puffy and golden.