Plum and apricot jam coconut slice

This little Christmas grinch is now on annual leave for two weeks! Yay! I am excited; no more being on hold and listing to the awful ATO on hold music, horrible microwaved work lunches and 2-3 hour bus trips each day...well, at least for two weeks:) This is an occasion worthy of some cake and this one involves jam....

There is so much jam in my household. My grandma on one side and my grandpa on the other side of my family both make jam. They're both proud owners of apricot and plums trees and therefore each year pick buckets of fruit to turn into fruity lumpy jam (not that smooth rubbish you find at the supermarket). We are gifted so much jam that my grandparents must think we drink it. If it did not contain equal portions of fruit and sugar, I would drink it.

Plum and apricot and jam coconut slice
This recipe is from the The Australian Women's Weekly Classic Cakes; sponges, tea cakes fruit cakes book, page 138, 139.
I have changed the sugar content, used corn flour instead of buying custard powder (corn flour with sugar, and scary flavourings), used apricot and plum jam instead of raspberry and halved the coconut topping recipe.

What you need

Ugh, I forgot the eggs in the picture!

For thebase

• 90g butter, softened
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup self raising flour
• 2/3 cup plain flour
• 1 tablespoon corn flour
• Apricot and raspberry jam

For the topping

• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/8 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten

What you need to do

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, grease and line a 20cm x 30cm lammington tin with baking paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl.
3. Sift in flours and custard powder and mix to form a dough
4. Place some flour onto your hands and spread the dough evenly into the lammington tin.
5. Spread jam over the dough. I used apricot jam for one half of the pan and plum jam for the other half, as I couldn't decide which jam would taste better.
6. For the coocnut topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle over the jam.
7. Bake for 40 minutes.
8. Cool the slice in the pan and cut into even rectangles.

This is one nice slice. I found it to be much nicer the day after I made it. It is buttery, soft but not too soft and the jam I used gave it just the right amount of sweetness. Jam and coconut is a great combination.

The slice reminds me of Nussecken; a dough with jam on the top and a topping on top of that. If I had to choose between Nussecken and this slice, Nussecken would win. Of course it has to win; it's more expensive! I am always looking for ways to cut costs when baking and I always seem to enjoy the more costlier items I bake.

If you start to make Nussecken and realise you do not have any ground hazelnuts, you could always cover the dough with jam and make this slice.  You could also make a streussel topping if you do not have any coconut on hand. Or, use the dough base recipe and make your own fruit topping using fruit instead of the jam. Imagine the greatness!

Still cannot decide whether I prefer the plum or apricot though....