Paradise Slice
With its crumbly pastry base, fruity jam, and soft almond sponge packed with currants and glacé cherries, Paradise Slice is a Scottish favourite that’s as pretty as it is delicious.
It’s not often I’m inspired to bake something purely because of a song, but that’s exactly what happened here! My boys became utterly obsessed with George Ezra, and of course, his hit Paradise kept bringing one thing to mind – Paradise Slice.
This wasn’t a bake I was overly familiar with, other than by name. But when I came across the recipe in my Mum’s little blue book, I knew it could be a winner – both for me in the kitchen and for you lovely readers of Baking with Granny.
Paradise Slice is a classic Scottish tray bake. It’s thought to have gained popularity in the mid-20th century in Scottish bakeries and tea rooms, where it often sat proudly beside plates of Almond Slice and Empire Biscuits. Much like Almond Slice, it starts with a shortcrust pastry base and a generous layer of jam, before being topped with a soft almond frangipane-style sponge. The difference is in the extras – plenty of currants and glacé cherries, which give the sponge that signature “paradise” look and taste.
The result? A perfectly crumbly, fruity bake that’s just as good with an afternoon cuppa as it is on a bake sale table.
Top Tips for Paradise Slice:
• Be Generous with the Jam: A good layer of jam makes all the difference! Raspberry works best, but strawberry or blackcurrant will work well, too. Just don’t scrimp, as the jam brings sweetness and moisture.
• Evenly Spread the Sponge: The frangipane-style sponge mixture can be a little thick, so take your time spreading it gently over the jam. I like to use a silicone spatula.
• Chop the Cherries: Quartering (or at least halving) your glacé cherries helps distribute them evenly through the almond sponge layer. Whole cherries are great on Belgian Buns, but for maximum cherry flavour, make sure you chop them a little for Paradise Slice.
•Dust with Sugar While Warm: Sprinkle your sugar topping while the tray bake is still warm from the oven, so it sticks to the top – otherwise it will all just fall off when you cut and eat a slice.
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Paradise Slice
EQUIPMENT
- 20x20cm Baking Tin (8-inch)
INGREDIENTS
For the Pastry Base
- 225 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 115 g Butter or Margarine (cold, cubed)
- 30 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 1 Free-range Egg (beaten)
For the Filling
- 3-4 tbsp Seedless Raspberry Jam (Raspberry Jelly)
- 115 g Margarine or Butter (softened)
- 115 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 1 Free-range Egg (beaten)
- 80 g Glace Cherries (Candied Cherries) (quartered)
- 120 g Currants
- 150 g Ground Almonds
- 2-3 tsp Milk
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pastry Base:
- Preheat your oven to 190°c (or 170° for a fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 5 or 375°F) and grease a tray bake tin generously with some butter. Line a 20cmx20cm (8-inch) baking tin with greaseproof paper and set it aside..
- In a large bowl, rub the flour and margarine/butter together with your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs. Stir through the sugar before adding the egg. Mix until combined into a soft pastry. You may need to use your hands!
- Roll the pastry to roughly the size of your pre-lined tin. Transfer the pastry to your tin, pressing into the edges and up the sides. Trim any overhanging pastry and prick the pastry all over with a fork. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper before filling with baking beans.
- Blind bake the pastry for 10-15 minutes to give the base a head start and avoid a soggy bottom. Following the blind bake, remove the baking beans and top the pastry with the raspberry jam, evenly spreading over the pastry. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
For the Filling:
- Lower the oven to 180°c (160°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F).
- In a large bowl, cream the margarine/butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined.
- Add the cherries, currants and ground almonds and mix until combined. If the mixture feels thick, add a teaspoon or two of milk to loosen it, though this may not always be necessary.
- Spoon the mixture onto the jam-covered pastry bake, spreading evenly to the edges and corners. Bake for 25-30 minutes in your pre-heated oven, or until the top is golden and dry to the touch.
- Once baked, sprinkle the Paradise Slice with some sugar and allow it to cool in the tin. Once completely cool, remove from the tin and slice into squares or slices to serve.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- Storage: Keep your Paradise Slice in an airtight container at room temperature. It will stay fresh for up to 4–5 days, although the texture – particularly of the pastry – may change slightly.
- Freezing: Paradise Slice freezes really well. Wrap individual slices in baking paper and pop them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
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Substitutions:
- Jam: Raspberry is traditional, but strawberry, blackcurrant, or even apricot jam make lovely alternatives. Seedless is preferable for the overall texture, but you can use whatever you like best
- Fruit: If you’re not keen on glacé cherries, you can swap them for dried apricots, dried cranberries or just some extra currants.
- Pastry: Shop-bought shortcrust pastry works just as well if you’re short on time.
- Nuts: If you can’t use almonds, one reader used semolina; another replaced the ground almonds with rice flour and a little oil & vanilla – both got great results.
Paradise Slice is a traditional Scottish tray bake made with a shortcrust pastry base, a layer of jam, and a soft almond frangipane-style sponge topping filled with currants and glacé cherries. It’s usually finished with a sprinkling of sugar for extra sweetness.
Paradise Slice is believed to have origins in Scotland and became popular in bakeries and tea rooms during the mid-20th century. It’s often compared to Almond Slice but includes the addition of currants and cherries, which give it its distinctive flavour.
The exact origins of the name are unclear, but many believe it comes from the abundance of fruit in this tray bake – currants, glacé cherries, and jam. These were once considered a real luxury, and almost a “slice of paradise.”
