Gluten Free Belgian Slice

Takes 1.5 hours. Makes 9 large slices.

Belgian Slice, is a tray bake version of the Belgian Biscuits which is a biscuit originating from..... New Zealand. It is two layered spiced shortcakes with jam in the middle, with icing and jelly crystals on top. So why is it called a Belgian Slice then? Well, good question. In my research, it seems like that a distant ancestor of the Belgian Biscuit was the German Biscuit, later renamed to the Empire Biscuit in WWII, which was biscuit originally from... Scotland! Seems like there is little regard for countries of origin when naming baked goods.

My favourite slice

Back in my high school days, I had an after school/weekend job at a bakery. A gluten bakery!

Ah, those were the days. If you aren't from New Zealand, you might not know how many slices are available at the average bakery. There is peppermint slice, ginger slice, chocolate slice, tan slice, Belgian slice, custard slice, Louise slice, caramel slice... the list goes on. Anyway, so one of the perks of working at this bakery was that I was able to take home the offcuts of all these slices, and I never skipped out on that offer when it was the Belgian Slice. So this recipe has been a long time coming

Making the base

It took me a while to get the base to work for me, without being too crumbly or dry so I went for a lighter base, more cake than pastry. The best tip I can give you for cooking the base is roll it out to the size you need before layering it in the tin. This will be especially helpful for the second shortcake layer, because the more you try push it into the tin, the more you will displace the jam layer.

I have recently discovered an easier way to make this base, which is by cooking each half of the base in seperate tins. This means that they come out a lot flatter, and you don't run the risk of the jam soaking into the slice.

I N G R E D I E N T S

For the slice:

• 125 grams butter (softened)

• 140 grams caster sugar

• 1 1/2 tbsp golden syrup

• 1 egg

• 315 grams gluten free flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

• 3 tsp cinnamon

• 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice

• 3/4 cup raspberry jam

For the icing:

• 150 grams icing sugar

• 1 tbsp softened butter

• Red jelly crystals

M E T H O D

1. Preheat the oven to 180° celsius/bake and line two square tins with baking paper. The tins I use are 9x9 inches.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add in the golden syrup and beat again. Add in the egg and beat until combined.

4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon, and mixed spice. Mix together with a spoon until you have a firm dough - it should be easy to handle and not too sticky.

5. Divide the dough into two equal halves, you can do this using kitchen scales.

6. Roll out each half to the size of the baking tins. Don't worry about this being too accurate, it will just help for when you are pushing it into the tin.

7. Push the divided dough into two baking tins of the same size. If you don't have two tins, bake one base at a time!

8. Bake the bases in the oven for 20 minutes.

9. Take out of the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes in the tin before removing it and placing on a rack to cool completely. If you try to move the bases while they are still warm, they might break!

10. When the slice has cooled, spread the jam over one of the bases, and then gently place the other base on top, pressing down softly.

11. To make the top layer, beat the icing sugar, butter, and two tablespoons of water together until you have a smooth icing.

12. Cover the slice with the icing and then immediately sprinkle over the red jelly crystals.

13. Wait until the icing has set before slicing into 9 (or more) slices!