How long has it been since you've had a Wagon Wheel? There's something about Wagon Wheels which are so addictive. You can recreate the famous chocolate treat in the form of this delicious Wagon Wheel slice!
This slice has a crisp biscuit base topped with raspberry jam and a fluffy homemade marshmallow filling. In the true fashion of the Wagon Wheel, the slice is topped off with a layer of chocolate.
If you've never made marshmallow before, you'll be surprised at just how easy it is to master. Follow the step-by-step instructions for slice success!
How To Make Wagon Wheel Slice
Begin by making the base. Stir together the melted butter, vanilla and caster sugar.
Sift over the plain flour and cornflour and stir until well combined.
Press into the prepared baking tin and bake until golden.
Spread raspberry jam evenly over the warm biscuit base.
While the base is cooling, prepare the marshmallow. In a small jug, combine gelatin powder and ¼ cup of water. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the gelatin has expanded and bloomed.
Meanwhile, combine caster sugar and ¾ cup of water in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved.
Take the sugar syrup off the heat and stir in bloomed gelatin. Transfer to the large bowl of an electric mixer.
Beat on high speed for 8-10 minutes until tripled in volume, pale and fluffy.
Carefully spread the marshmallow over the layer of jam.
To make the chocolate topping, melt together chopped chocolate and canola oil.
Spread over the marshmallow layer.
Refrigerate for one hour or until the chocolate has set. Slice up and enjoy!
Wagon Wheel Slice
This delicious Wagon Wheel slice combines all the flavours from the original Wagon Wheel in an easy slice. This slice has a crisp shortbread base topped with homemade marshmallow and chocolate.
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Base
- 150 g (5.5 oz / ⅔ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- 1 ⅓ cups plain flour
- 1 tablespoon cornflour / cornstarch
- ½ cup raspberry jam
For the Marshmallow
- 1 tablespoon (3 leaves / 1 envelope) powdered gelatine
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- Pink food colouring, optional
For the Chocolate Topping
- 200 g (7 oz) block dark or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
Instructions
For the Shortbread Base
Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease and line a 20 x 30 cm (9 x 12 inch) slice pan with baking paper, allowing at least 3 cm (1 inch) of baking paper to overhang for easy removal of the slice.
Stir together the melted butter, vanilla essence, and caster sugar until well combined. Sift over the plain flour and cornflour. Stir until well combined and a soft dough forms.
Press dough evenly into the prepared pan. You can use a cylindrical glass to help roll the dough flat. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden.
In a small bowl, stir jam vigorously until loose and runny. Spread evenly over the warm biscuit base. Set aside the base to cool slightly.
For the Marshmallow
In a small mixing jug, combine gelatin powder and ¼ cup of the cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes or until gelatin has expanded and bloomed.
Meanwhile, combine caster sugar and remaining ¾ cup of water in a medium saucepan. Stir over low-medium heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in bloomed gelatin (including the water it was bloomed in) until gelatin dissolves. Stir in vanilla essence.
Transfer to the large bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture becomes paler and very fluffy. It will triple in volume and hold soft peaks. Add food colouring one drop at a time, beating well in between, until desired pink colour is reached.
Using a flat spatula or the back of a spoon, carefully spread the marshmallow over the jam and biscuit base. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until the marshmallow has set.
For the Chocolate Topping
In a medium heat-proof bowl, stir together chopped chocolate and canola oil. Microwave at full power for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave in further 30 second bursts, stirring well in-between, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
Using a silicon spatula or the back of a spoon, carefully spread chocolate over marshmallow. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chocolate has set.
Carefully remove slice from the pan using the overhanging baking paper. Transfer to a chopping board. Place a large, sharp knife under very hot running water then dry with a tea towel. Use the hot knife to cut the slice into 16 even pieces (this will stop the chocolate from cracking). Enjoy!
Notes
Storage
- You can keep the cooked slice un-refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Substitutions & Tips
- Jam: you can substitute raspberry jam with your favourite berry jam.
- Marshmallow: you can substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence with 1 teaspoon of raspberry or strawberry essence if you want a flavoured marshmallow.
- Chocolate: many chocolate chips aren't designed to be melted down. If you want to use chocolate chips instead of a block of chocolate, make sure they are high quality (not labelled 'compound' or 'candy melts'). Substitute the 200 g block of chocolate with 200 g (7 oz / 1 heaped cup) of high quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Using milk chocolate: you can use milk chocolate for the chocolate topping although this will make the slice sweeter.
- Canola oil: You can substitute canola oil for any type of vegetable oil or omit it completely. Oil helps the chocolate spread smoothly over the slice.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/16th of SliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 274Total Fat: 11.8gSaturated Fat: 7.2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 63.4mgCarbohydrates: 31.2gFiber: 0.3gSugar: 22.8gProtein: 2.6g
Lindi says
As a child of the 60's my treat was a wagon wheel packed in my Lunch box, I would help Mum with dinner during the week then Monday my treat would appear in my lunch box on Mondays, around the age of 9 / 10 I found a recipe very similar to this one and made it and had been making ever since till 7 years ago it vanished. Did try a few times to make it but never quite got it right. I'm so glad I found your recipe, I'm 63 close to 64 years old and it still my treat. The shop bought one of today are half the size so sugary the marshmallow and the price is crazy now I can finally enjoy a good marshmallow slice. Thankyou for sharing...🤩💫💜
Chloe says
Hi Lindi, that is absolutely wonderful to hear. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely comment! I have always indulged in a wagon wheel when I can - although they definitely are different these days! Glad to hear that this recipe could live up to your old one, it's my pleasure. Better than store bought by miles! 🙂
Sonya says
Excellent recipe. Simple enough and easy to follow. I could eat the shortbread base by itself 🙂 One swap I made was the chocolate topping - I swapped the canola oil for some kremelta (copha). Do you have any tips on making the marshmallow stay on top of the jam? I find it slides off quite easy when you try to eat it.
Chloe says
Hi Sonya, I am so so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and the shortbread part especially 🙂 The jam does tend to get quite slippery - I haven't quite figured out how to avoid that yet either! My only recommendation would be to swirl the jam through the marshmallow just before it sets instead of spreading it onto the base. Probably not the ideal solution, but it should do in a pinch. I'll update the post if I figure out a better way!