Bakewell Slice

After a week back at work, my gloriously long holiday in France spent wandering around sun-filled medieval villages, eating exquisite pastries and sampling lots of local specialities is rapidly becoming but a distant memory. I need something that will serve the dual purpose of prolonging my French holiday feeling and providing a little treat that will enliven my lunch box and therefore, my working day. If you're feeling generous, colleagues will no doubt appreciate having a plate of homemade sweet treats too.

This recipe from Nigella (taken from her fantastic book 'Feast') for Bakewell Slices fits the bill perfectly. It may seem odd that such an English tart evokes memories of France for me but frangipane is so ubiquitous in French pastries that, in my mind, it is inextricably linked to that country. (Interestingly, Alan Davidson's fantastic tome 'The Oxford Companion to Food', tells us that although frangipane originated in France, first appearing in a French cookery book of 1674, the name actually comes from an Italian aristocrat, Don Cesare Frangipani.)

Be that as it may, I love anything with that sticky, sweet, almondy filling. A real Bakewell Tart is a thing of joy but it takes more effort to make and is best served as pudding. This recipe, as Nigella states, is an easy option as there is no pastry involved but it still delivers the gorgeous combination of buttery almond and jam. The base is Nigella's very rich shortbread but I've slightly adapted the filling, by using three whole eggs plus one yolk and I add a few drops of French almond extract to really intensify the flavour.

As these are perfect for a packed lunch (albeit a slightly decadent one), I'm entering this into the fabulous Forever Nigella challenge started by Sarah at http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/forever-nigella and hosted this month by Nazima http://www.workinglondonmummy.com/2012/09/forever-nigella-september-packed-lunch.html - thank you both for a lovely challenge.

RECIPE (apapted from Nigella's recipe in 'Feast')

For the base
225g plain flour
60g icing sugar
225g butter (I prefer to use salted butter for this but you can use unsalted if you prefer, adding a pinch of salt to the mix)

For the filling
150g butter
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
150g caster sugar
150g ground almonds
60g flaked almonds
325g jam
a few drops of almond extract

A baking tray, about 23x30x6cm, greased and base lined with baking parchment.

Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C .

Whiz the flour and icing sugar in a food processor, add the butter and process again until you have a crumbly mixture just coming together. Press into the tin, forming a thin layer on the bottom. Cook in the oven for 20 mins.

For the filling, melt the butter and allow to cool slightly. Put the eggs, the yolk, sugar and ground almonds in a processor and whiz together.

Take the base out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes before spreading with the jam. Add the melted butter and the almond extract to the other ingredients in the processor, keeping the motor running as you do so.

Pour the mixture over the jammy shortbread, top with the flaked almonds (you can toast these beforehand in a pan if you so wish) and bake for 35 minutes.

Allow to cool before cutting into slices.

Sydney Specials (or Chocolate Crunch Slices)

These were a constant feature of family gatherings when I was growing up. I loved everything about them, but particularly the name. I have no idea where it comes from but that's what they were known as in our family and that's what I will continue to call them.

I've already written about my Aunt's seemingly unending recipe range for little cakes, bars and slices (see here for another of her delicious bakes) and sure enough, Sydney Specials originated with her although they were made by all branches of our family.

There are a number of reasons why you should try these: they are ridiculously easy to make, they taste really good, somewhere between a cake and a biscuit, and everybody loves them, young and old alike. Please don't be put off by the fact that cornflakes are one of the ingredients - you can't taste them or see them really, they just add a pleasing crunch.

The ease with which they are made, their universal popularity and the fact that they are covered in chocolate make them ideal for selling at cake stalls so I'm sending them over as a second entry to this month's Tea Time Treats Challenge, with the theme of Cake Stall Cakes, run by Karen of Lavender and Lovage (this month's host) and Kate at What Kate Baked.

RECIPE

175g butter

110g soft brown sugar

25g cornflakes

50g dessicated coconut
1 tablespoon cocoa
150g self raising flour
pinch salt
200g milk chocolate for the top

A baking tin, 17 x 26cm approx, greased and base lined with greaseproof paper

Preheat oven to 160°C
Melt the butter and sugar together over a low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Pour and press evenly into the prepared tin.
Bake for 20-25 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
Melt the chocolate and pour over the top.
When cold, cut into squares or rectangles as you prefer.