Starry toffee cake squares

Starry toffee cake squares

These cakes are fun for the kids to make and ultra-cute to look at too

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 24 squares

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr 15 mins - 1 hr 30 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. Grease the sides of a Swiss roll tin, about 32cm x 23cm x 2cm, with butter. Place the tin on a sheet of non-stick baking parchment and draw round it with a pencil. Cut along this line so you are left with a piece of parchment the same size as the tin base. Press it into the tin.
  2. Put the butter and syrup into a small saucepan. (If possible, place the pan on some scales first and note the weight before pouring in the syrup). Gently warm the pan over a low heat until the butter has completely melted, then stir well to combine. Remove from the heat and cool for about 15 minutes.
  3. Tip the flour into a large bowl with 1 tsp salt. Stir in the muscovado sugar with a wooden spoon. Beat in the cooled syrup and butter until mixed. If you find this hard to do, ask an adult to help.Crack the eggs into a jug. Pour in the milk and beat with a fork. Now pour this into the bowl with the flour and sugar and stir until the mixture is smooth.
  4. Pour the mixture into the tin and tap gently on the work surface to level it. Put it on a baking sheet larger than the tin. Bake for 40-50 minutes until risen and firm in the centre. Check the cake is ready by getting an adult to press it with their finger. It should be firm and springy.
  5. Ask an adult to remove the tin from the oven, then leave it to cool for 10 minutes. Use a round-bladed knife to trim any cake that has come over the sides. Run the knife inside the sides of the cake tin, tip the cake onto a wire cooling rack and leave for 2 hours or until cold. Then slide the cake onto a board and trim off the four edges so you have a 30cm x 20cm rectangle. Cut lengthways into 5cm wide strips.
  6. Mix half the icing sugar in a cup with a drop of warm water to a thick paste, using a teaspoon. Set aside. Sift a little icing sugar onto a worktop and divide the marzipan into three. Roll each piece into a ball. Make a dent with your thumb in one of the balls and, using a cocktail stick, drip in a few drops of red colouring. Knead the ball until evenly coloured. Repeat with a second ball and green colouring. Leave the third ball plain. If you don't want to get the colour on your hands,wear clean kitchen gloves.
  7. Dust some more icing sugar onto the worktop and roll out the balls to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a small star cutter (or try other shapes, such as holly), stamp out eight stars in each colour. Dab a blob of icing on each shape and stick six along each cake strip. Cut between them to make 24 squares.
  8. Dust the top of the cakes with the rest of the icing sugar. Arrange on paper plates, covered in cling film, or in pretty boxes.

Per square

217 kcalories, protein 3g, carbohydrate 34g, fat 9 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 1g, sugar 22g, salt 0.37 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2003.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Karen

    15 November 2007

    Karen commented on this recipe

    Delicious and moist.

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  • Binder photo Karen

    06 December 2007

    Karen rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo Zoe

    06 March 2008

    Zoe rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    this is a very nice moist cake (tastes like the Golden syrup cake) I think i will try drizzling it with Toffee next time instead of making the stars.

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  • Binder photo sherilyn

    08 March 2008

    sherilyn rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this with a four year old and a 36 year old and they both enjoyed it but did get a little messy! I used a different type of brown sugar that worked really well and instead of marzipan used royal icing which I coloured with food colouring. Decorated the cakes with hearts as it was near Valentines day.

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  • Binder photo Tara's GF

    10 June 2008

    Tara's GF rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    We had a great time!Somebody in the house calls them 'heart bikkies'!

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  • Binder photo Topchamp

    02 August 2008

    Topchamp commented on this recipe

    Just tried this as a birthday cake - it came out beautifully and the quantity was enough for a tall birthday cake as well as a smaller one. I have caramel filling and plain icing for the top. Love it.

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  • Binder photo Topchamp

    02 August 2008

    Topchamp rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    no rating thing showing.. thought I'd try again.

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  • Binder photo tweedletwo

    25 August 2008

    tweedletwo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    loved it as did the family - made it in a 9" square tin so 2/3ed the recipe but worked really well. Have made it twice now in one month

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  • Binder photo Lisa Hopper

    29 September 2008

    Lisa Hopper rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I used a fairly deep cake tin and cooked it for around 1 hour 30 mins (fan 140C). I was a little dubious about it actually working because it recommends a shallow tin but it did and my family really liked it. It sank a little in the middle but was lovely and moist on the inside and slightly chewy on the outside. No need for frills so didn't use any icing. My only comment is that it's slightly greasy to the touch but doesn't taste greasy. My 5 year old helped me mix all the ingredients together so you can get your little ones involved with this one as long as you get everything prepared before starting!!! Pleasantly surprised! Will try Honey Cake next!

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  • Binder photo Louloubelle

    28 May 2009

    Louloubelle rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I've made this a few times - it took longer to cook than the recipe said, but delicious results every time.

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  • Binder photo pipcook

    11 November 2009

    pipcook rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Just made these as muffins with my 4 year old & 2 1/2 year old who loved helping & they came out LUSH! cooked them at 160c for about 15 mins or so. have put little melted choc on top & some caramel curls but taste equally good plain!

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  • Binder photo jdymond

    15 November 2009

    jdymond rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Katie

    28 September 2010

    Katie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this for a birthday cake. I doubled the quantity and cooked it in a large tin (34x27 cm) and it came out great. It was filled with a layer of butter icing and a layer of toffee sause (shop bought, squeezy bottle style) then more icing and more toffee sause drizzled over the top before decorating with chocolate button, gold stars and crushed "Crunchies" rounds the edge. Very Yummy and went down great! :)

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  • Binder photo sophia101

    20 March 2011

    sophia101 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really Good and easy to make. Tasted great. Lovely and moist!!

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  • Binder photo Tibs

    10 April 2011

    Tibs rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Since my tin wasn't big enough for this amount, I made half of it into little buns, reducing the baking time by about 15 minutes. I iced them with coffee flavoured glace icing and decorated with chocolate vermicelli. Took them to our church cafe where they went down a treat. Delicious!

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  • Binder photo Jane

    28 May 2011

    Jane rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo Hazel

    15 June 2011

    Hazel commented on this recipe

    I made this, the cake tastes lovely, caramelly and slightly chewy. But I was disappointed with the stars, the icing sugar sank into them and disappeared, so if you want them to look pretty, you need to wait till the marzipan is completely dry, and then sprinkle with icing sugar right before you cut. Success!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 24 squares

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr 15 mins - 1 hr 30 mins

Freezable

Truly scrumptious

Ingredients

  • 200g butter , plus extra for greasing
  • 200g golden syrup
  • 300g self-raising flour
  • 200g light muscovado sugar
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 4 tbsp icing sugar
  • half a 454g pack yellow marzipan
  • red and green food colouring
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Per square

217 kcalories, protein 3g, carbohydrate 34g, fat 9 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 1g, sugar 22g, salt 0.37 g

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