Almond Slice
This almond slice start with a butter pastry topped with jam and a light almond sponge with a final sprinkling of flaked almonds on the top. A wonderful baked treat for an afternoon tea or a picnic lunch, these almond slices are always a hit!
Servings: 16 slices
Equipment
- 8 inch by 12 inch rectangular baking pan
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- ½ cup almond flour (48g)
- ¼ cup sugar (55 grams)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113 grams)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
For the Filling
- ½ cup soft butter (113 grams)
- ½ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup almond flour (72 grams)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (95 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup raspberry jam (or preferred flavour)
- 1 teaspoon almond essence
- 1 handful slivered or flaked almonds
Instructions
For the Crust
- Make the pastry crust. This needs to be done in advance as the pastry dough needs to rest in the fridge for at least an hour. Combine the flour, almond flour and sugar in a medium sized bowl and add the butter. Rub the butter in with just your fingertips until the mixture looks like large bread crumbs. Add the egg and mix everything together with your hand until you form a soft and sticky dough. Grease your baking tin with some butter or spray with cooking spray.Press the dough into the prepared pan until it’s even and comes up the sides just a little bit. Prick the dough a few times with a fork(maybe 10 – 12 times) and cover it with plastic wrap. Pop the pan into the fridge for at least a nhour to allow the pastry to chill.
- After 1 hour, heat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Bake the crust in the oven for 15 – 20minutes until it looks dry and is just beginning to brown. Once baked, place the pan on a cooling rack to cool while you begin to make almond sponge.
For the Sponge
- Put the butter and sugar into a medium bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Next, add the almond flour, all-purpose flour and baking powder and stir until combined. Finally add the almond essence and give everything one last stir.
Putting It All Together
- Spread a generous layer of jam over the pastry base.
- Next, spread the almond batter over the jam. Take your time here to spread it evenly over the jam. Use an off-set spatula if you have one. A knife will also work well. Spread the batter evenly over the jam. You don’t have to worry so much about spreading it right to the edges as the batter will spread a bit during baking.
- Sprinkle the flaked almonds liberally over the top and bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes until baked and browned on top.
Notes
This almond slice always tastes better on the second day. They will keep up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container.
Recipe is adapted from Jane Brocket's 'Vintage Cakes' (Jacqui Small; 1st edition (July 8, 2013)