Saying 'thank you' with cake

'Thank you' is something that I find myself needing to say on a very regular basis at the moment. Thank you for letting us use your shower, thank you for giving us a lovely off-cut of wood, thank you for feeding us dinner, thank you for the lift to work... and so the list goes on!

My favourite way to say thank you is with cake, so I thought I'd share this caramel shortcake recipe, which is an easy thank you favourite!

Ingredients
For the shortbread:
125g plain flour
50g caster sugar
100g butter, softened

For the caramel:
50g unsalted butter
50g light brown soft sugar
1 x 397g tin condensed milk

For the topping:
100g milk chocolate


1. Pre-heat the oven to 180℃/350℉/Gas Mark 4 and grease a 15cm square oven proof dish. Mix the flour and caster sugar in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Knead into a dough and then flatten into the tray, using a potato masher to help press it firmly down. Bake in the centre of the pre-heated oven for approximately 20 minutes or until lightly golden, then leave to cool.

3. To make the caramel, gently melt the butter, sugar and condensed milk in a pan until the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it has thickened slightly. Pour over the shortbread and leave to cool.

4. Melt the chocolate slowly in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave. Pour over the caramel, which should be almost set.

5. Cut into squares.

6. Wrap up and pop in the post/on someone's desk/through a kind friend's letterbox.

THANK YOU everyone who has helped out so far with the house in any way, shape or form, I am very grateful (and promise to make you cake too soon!)