Turrón and Orange Traybake
Briony Williams arrived at the Season 9 tent with infectious enthusiasm and a deep love for Spain. 'I've gone for Spanish flavors because I'm a massive fan of Spain and all things Spanish,' she explained, 'so I wanted to sort of incorporate that into the good old British traybake.' The result was an ambitious layered creation: orange-scented pastry base, moist almond sponge, soft Spanish turrón, and dark chocolate ganache. The judging was memorably dramatic. Prue's initial assessment—'So you've got sloppy and tough. Sounds like a terrible double act'—was followed by Paul's blunt 'I think they look hideous.' But then came the tasting, and everything changed. Paul's verdict after biting in: 'I have to have the almonds in there. The turrón as well. The whole thing together. The orange, it's delicious. Absolutely lovely.' Prue concurred: 'I don't care the way it looks.' This recipe honors Briony's inspired flavor combination while addressing those texture and presentation concerns.
- Time: 85 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- Make the Orange Shortbread Base
- Preheat oven to 350°F . Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leavin
- Pulse flour, powdered sugar, salt, and orange zest in a food processor until zes
- Add egg yolk and orange juice. Pulse just until dough begins to clump—do not ove
- Press dough evenly into prepared pan using the bottom of a measuring cup or your
- Bake 18-20 minutes until pale golden and set. The base should be firm but not de
- Prepare the Almond Sponge
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down bowl betwe
- In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powde
- Add flour mixture to butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low just until c
- Spread batter evenly over par-baked shortbread base. Scatter flaked almonds over
- Bake 22-25 minutes until golden, springy to touch, and a toothpick inserted in c
- Add the Turrón Layer
- Once sponge is completely cool, arrange thin slices of turrón blando in an even
- Make the Chocolate Ganache
- Place chopped chocolate in a large heat-safe bowl
- Heat cream in a small saucepan until just simmering—small bubbles around edges,
- Pour hot cream over chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes without stirring
- Starting from the center, whisk slowly in small circles, gradually working outwa
- Whisk in butter until incorporated, then orange liqueur and salt
- Let ganache cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a
- Assemble
- Pour ganache over turrón layer, spreading gently with an offset spatula to cover
- While ganache is still slightly tacky, scatter crumbled turrón, toasted flaked a
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour until ganache is fully set
- To Serve
- Using parchment overhang, lift traybake from pan. Use a sharp knife dipped in ho
- Serve at room temperature for best texture—the ganache softens slightly and the