Paradise Slice
A classic Scottish tray bake made with a shortcrust pastry base, a layer of raspberry jam, and a soft fragipane-style almond sponge topping, packed with currants and glacé cherries. Finished with a sprinkling of sugar, this fruity slice is perfect with a cup of tea or for bake sales.
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Servings: 9
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.
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