School Dinners Chocolate Concrete (Chocolate Crunch)

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Today’s recipe for School Dinners Chocolate Concrete (Chocolate Crunch), is a new “Old” recipe, beloved of school cooks

A Retro School Pudding

Today’s recipe for School Dinners Chocolate Concrete (Chocolate Crunch), is a new “Old” recipe.

Yes, it’s the old school dinners pudding favourite, served with pink custard, which is actually pink blancmange.

The recipe is from a friend’s mother, who used to be a school cook. However, I have had to reduce the quantities, as the original recipe was for 30 portions!

I’ve adapted the recipe for School Dinners Chocolate Concrete (Chocolate Crunch) so it yields 12 slices, or squares.

So what’s in a name? Well, as I am sure most of you can remember, school children always made up names for school dinners.

One of the most popular nick names was “Frog’s Spawn” for the old school pudding of Tapioca.

Chocolate concrete was so named because as this chocolate style shortbread cooled, it became very hard and crunchy, like concrete.

But don’t let the name put you off, it’s actually a very popular and delicious style bake, especially when served with custard.

I remember queuing up for this tasty tray bake after my main meal at school, and hooing that it wouldn’t run out before I go there!

The recipe for pink custard (or should I say pink blancmange) has alreayd been shared on Lavender & Lovage, but I’ll share the recipe here again.

I hope you enjoy my latest “school dinners” recipe. And, this recipe is so easy, that you can get the children involved in making it too.

More School Dinners Recipes

School Chocolate Sponge & Chocolate Custard

Recipe

School Dinners Chocolate Concrete (Chocolate Crunch)

Yield:
12

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
30 minutes

Total Time:
50 minutes

Today’s recipe for School Dinners Chocolate Concrete (Chocolate Crunch), is a new “Old” recipe.

Yes, it’s the old school dinners pudding favourite, served with pink custard, which is actually pink blancmange.

The recipe is from a friend’s mother, who used to be a school cook. However, I have had to reduce the quantities, as the original recipe was for 30 portions!

I’ve adapted the recipe for School Dinners Chocolate Concrete (Chocolate Crunch) so it yields 12 slices, or squares.

So what’s in a name? Well, as I am sure most of you can remember, school children always made up names for school dinners.

One of the most popular nick names was “Frog’s Spawn” for the old school pudding of Tapioca.

Chocolate concrete was so named because as this chocolate style shortbread cooled, it became very hard and crunchy, like concrete.

But don’t let the name put you off, it’s actually a very popular and delicious style bake, especially when served with custard.

I remember queuing up for this tasty tray bake after my main meal at school, and hooing that it wouldn’t run out before I go there!

I have already shared a recipe for pink custard (or should I say pink blancmange) on Lavender & Lovage, but I’ll share the recipe here again.

I hope you enjoy my latest “school dinners” recipe. And, this recipe is so easy, that you can get the children involved in making it too.

Ingredients

300g plain flour
300g white sugar
60g (4 tablespoons) cocoa powder
150g melted butter
Water
Extra sugar

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 160C/320F/Gas mark 3. Grease and/or line a 8″ x 8″ baking tray. (20cm x 20cm)
Melt the butter in a pan over a gentle heat, or melt it in a heat-proof jug in the microwave.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour the melted butter over the mixture.
Mix well, using your hands if necessary, until it comes together to form a biscuit type dough.
Tip it all into the prepared tin and using your hands, push it evenly in to the tin, pressing it down hard, so it is firm. Try to make sure it is even all over and is pushed right up to the edges of the baking tray.
Sprinkle or spray some water over the top and scatter some extra sugar over.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for between 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and cut into squares or slices whilst it’s still hot, as it will be hard to cut once it has cooled.
Ease the squares/slices out of the tin before they set hard and serve with custard.

Notes

Pink Custard Recipe:

1 x 35g sachet strawberry blancmange mix
2 tablespoons white sugar
600ml (1 pint) full fat milk

Put the blancmange mixture and the sugar into a mixing bowl and add a little of the milk to make a thick paste.
Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan until it is hot but not boiling.
Pour the hot milk over the blancmange mixture and stir well until dissolved.
Pour all of the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to boil stirring all the time so it doesn’t “catch” on the bottom of the pan.
Once the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat, pour into a jug and serve.

For a thicker custard, use 450mls (3/4 pint) of milk.

You can also use a raspberry blancmange mix.

I used Pearce Duff’s Strawberry Blancmange mix, as it contains no artificial flavourings or preservatives in it.