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-Free: For ease, you could use a ready-roll gluten-free shortcrust pastry. Alternatively, you can swap out the plain flour in the pastry for a gluten-free flour blend. These can sometimes be a little drier however, so you may need to add a little water to your pastry dough mix.
Dairy-Free: Swap the butter/margarine for a dairy-free block alternative (avoid spreadable types, as they’re too soft for the pastry).
Nut-Free: Paradise Slice is traditionally made with ground almonds, but some bakers have shared some great substitutes in the comments. One recommends using semolina in place of almonds, while another had success with 140g rice flour, 10g vegetable oil, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Both options work well for a nut-free bake.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
Originally published in May 2019. Updated in September 2025.
Amazing recipe – tried it today and they are delish. 10/10 x
It looks like there’s a pastry layer on top it it doesn’t say to put anything over the fruit. How does that happen?
Hi Julieanne. There is no pastry layer on top, simply the filling as the recipe states. This filling includes butter, sugar and ground almonds, which as it bakes creates the cake like texture around and on top of the fruit.
I was going to ask the same question. In Dcotland we know this as fly cemetery
I remember fly cemeteries – they were grim!
These are wonderful ❤️❤️
I agree, Fly Cemeteries weren’t very nice. Paradise slices are amazing. They are quite different.
Love this recipe as close to my grans so even better, but fly’s cemetery is pastry top and bottom and no ground almonds, just currants and butter in the middle.
(Scotland)
what about the top layer pastry ?
I made the recipe using 140g rice flour and 10g vegetable oil instead of the ground almonds (due to a nut allergy) plus a teaspoon of vanilla extract. The result worked really well. Thanks for the recipe.
Just love this recipe alway works for me
What a brilliant recipe. Thank you so much. My daughter said they tasted like ‘something from Tebay (services on the M6) and you don’t get much higher praise than that
How can I convert the measurements to those we use USA?
Just search for an imperial/metric conversion page on the internet.
I was just talking about these.and so pleased to have the recipe
This recipe has now been made in 4 households within my family and we all loved it!! Thank you – absolutely delicious and fairly simple to make.
I made this and instead of sprinkling with sugar I iced the top, delicious.
We found these in a local garden centre and were determined to find a recipe. This is ace. All I would fast is add all the ground almonds even if it’s hard to mix, otherwise the top is a bit wet!
Excellent. The pastry needed another 5 minutes for the blind bake. You can also vary the filling with an apricot, date, coconut mixture. Maybe a savory biscuit with caraway in the pastry, or a dill goat cheese filling. Thank you for posting.
Hello from the Boston MA
I couldn’t wait to make these but had a few “hmm” moments as I did. Your photos seem to show a thinish bar. As I prepared mine this morning, the pastry seemed like too much for the pan size and was quite thick. Also my filling batter was super thick and not at all spoonable. There’s really no equivalent to this recipe in the US so I’ve got nothing to compare it to.
Its out of the oven, looks delicious so we shall see.
just a quick follow up. they are absolutely delicious but double the thickness of yours. the recipe is a keeper and next time I will simply use a larger pan.
I am late for the party but oh my world this is fabulous. It took me just 30 seconds to get to the kitchen once I saw the recipe. As a fan of frangipane and dried fruits, this is indeed Paradise.
Thank you!
My husbands new fave! I sprinkle slivered almonds over the top before baking instead of the sugar after baking. I also do 1.5 times topping and make in a larger pan – more deliciousness to enjoy
Could I use sweet mince in this recipe?
Great recipe, enjoyed by all my family.
Just tried this recipe. Absolutely delicious! There are only two of us in the household, can I freeze half of it?
Can you suggest a substitute fof the ground almonds due to nut intolerance, thank you
I use semolina
Made it, ate it, loved it! As did all the folk I share it with. Keep these lovely recipes coming please. Any plans for a book?
Fran x
Hi I really want to try this. Would I need to double it for a 9×13 tin?
Thank you, thank you so so much, My Mum used to make this 50+ years ago and she passed in 2001, the Recipe was in a church book and I have not been able to find it. I am going to make this as soon as I can.
I have just made The Paradise Slice Amazing !
I used to make this in the local bakery always a big hit with everyone
Thankyou
made this for the 1st time 2 weeks ago was a huge hit in New Zealand :) just one question can you freeze this as wanted to make a bigger one for afternoon tea but want to freeze.
Great recipe
Easy recipe, works well every time.
I baked this last week for a fundraiser for Cancer Research UK. It looked rich, moist and sumptuous and once word got round how gorgeous it was it disappeared like magic. Luckily I had made two tarts! I managed to salvage a couple of pieces for us to try and it was absolutely lipsmackingly delicious. So rich you only need a small slice. I shall certainly be repeating this for our next coffee morning. Thank you for this recipe, it’s a keeper.
I made this last week to take to our quilting group to go with our cup of coffee. Not only did it disappear rather fast, this week several ladies asked for the recipe and repeated how much they enjoyed it.
Like Lily (commenter) we love frangipane and dried fruits, so it was particularly inviting to try the recipe.
I didn’t have any raspberry jam, but I used Compost Heap Jelly instead.
Also I didn’t have enough ground almonds, so half of the weight was self-raising flour. It was still delicious, but I must remember to ensure I have plenty of ground almonds in stock.