Irish Traybake Recipes

What is an Irish traybake?

A traybake is a cake, biscuit or sweet mixture made in one shallow tin and cut into squares or bars. Some are baked, some are simply chilled. They are practical for school sales, church halls, coffee mornings and family visits, because one tin feeds a lot of people and there is no icing-and-layering fuss. In Ireland and the UK the word covers everything from a sponge with icing to a no-bake slice held together with condensed milk or melted chocolate.

The recipes below are simple, widely made versions rather than a single “official” version of each. Home cooks vary them freely.

Fifteens (no-bake, Northern Ireland)

Fifteens are closely associated with Northern Ireland. The name comes from the traditional ingredient count: 15 digestive biscuits, 15 marshmallows and 15 glacé cherries, bound with sweetened condensed milk and rolled in desiccated coconut. Nothing is baked.

Ingredients

• 15 digestive biscuits
• 15 glacé cherries, rinsed and halved
• 15 marshmallows, or about 100g mini marshmallows
• About 180-200ml sweetened condensed milk (full-fat, from a 397g tin)
• About 50g desiccated coconut

Method

1. Crush the biscuits into mostly crumbs, leaving a few small pieces for crunch. A food bag and a rolling pin work well.
2. Add the cherries and the marshmallows, snipped into small pieces with kitchen scissors. Dipping the blades in the crumbs stops them sticking.
3. Add the condensed milk gradually until the mixture clumps together. You may not need all of it.
4. Scatter about two-thirds of the coconut on a sheet of baking paper or foil, shape the mixture into a log about 25cm long on top, and sprinkle over the rest. Roll up tightly so the coconut coats the outside.
5. Chill for around 3 hours until firm, then unwrap and slice into 15 pieces.

If you need it vegetarian, look for vegetarian marshmallows, as many standard ones contain gelatine.

Chocolate biscuit squares

A chocolate biscuit traybake is one of the easiest things you can make for a gathering. Versions turn up in many Irish and British homes under names such as chocolate biscuit cake or tiffin.

Ingredients

• 200g plain biscuits such as rich tea or digestives
• 150g dark or milk chocolate
• 100g butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• A handful of raisins, chopped nuts or cherries (optional)

Method

1. Line a small tin (around 18-20cm square) with baking paper.
2. Break the biscuits into small, uneven pieces.
3. Melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup together gently, stirring until smooth, then let it cool for a few minutes.
4. Stir in the biscuits and any extras until coated, then press firmly into the tin.
5. Chill until set, usually a few hours, then cut into squares. A thin layer of melted chocolate on top gives a neat finish.

Oat flapjacks

Flapjacks are a baked traybake that keeps well and travels easily.

Ingredients

• 150g butter
• 100g soft light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons golden syrup
• 300g rolled oats
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to about 180°C (160°C fan) and line a 20cm square tin.
2. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup together, then stir in the oats and salt.
3. Press evenly into the tin and bake for roughly 20-25 minutes, until golden at the edges but still slightly soft in the middle.
4. Cool completely in the tin before cutting. Cutting while warm is the usual reason for crumbly flapjacks.

Oven strengths differ, so check from about 18 minutes.

Other traybakes to try

Once you have the basics, the same idea stretches a long way:

• Rice cereal squares, made with melted marshmallows and butter.
• Millionaire’s shortbread, with a shortbread base, caramel layer and chocolate top (this one takes more time).
• Sponge traybakes with a thin layer of icing and sprinkles, the kind often associated with school canteens and bake sales.
• Fruit and oat bars using jam or stewed apple between two oat layers.

Tips for tins, cutting and storing

• Line the tin with baking paper, leaving an overhang so you can lift the slab out in one piece.
• Press no-bake mixtures down firmly with the back of a spoon, otherwise squares crumble.
• Chill chocolate-based slabs fully before cutting, and use a sharp knife warmed in hot water, wiped dry between cuts.
• Store in an airtight container. No-bake traybakes with condensed milk, chocolate or dairy are best kept in the fridge. Baked flapjacks usually keep at room temperature for a few days.
• If you are baking for guests with allergies, check biscuits, chocolate and marshmallows, as these often contain wheat, milk, nuts or gelatine.

Serving traybakes with tea

In Irish homes a plate of squares usually appears alongside a pot of tea when visitors call. The same hospitality shows up at festive times, as described in our look at Irish New Year’s foods, where a constantly refilled kettle and something sweet for callers is part of the picture. Cut the pieces small so people can try more than one. Squares and flapjacks also travel well to outdoor meals, and our guide to Victorian picnic food has more ideas for what to pack alongside them.

FAQ

What is Ireland’s most famous dessert?

There is no single agreed answer. Apple tart, bread and butter pudding, Irish coffee-flavoured sweets and baked goods such as barmbrack are all frequently mentioned, and the answer depends on the region and the person you ask.

How do you make a school traybake?

Usually a simple sponge is baked in a shallow tin, covered with a thin layer of icing and finished with sprinkles or coconut, then cut into squares. The sponge can be a basic mix of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Details vary from school to school.

What are some traditional dishes from Northern Ireland?

The Ulster fry, soda and potato farls, champ, and sweet bakes such as fifteens are commonly named. Fifteens in particular are a well-known Northern Irish traybake.

What are some easy things to bake?

Flapjacks, chocolate biscuit squares and no-bake fifteens are among the least demanding. They use a single bowl and a single tin, and the no-bake options need no oven at all.