Belgian slice

Not so long ago, Tammy from Wee Treats by Tammy posted about her family recipe for Belgian slice. This slice is very popular in New Zealand, although my research suggests that its origin is British (how about that for an identity crisis?). I had bought a piece of Belgian slice, and did not think that much of it, but Tammy's slice looked so good that I decided to give it another chance and make it myself.

This week, I used Tammy's recipe to make Belgian slice for work. And the verdict? This slice in its home-made incarnation is delicious! It is rather sweet, but not at all dry like the bought equivalent. I cut my slice into small pieces so that it was just enough sugar-hit to make you feel satisfied. It was a hit at work (yay!), and I sent the link to the recipe to someone.

If you decide to make this slice, just one word of warning to protect the innocent - the pastry is very soft, but when Tammy says roll it out, please roll it out! I thought that it would save me a lot of palaver just to press the pastry into the slice tin, and this worked a treat for the bottom layer of the slice. However, the pastry is not soft enough to press nicely over the top of the jam, so I ended up with a sticky amalgam of pastry and jam when I tried to press the top layer of pastry over the jam. Most of you probably worked this out without me having to tell you, but I did it (and binned the result), so I thought it was worth mentioning.

This slice is perfect for an elegant ladies afternoon tea party - I could see it on a pretty cake stand with scones and cucumber sandwiches at a British hotel for high tea. If you love sweet, cinnamon-flavoured treats, this slice is for you.