Carrot cake blondies – 9-carrot gold bars

For the blondies, preheat the oven to 180˚C (or 160˚C for fan-assisted ovens) and line 2 square baking trays of 20cm x 20cm each with baking paper. Melt the butter and white chocolate together in a saucepan over very low heat. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and 250g soft brown sugar. Stir and set aside to cool slightly. Once cool, add the eggs, followed by the almond flour, hazelnuts and carrots. Stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared trays and bake, 35 – 40 minutes or until the blondies have risen, are golden brown and firm to the touch. Refrigerate them while you make the glaze.

For the glaze, add the gelatine leaves to cold water and allow to stand until the leaves are soft. In a saucepan, melt the 215g sugar with the lemon juice over medium heat and cook to a medium amber colour, about 15 minutes. Slowly add half of the water, the fresh cream and salt to the caramel. In a separate bowl, combine the cornflour and remaining water and whisk through the caramel. Bring to a boil, 5 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool, 5 minutes. Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatine and add the gelatine to the warm caramel mixture. Stir until fully combined, then pass through a sieve and into a jug. Add the 5ml (1 tsp) gold dust to the glaze and stir until evenly dispersed. Refrigerate, at least 20 minutes. Slice the cold blondies into 8cm x 5cm bars.

Set up a glazing station by placing a cooling rack on top of a large bowl or baking tray. Evenly place the blondie bars on the tray and use a sugar thermometer to ensure your mirror glaze is at room temperature (28˚C). In a steady stream, pour the mirror glaze over the bars – make sure you coat all of the sides properly before serving. Sprinkle the extra gold dust over the gold bars.