Chocolate Chip Tray Bake (small batch)

 

I always like to have a bit of cake in the cake tin for the weekend. You never know when someone is going to stop by and usually at the weekend I like to enjoy a little bit of a treat.

This tray bake is one which I have been making for many years. It is actually a moist and buttery golden snack cake, loaded with several kinds of chocolate chips, candy coated chocolate buttons and broken cookies.

The original recipe made quite a large tray. Today I cut the recipe in half to make a much smaller bake. 

I often iced it with a chocolate butter cream frosting for my children.  You can make your own or use the one that comes in a tub.  I also used to sprinkle more of the candy coated chocolate buttons on top. Nobody complained.

I have no children in my house now to please, just an aging woman with a slight sweet tooth, and so I leave off the extra frosting and candies these days.  It suits me just as is, with either a glass of cold milk if I am feeling a bit indulgent, or a hot drink.  It all depends on my mood.

Enjoy!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP TRY BAKE (SMALL BATCH)

Just a few store cupboard ingredients. This is also a great way to get rid of the last of your chocolate chips or small Christmas candies, and or cookies.

• 1/2 cup (125g) of butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup +1 tsp (125g) of granulated sugar
• 2 large free range eggs
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence
• 1 cup (125g) of self-raising flour (see notes)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup (38g) of chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (38g) of white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (50g) of candy-coated chocolate drops (ie smarties, M&M's etc.,)
• 4 biscuits, crushed (digestives, malted milk, Oreo's, etc. whatever you want to use)

  

I used salted butter as that is all I have in the house.  You do you.  I find that in most cases it doesn't make much of a difference.

In the U.K. use castor sugar.  Our granulated sugar here in North America is much finer than the regular granulated sugar in the U.K. Their castor sugar is most often used for baking as it has a much finer texture than the regular sugar.

You can make your own self raising flour.  Just check out the recipe notes on the printable recipe cards.

I used semi-sweet chocolate chips along with white. You can use milk chocolate chips if you wish. I used mini-M&M's for baking with.  The color does bleed a bit, but that's okay. You can use smarties or any other candy coated chocolate buttons

I used some Breton biscuits, which are crisp and buttery. You can use any kind of cookie you have in the house and which your children enjoy. Don't crush them up too fine or they will disappear into the batter.

 

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP TRAY BAKE (SMALL BATCH)

If you can make a cake, you can make this!

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and line the bottom of an 8-inch baking tin. Set aside.

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Cream in the sugar, then beat in the eggs, one at a time.

 

Measure out your flour and toss 1 TBS of it together with the candy pieces, chips and cookie crumbs.

Sift the remaining flour and baking powder together and then gently fold into the creamed mixture, taking care not to over work it.

Stir in the remaining (floured) ingredients. Spread into the prepared tin, leveling off the surface.

Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tray. Cut into squares to serve, with or without a dusting of icing sugar.

Notes

You can very easily make your own self-raising flour. For each cup needed (125g), sift together with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.

This is a really delicious cake type of a tray bake. Moist and buttery, it's filled with lovely nuggets of white and semisweet chocolate, not to mention the chocolate candies. I used mini-M&M's as that is what I had in the house. I sometimes used to frost this, which the children loved. On this day I left it plain.

Totally delicious with a hot drink, or an ice-cold glass of milk!  This is a simple, yet very tasty treat!

 

Are you the fan of a tray bake or a snacking cake?  If so you might also enjoy the following bakes!

 

SALTED CARAMEL PEANUT BUTTER SNACK CAKE - This is a particularly lovely cake. Nice and moist with a beautiful crumb due to the buttermilk in the cake batter.  Flavored deliciously with peanut butter and brown sugar. The brown sugar also adds to the moist crumb of this cake. Frosted with a salted caramel frosting that is fudgy and rich and a perfect match for this delicious cake!

BUMBLEBERRY PIE TRAY BAKE - With its sweet shortbread cookie crust . . . topped with a luscious sweet/tart rich mixed berry filling, and topped with shortbread cookie streusel crumbles this is an incredibly delicious tray bake. Serve cut into squares and topped with either ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Yield: 9 squares

Author: Marie Rayner

Chocolate Chip Tray Bake (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

This is a moist and delicious snacking cake loaded with white and semi-sweet chocolate chips, candy coated chocolate buttons and broken cookies. Serve dusted with icing sugar and cut into squares. You could also ice it with a chocolate buttercream frosting if you wish.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (125g) of butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup +1 tsp (125g) of granulated sugar
• 2 large free range eggs
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence
• 1 cup (125g) of self-raising flour (see notes)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup (38g) of chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (38g) of white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (50g) of candy-coated chocolate drops (ie smarties, M&M's etc.,)
• 4 biscuits, crushed (digestives, malted milk, Oreo's, etc. whatever you want to use)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and line the bottom of an 8-inch baking tin. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Cream in the sugar, then beat in the eggs, one at a time.
3. Measure out your flour and toss 1 TBS of it together with the candy pieces, chips and cookie crumbs.
4. Sift the remaining flour and baking powder together and then gently fold into the creamed mixture, taking care not to over work it.
5. Stir in the remaining (floured) ingredients. Spread into the prepared tin, leveling off the surface.
6. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tray. Cut into squares to serve, with or without a dusting of icing sugar.

Notes

You can very easily make your own self-raising flour. For each cup needed (125g), sift together with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchen

Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

 If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.

Also, if you have not checked out my YouTube Channel yet, do give it a gander. I would really appreciate it, and if you want to subscribe that would be even more appreciated!  Thank you so much!  It is not really fancy like some people's channels. I am very much learning as I go along, but what you get is authentic at least! There is nothing fake there! No filters, bells or whistles. Filmed in real time and unedited!