RECIPES FROM 1979
Multi-Coloured Fudge Cake
A chewy no-bake lolly slice with biscuit crumbs, coconut and full retro charm.
WORTH MAKING AGAIN
15 MINS + CHILL
MAKES 12
ABOUT THE RECIPE
This 1979 recipe feels like an early cousin of lolly cake, made with crushed biscuits, condensed milk, butter, chopped lollies and coconut.
Instead of being rolled into a log, it is pressed into a tin and cut into squares, more like a chewy no-bake fudge slice. My favourite detail is the original call for “approximately 100 one-cent sweets.”
THE ORIGINAL RECIPE
THE MODERN CONVERSION
From 1979 to today’s kitchen.
The original recipe, reworked with clearer measurements, modern steps and everything you need to make it now.
Ingredients
500g biscuits (malt, plain, or half plain and half ginger)
230g unsalted butter, melted
1 x 400g tin sweetened condensed milk
1 bag Explorer lollies
¼ cup desiccated coconut
Method
1.
Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper, leaving some overhang so the fudge can be easily lifted out later.
2.
Crush the biscuits into fine crumbs using a food processor. Alternatively, place them in a large snap-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin.
3.
Transfer the biscuit crumbs to a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and sweetened condensed milk, then mix until well combined.
4.
Cut each Explorer lolly into 12 pieces. Slice down the middle, then cut each half into six pieces. Add the chopped lollies to the biscuit mixture and stir until evenly distributed. The mixture will be quite thick.
5.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and use a spatula to press it firmly into the corners. Smooth the top so the surface is level.
6.
Sprinkle the desiccated coconut evenly over the top.
7.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until fully set.
8.
Once chilled, lift the fudge from the tin using the baking paper overhang. Cut into 12 squares and serve.
THE TASTE TEST
So, was it worth making again?
The honest verdict after cooking from the 1979 page.
This one absolutely holds up. Multi-Coloured Fudge Cake is quick, easy and wonderfully nostalgic, with a soft fudgy biscuit base and little pops of chewy lolly throughout. Once cut into squares, it is exactly the kind of slice that disappears very quickly.
I would definitely make this one again. My lolly cake recipe is a slightly more polished version, but there is something lovely about how straightforward this 1979 slice is.
SAMANTHA'S NOTES
Cut the lollies small
Press it firmly
Chill before cutting
The mixture is thick, so take a moment to press it right into the corners. This helps the slice set neatly.
Give it at least two hours in the fridge. It cuts much more cleanly once the biscuit base has firmed up.
The smaller pieces spread more evenly through the slice, giving every square a little bit of colour and chew.
KEEP COOKING
More from the 1979 Archive
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