BLACKBERRY COCONUT SLICE





I've seen this jammy coconut slice at many a bring-a-plate-to-share parties but, despite loving it, I'd never actually made the slice myself. It seems like one of those treats that you must always use an old country-style family recipe for, but I decided that my family mustn't have jumped on the coconut slice bandwagon. And that's ok - we made it happily onto the fudge, biscuits and brownies train. Anyway, I went to an old baking book and found myself a recipe before deciding to use the beautiful fresh blackberries that were sitting in my fridge. The blackberry jam that those little gems make is fresh and sweet, and it is the best of friends with that crunchy coconut meringue topping. 

Blackberry coconut slice

What you'll need:
Biscuit base:
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup desicated coconut
2 cups plain flour
200g butter, melted

Blackberry jam:
250g blackberries
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 gelatine leaves

Coconut topping:
2 cups shredded coconut
2 egg whites, whisked to soft peaks
1/2 cup caster sugar

What to do:
Preheat oven to 180˚C and grease the sides of a spring-form cake pan. Line the base with non-stick paper.

Mix together all ingredients for the biscuit base and press it into prepared pan. Ensure you have an even base. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. 

Meanwhile, place blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until mixture comes to the boil. Soak gelatine leaves in cold water. When leaves become soft and pliable, squeeze to drain excess water and add them to the boiling syrup. Stir for 5 minutes and then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk the egg whites and sugar together until soft peaks form. Stir in the shredded coconut.

Top the biscuit base with blackberry jam and spread it out to create an even layer. Dollop spoonfuls of the coconut topping over the slice, and then gently spread it out. Bake for a further 20-30minutes or until the coconut has crisped up and turned a nice golden brown colour.

Leave slice in the pan to cool for 10 minutes and then run a butter knife between the tin and the slice to ensure a clean removal. Undo the spring-form side, pick up the slice using the baking paper and transfer it to a cooling rack. Once cool, slide the slice off the baking paper using an egg-flip or something similar. Serve and enjoy!