Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Macadamia crackling is a simple two-ingredient praline-style garnish: buttery florentine mix melted and folded through macadamia nuts, then baked until it turns a deep caramel gold and sets hard and glassy as it cools. Broken into shards or cut into neat batons while still warm, it gives a cake a crunch and a rich toffee-nut flavour that no soft decoration can match.
I use crackling on and around baton pastries and gateaux, pressed into the sides of a cream-coated cake, scattered over a mousse, or stood upright as a shard on top of a slice. It is also very good crushed and folded into buttercream or ganache for texture. Keep a jar of it in the cupboard and you always have a fast, professional-looking finish ready to go.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 500
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: 30 x 25 cm tray of crackling, broken into shards
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Florentine Mix
Florentine mix is a ready-made caramel base used by pastry kitchens for Florentine biscuits and nut brittles, usually a blend of sugar, glucose, butter, cream and pectin. It melts to a thick caramel that sets hard and crisp once baked and cooled. A homemade version can be made by boiling together equal parts sugar, glucose, butter and cream with a little pectin.
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B
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts are rich, creamy, high-oil nuts with a mild buttery flavour, sold either raw or roasted. They colour quickly when baked, so they suit caramel work where a short, hot bake is all that is needed.
raw, unsalted
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roughly chopped |
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500
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
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STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Pre-heat |
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (355°F) and line a flat baking tray with a silicone mat or good baking paper. |
Oven fully up to temperature before the mixture goes in |
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2 |
Prepare |
Chop B (macadamia nuts) into rough pieces, keeping them fairly even in size so they colour at the same rate. |
Pieces about the size of a pea, not powdered |
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3 |
Melt |
Warm A (florentine mix) in a saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring often. |
Melted, smooth and just pourable — do not let it boil hard |
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4 |
Mix |
Take the pan off the heat and stir B (macadamia nuts) through the warm A (florentine mix) until every piece is coated. |
Nuts evenly coated, no dry pieces |
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5 |
Spread |
Tip the mixture onto the lined tray and spread it out with a palette knife into a thin, even layer. |
Thin enough to see the nuts sitting in a single layer |
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6 |
Bake |
Bake at 180°C (355°F) for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning the tray once so it colours evenly. |
Bubbling all over and an even deep caramel gold — watch closely at the end, it darkens fast |
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7 |
Cut |
Let the tray sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then, while the sheet is still warm and pliable, cut it into batons or squares with an oiled knife or a pizza wheel if you want neat shapes. |
Firm enough to hold a cut but not yet brittle |
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8 |
Cool |
Leave the tray to cool completely on a rack, then lift the sheet off and snap it into shards, or break it up and crush it for a nut crumb. |
Hard, glassy and crisp, with no tackiness |
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9 |
Store |
Store the pieces in an airtight container with a sheet of paper between the layers, away from heat and damp. |
Stays crisp for several weeks; it will go sticky if left out in humid air |
Important Notes
The full recipe as scaled makes about 500 g of crackling, enough to decorate two or three home-sized cakes. Spread it thinly: a thick layer stays chewy in the middle instead of setting crisp. Cut any shapes you want while the sheet is still warm, as it shatters once cold. Humidity is the enemy of all caramel work, so keep the finished crackling airtight and never refrigerate it. Crushed crackling can be folded into buttercream or ganache, or pressed around the sides of a cream-coated cake; larger shards look good standing upright on top of a slice. The original bakery batch was made for baton pastries.
Tools & Arrangements
Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, flat baking tray, silicone mat or baking paper, palette knife, sharp knife or pizza wheel, cooling rack, airtight storage container
