So November’s been a not-so-good month for the blog. Sorry blog and sorry hungry readers. But on the plus side, it has been an absolutely smashing month for charity. I spent most of it organising a fundraiser with a few colleagues called DRESS (Disaster Relief for Emergency Situation in Syria) to raise much-needed funds for women and children refugees in Syria. We partnered up with the charity Concern and held a bring-and-buy sale (complete with Whistles samples and Vivienne Westwood pieces donated by the good lady herself!) with speakers, beauty treatments, cava and lots and lots of cake. The event was a huge success and the support has been incredibly touching – we have raised almost £8,000 so far, all of which is going straight to Syria!

I was, naturally, chief cake coordinator and rustled up some gluten-free chocolate orange cupcakes, lemon butter biscuits, lebkuchen and rum & white chocolate fudge. I have definitely risen in the popularity stakes at work (hey, whatever it takes, right?).

This fudge – all warming rum and sweet chocolate – is a delight morning (oops), noon and night. It would make the perfect Christmas present for anyone with a sweet tooth – just line a pretty tin or box with baking paper, be liberal with the edible glitter and tie with a bow!

Rum & white chocolate fudge

Makes a 20cm x 20cm slab (about 64 pieces)

Ingredients:

– 397g tin condensed milk
– 150ml milk
– 115g unsalted butter
– 450g demerara sugar
– 3 tablespoons dark rum
– 140g white chocolate, broken into smallish pieces
– edible gold glitter, to decorate (optional)

Method:

Line a 20cm x 20cm square dish with greaseproof paper.

In a large saucepan on a medium heat, heat the condensed milk, milk, butter and sugar, stirring regularly, until the sugar has melted.

Turn up the heat, bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously, until a small amount of mixture dropped into a glass of cold water forms a tiny ball of, you guessed it, fudge. Tip: You must keep stirring otherwise the fudge will stick to the bottom of your pan and you will have burnt bitter fudge!

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and beat for about 10 minutes, until the caramel-y glossiness has gone and you have a thick, soft fudg-y (funny that) consistency. About a minute before the end, add the rum and white chocolate. Tip: You can do all this by hand but I use the beater attachment of my food mixer on a medium-high speed for 10 minutes – much easier!

Scoop into your lined dish, squidge into the corners and pat down to even the surface, and leave to cool at room temperature until firm.

Sprinkle with edible gold glitter (if using) and cut into squares. Will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for several weeks.

Source: Recipe and photos by pip & little blue.