Nanaimo Bars are an iconic Canadian dessert which we had the pleasure of indulging in during a visit to the gorgeous city of Nanaimo (pronounced Na-Nye-Mo) itself.
These no-bake treats consist of a base of chocolate, nuts and biscuit crumbs, covered with a custard buttercream layer, then finished with a rich chocolate topping.
The bars were so good, I couldn't resist picking up a leaflet to learn how to make them.
Credit to Joyce Hardcastle, whose recipe this is based on. I've tweaked it slightly to allow for UK measurements and substitutions, so we can also enjoy these wonderful creations on this side of the pond.
Ingredients
Bottom Layer:
- 110g unsalted butter
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 5 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 large egg
- 175g digestive biscuits - crushed
- 50g almonds - finely chopped
- 80g desiccated coconut
Middle Layer:
- 110g unsalted butter - softened
- 3 tbsp double cream
- 2 tbsp custard powder
- 250g icing sugar
Top Layer:
- 115g dark chocolate (54%) - broken into even squares
- 30g unsalted butter
Directions
- Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm (8 inch) square cake tin.
- To make the bottom layer, place the butter, sugar and cocoa powder into a glass bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of boiling water (making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl). Stir continuously to melt the ingredients.
- Note: At this point the recipe requires you to add the egg to the chocolate mixture but in order to avoid the egg cooking too quickly, and ending up with scrambled egg in the chocolate, I added an extra step: Whisk the egg in a separate bowl. Continue whisking as you very slowly pour around half of the chocolate mixture into the egg. Pour this back into the original chocolate mixture bowl, return to the heat, cook for a further 1-2 minutes to thicken.
- Remove from the heat. Tip in the biscuit crumbs, chopped almonds and coconut. Give everything a really good mix up.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the cake tin. Place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set.
- In the meantime, whisk together the softened butter, cream and custard powder until light and fluffy.
- Continue whisking as you gradually add the icing sugar, until its completely incorporated.
- Spread the custard buttercream evenly over the bottom layer. Return to the fridge for another 15-20 minutes to firm up.
- Make the chocolate topping by placing the chocolate pieces and butter together in a glass bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of boiling water, gradually melt the ingredients together over a low heat, stirring continuously.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Once cooled, but still liquid, spread the chocolate evenly over the middle layer.
- Chill for approximately 2 hours, until the chocolate has completely cooled and hardened.
- Remove from the tin. Cut the Nanaimo Bar into even sized squares or rectangles to serve.
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Mmm these look amazing! I hadn’t heard of Nanaimo bars before but I can see why they’re popular (and interesting how they were named after the destination too). That chocolate topping and the crunchier base… yum!!
It was the first time we’d heard of them too, then we subsequently saw them in some other Canadian cities. I’m glad we discovered them (and the recipe) during our visit as they are absolutely scrumptious!