Such is the prevalence of the bake sale as a means to raise money for all manner of causes, there comes a time when you will almost certainly be asked to make something for one. That’s fine if you enjoy baking and have all the right kit. But if you don’t, it’s a major hassle. A swift yet cheery “Oh, but of course, I can help with the buying and eating!” is useful for dodging a couple of requests. But there usually comes a time when you feel you better just make something.

The idea of this Rocky Road recipe is to give you a quick and reliable treat you can easily put together for exactly these occasions. It doesn’t require any of the measuring equipment, shapely pans, or electric gizmos one normally associates with home baking. In the ingredient list below, I’ve given alternative ways to measure out what you need. So if your kitchen doesn’t have any scales, or measuring spoons, don’t worry. A “spoonful” in the context below is measured using the spoon you would usually eat cereal with. This is also a recipe that doesn’t require precision. If you use slightly more or less of anything, or swap some ingredients for others, it will still work and taste delicious.

Your Rocky Road will also stand up well at a bake sale alongside more accomplished creations. With a sharp(ish) knife, it can be chopped into squares or rectangles at home and will easily survive the commute to the bake sale in a box or tin. A dusting of icing sugar at the end is surprisingly effective at making what are essentially dark brown lumps with bits in, look like appetising treats. If you don’t plan to do much baking after this particular venture, skip the icing sugar as you only need a few grams of what are usually 500g boxes. Buy a white chocolate bar instead, melt it and splat and drizzle it over the top. It can be as messy as you like, and will look intentional and interesting on the final pieces.

I love the historical design on tins of golden syrup. You imagine you will take it home and swan around the kitchen in a petticoat, surrounded by pretty copper jelly moulds and weighty tongs that have something to do with sugar. Sadly, I find the fun ends when you have to actually get any syrup out of the tin. This process is messy and annoying. Plus the other dark secret of tins of golden syrup is that they are mysteriously able to broadcast their whereabouts to all ants in a 300 mile radius of your house. In the interests of sanity and an ant-free home, I would recommend golden syrup in a squeezy bottle. Again, if you don’t plan to use the golden syrup for baking, it can be used in place of honey on porridge and pancakes, and even in glazes for chicken or ribs.

I tend to buy a baking or cooking chocolate (e.g. Menier Dark Chocolate, Dr Oetker). It either has something to do with the cocoa solids, or I have been very successfully marketed at as I believe only cooking chocolate will melt reliably. This probably isn’t true, but this recipe is all about the easy and fail-safe.

If you can, beg, borrow, or steal a silicon mould to put the Rocky Road in while it sets. It is then incredibly easy to get the finished thing out and ready to cut into pieces. I use a 20cm x 20cm square mould, so look for something with roughly this area if not shape. You need at least 3cm of height at the sides, so even a roasting tray or tin will be fine. Line the tray or tin you are using carefully with greaseproof paper (if it isn’t silicon) so you can get the thing out again to serve.

Good luck with your bake sale. Let us know how you get on!

Rocky Road

Makes: 12–16 bars
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate
3 tablespoons golden syrup
200g digestive biscuits
150g mini marshmallows
50g raisins
50g other guest ingredient: chopped nuts, dried fruit, chopped up fudge pieces OR 1 Crunchie bar
1 tablespoon icing sugar or 1 small bar of chocolate (20g approx)

No measuring scales/spoons ingredient list:

Use the spoon you usually eat cereal with to measure a “spoonful”
Butter – Use half of a 250g pack of butter
Dark chocolate – 200g Measure by pack weight e.g. 2x100g bars
Digestive biscuits – 13 biscuits
Mini marshmallows – 150g. Refer to the pack weight e.g. use 2/3rds of a 200g bag.
Raisins – 4 spoonfuls
Other guest ingredient: 4 spoonfuls of either chopped nuts, dried fruit, small fudge pieces OR 1 Crunchie bar
1 spoonful of icing sugar or 1 small bar of white chocolate (20g approx)

Method

1. In a large bowl, break the digestive biscuits into pieces. They can be all different sizes. Add the marshmallows, raisins, and whatever other ingredient(s) you want to use.
2. Melt the butter, chocolate, and golden syrup in a heat-proof bowl that fits on top of a saucepan of simmering water. Stir carefully until no lumps remain.
3. Take the melted chocolate off the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Then pour over the other ingredients and mix well.
4. Empty the mixture into your tin or mould and evenly spread out. If you aren’t sprinkling with icing sugar at the end, melt the white chocolate and splat over the top.
5. Set in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.
6. For an icing sugar garnish, put the icing sugar in a sieve and gently press through with a spoon to dust the top.
7. Take the Rocky Road out of its mould, cut into pieces with a knife and serve up!