Raspberry and Coconut Slice, Made With One Jar of Conserve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 20cm x 30cm slice tin and line the base and long sides with baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift by.
2. Beat the softened butter and 110g of caster sugar for 3 minutes, until pale and light.
3. Beat in the egg and the vanilla until smooth.
4. Fold in the self-raising flour and the salt until it comes together as a soft dough. Stop as soon as there is no dry flour left.
5. Press the dough into the tin in an even layer, working it into the corners with your fingers and levelling the top with the base of a glass. Do not prick it.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until the surface looks matt rather than shiny and the edges have taken a little colour.
7. Cool the base in the tin for 15 minutes. It needs to be barely warm, not hot.
8. Stir the conserve in the jar to loosen it, then spoon it over the base in dollops and push it gently to the edges with the back of a spoon. Do not warm it first, and do not thin it with water.
9. Whisk the 2 eggs with the remaining 110g of caster sugar and the vanilla, then stir through the desiccated coconut and the melted butter until every strand is damp.
10. Scatter the coconut mixture over the jam in loose handfuls rather than spreading it, then press it level with a fork. Spreading drags the jam up into the topping and gives you the pink streaks.
11. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is golden at the edges, pale gold in the middle and springs back when pressed.
12. Cool completely in the tin, at least 2 hours, then lift it out by the paper and cut into 24 squares with a long knife, wiping the blade between cuts.

Questions we get asked

What is the difference between jam and conserve?

In practice it is about how hard the fruit has been worked. Jam is generally cooked to a smooth, even set, while conserve usually means the fruit has been treated more gently and left in larger, recognisable pieces in a looser syrup. The words are not protected in any useful way, so a jar labelled conserve can still be smooth. Judge the jar, not the label: tip it on its side and see whether the contents move as pieces or as one mass.

Why did my raspberry slice go soggy in the middle?

Nearly always one of three things. The base was underbaked, so it still held moisture when the jam went on. The base was still hot, so the jam steamed under the coconut and the steam soaked back down. Or the jam was heated or thinned before spreading, which turns a layer into a syrup that soaks in as it bakes. Bake the base until it is matt, cool it for 15 minutes, and use the conserve straight from the jar.

How long does coconut slice keep?

Four to five days in an airtight container in a cool spot, and it is at its best on days two and three. Keep it whole and uncut for as long as you can, because cut edges dry first. In humid weather, or anywhere north of about Coffs Harbour in summer, put it in the fridge and take it out half an hour before you serve it, since cold coconut topping is leathery and warms back to itself quickly.

Can you freeze raspberry and coconut slice?

Yes, and better than most baked slices, because the jam layer keeps the middle from drying. Cool it completely, cut it into squares, layer them between sheets of baking paper in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature uncovered, so condensation goes into the air rather than onto the coconut. Do not freeze it whole and uncut: a cold slab cuts into rubble.

The jar is the part worth choosing on purpose. The Officers' Mess raspberry and blackberry conserve is $12.95 for 300g, and the rest of The Regimental Condiment Company range comes in the same small jars, named after regiments and wartime aircraft. There is a 110g mini of the same conserve at $6.95 if you want to taste it first. For something in the same family with no baking at all, the lemon curd and raspberry tartlets are 15 minutes of assembly. Shipping is free Australia-wide on orders over $100, and orders placed before 12pm on a weekday are dispatched the same day from our Corio, Victoria warehouse, tracked with Australia Post. Jars like these also turn up inside our Christmas hampers, if the slice is not the gift.