Raspberry Jam Slice
I love this slice because it is one of the easiest things to put together. You press a cookie-like mixture into the base of a pan, spread over a thick layer of jam, then top it with coconut and almond flakes.
The coconut gives the raspberries a sweet lift, and the almonds bake into a golden topping that is crisp and nutty. Dusted with icing sugar it always looks so pretty on a cake stand, but truthfully, it is simple enough for an everyday bake.
When springtime comes around I start looking at the jars of jam stacked in my pantry, making sure to use them up before summer’s new batch arrives. That is when this slice comes in handy. It clears a jar or two in the tastiest way, while making room for the next season.
Every December, just before Christmas, the kids and I drive out to Berry Sweet Farm in Pemberton and bring home boxes of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Most of the strawberries get eaten fresh, but the raspberries, soft and often a little delicate in the heat, almost always end up in jam.
More often than not I am standing at the stove on Christmas morning, stirring a bubbling pot of raspberries, and the memory of the sweet smell still makes me giddy with joy. Jam making is my way of holding onto summer. Life is often uncertain, today’s world heavy with noise and tension, but a spoonful of jam in winter is a reminder that beauty can be preserved in the tastiest of ways, waiting patiently until we need it.
There is sweetness in the air in spring, a sense of everything beginning again. Tender greens, blossoms, and the first harvests of the season.
Raspberry Jam Slice
This slice is like a bridge between seasons, made from jars of last year’s jam just as the new fruit is coming in. Sweet, tangy, nutty, and a little nostalgic, it is a treat that disappears quickly. I pack it into kids lunchboxes, share at afternoon tea with friends, or enjoy quietly with a cup of tea when the house is still quiet before the whirlwind of after school hours arrives.
Ingredients
150g butter, softened (I used salted butter)
110g caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g self raising flour
For the topping
1/2 cup thick raspberry jam
80g caster sugar
1 egg, room temperature
100g fine desiccated coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup shaved almonds (optional)
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 170C Fan forced
Grease with butter and line 24cm square baking pan
Add butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla into a bowl of a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment mix until creamy.
Add flour and give it few more stirs with the paddle attachment until flour is fully combined.
Use the back of a spoon or spatula to press the batter into prepared baking tin.
Evenly spread raspberry jam on top.
Add caster sugar, egg, vanilla and coconut into a bowl and whisk to combine.
Spread the coconut crumb evenly over the raspberry jam and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until almonds are lightly browned.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.
