disappearing almond slice

salted almonds, gooey caramel, buttery shortbread base

a cafe near me sells something called “bikers slice” which is a shortbread base topped with apricots, dark chocolate, shredded coconut and a baked caramel glueing it all together

the flavour combination of apricot, dark chocolate and coconut feels really retro australiana, like an australian women’s weekly slice from the 80s

this slice is like that, but not at all - i swapped the apricots for almonds, nixed the chocolate, and ran out of coconut

the results is more like an almond frangipane slice, with a buttery shortbread base and crunchy almonds suspended in soft caramel

it won’t last long in this house

yields six

ingredients

shortbread

60g butter

25g caster sugar

1 tsp almond essence

0.25 tsp salt

65g plain flour

almond caramel filling

30g butter, melted and cooled

60g cream

50g caster sugar

20g golden syrup

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

0.25 tsp salt

25g plain flour

0.25 tsp baking powder

100g almonds, roughly chopped

optional: 100g dark chocolate, to top

method

shortbread

preheat the oven to 165°C

line a loaf tin with baking paper

melt the butter (60g) and let cool

stir in the sugar (25g), almond essence (1 tsp), and salt (0.25 tsp)

sift in the flour (65g) and mix to form a stiff dough

pat into the base of the loaf tin and bake for 20-22 minutes until the edges are lightly browned

almond caramel filling

while the shortbread base is baking, stir together the melted butter (30g), cream (60g), sugar (50g), golden syrup (20g), egg (1), and almond essence (1 tsp) in a mixing jug

sift over the salt (0.25 tsp), flour (25g), baking powder (0.25 tsp) and stir through

add the chopped almonds (100g) and stir through to combine

pour the filling over the warm shortbread base and return to the oven

bake for 22-25 minutes

optional: as soon as it comes out of the oven, top with the dark chocolate (100g) and let melt, then spread evenly over the slice

let cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours, then transfer to the fridge to firm up completely (at least 2 hours or overnight)

using a sharp knife, slice into six bars

best served with strong coffee