Golden Gaytime

Ingredients

Toffee ice cream

• 300 mlthickened cream
• 300 mlfull-cream milk
• 150 gcaster sugar
• 5egg yolks
• 60 gdark brown sugar for the toffee note
• 1 tspvanilla bean paste
• 1 pinchsalt

Vanilla ice cream

• 200 mlthickened cream
• 200 mlfull-cream milk
• 80 gcaster sugar
• 3egg yolks
• 1vanilla pod, split and scraped

Biscuit crumb

• 180 gplain sweet biscuits, such as Arnott’s Nice or a plain shortbread
• 20 gmelted butter

Chocolate coating

• 400 gmilk chocolate, chopped
• 80 mlflavourless coconut oil or refined vegetable oil

Equipment

• 8ice cream moulds or a loaf tin and 8 wooden sticks

Directions

1. Make the toffee base: melt the brown sugar with 2 tbsp water in a heavy pan over medium heat and cook to a dark amber caramel, about 5 minutes, then carefully pour in the cream, standing back as it seizes and spits, and stir until smooth.
2. Whisk the yolks with the caster sugar until pale, pour on the hot caramel cream and milk in a thin stream while whisking, then return to the pan and stir over low heat to 82°C (180°F), until the custard coats the back of a spoon and a drawn finger leaves a clean line.
3. Strain, add the vanilla and salt, chill completely, then churn until thick.
4. Repeat the same custard method for the plain vanilla base, without the caramel step. Half fill the moulds with toffee ice cream, tap them down to remove air pockets, then top with the vanilla, insert the sticks and freeze hard for at least 6 hours; a soft core will slump the moment it meets the warm coating.
5. Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil over a bain-marie or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring until smooth and no warmer than 35°C (95°F), then pour it into a tall narrow container so the bars can be dipped in one movement. Working with two bars at a time and keeping the rest in the freezer, unmould each bar and plunge it into the chocolate, lift it out and let it drip for 3 seconds; the coating should set within about 10 seconds against the frozen surface.
6. Freeze another hour before eating.

Technique

• The coconut oil is what makes the coating work. Straight chocolate sets brittle and shatters off the bar, while the added fat lowers the snap point so it cracks rather than flakes.
• Speed is everything at the dipping stage. Work in pairs, keep everything else frozen, and if the bars start to sweat, put them back and cool the room down.
• The original bar has been made by Streets in Australia since 1959, when it was launched as a Gaytime, and it has been the subject of an unusually devoted national attachment ever since.
• The crumb on the commercial bar is a honeycomb biscuit rather than a plain one, which is why a slightly caramelised or golden-syrup biscuit gets you closer than a digestive.

Substitutions

• No ice cream machine: whip 500 ml cream to soft peaks and fold in 400 g of condensed milk with the caramel and vanilla flavourings, then freeze; the texture is denser but perfectly good.
• Coconut oil can be replaced with cocoa butter melted with a little neutral oil, which gives a cleaner chocolate flavour.

Variations

• A dark chocolate version with a coffee-caramel core is a common home variation.
• The Gaytime Sanga and the Golden Gaytime tub have both been sold commercially in Australia.
• Rolling the bar in crushed honeycomb as well as biscuit gives it more of the crunch that people remember.

History

Launched by Streets in 1959 and defended by loyal customers whenever the company changes the recipe or name.

Frequently asked questions

What is Golden Gaytime?

Golden Gaytime is a dessert from Australia: toffee and vanilla ice cream bar coated in chocolate and biscuit crumbs. Launched by Streets in 1959 and defended by loyal customers whenever the company changes the recipe or name.

How long does Golden Gaytime take to make?

Golden Gaytime takes 1 hr of preparation and 8 hr freezing of cooking. The recipe makes 8 bars. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Golden Gaytime?

Yes, within limits. No ice cream machine: whip 500 ml cream to soft peaks and fold in 400 g of condensed milk with the caramel and vanilla flavourings, then freeze; the texture is denser but perfectly good. Coconut oil can be replaced with cocoa butter melted with a little neutral oil, which gives a cleaner chocolate flavour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Golden Gaytime?

The coconut oil is what makes the coating work. Straight chocolate sets brittle and shatters off the bar, while the added fat lowers the snap point so it cracks rather than flakes.