Coconut Jam Slice

I wanted to use up an opened jar of strawberry jam cluttering in the fridge. Found a nice recipe to use all that jam, Coconut Jam Slice. The jam is sandwiched between a buttery shortbread  base and the top is a crumbly mixture of coconut, eggs and sugar. 

One of my favourite ingredients in bake, coconut, which imparts a delicious fragrant aroma during baking. 

Lovely fragrant jam slice. Great for snacking and makes a nice tea-time treat with a cup of warm tea!

Coconut Jam Slice

(Mastering The Art Of Baking, Anneka Manning)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
5-1/2 oz chilled butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup strawberry or raspberry jam

Topping :
1/2 cup superfine sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups shredded coconut, toasted

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/Gas 4. Brush the base and sides of a shallow 7x11-1/4 inch pan with melted butter or oil. Line the base and 2 long sides with a piece of nonstick parchment paper, cutting into the corners to fit, and allowing the paper to extend above the sides.
2. Put the flours, confectioners' sugar, butter, and egg yolk in a food processor. Using the pulse button, process until the mixture starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and press together until smooth. Use your fingertips to press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan.
3. Spread the jam evenly over the cooled slice base in the pan.
4. To make the topping, put the sugar and eggs in a medium bowl and use a balloon whisk to whisk until combined. Stir in the coconut. Spread the topping evenly over the jam, pressing down with the back of a spoon. Bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is light golden. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan. Cut into squares or fingers to serve.

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Twice-Baked Walnut Crisps

I love biscotti, the crunchy twice-baked Italian biscuits. I love eating biscotti with a mug of hot coffee or tea. This German biscuit, Twice-Baked Walnut Crisps is similar to a biscotti, but it is a healthier version, without using any butter or oil. 

Ingredients used are flour, egg whites, salt, sugar, walnuts and dried blackcurrants. Egg whites are beaten till stiff and glossy, then the rest of the ingredients are added in. Bake until light brown, then the dough is left overnight. The next day, slice the dough to 3mm thick pieces. The dough will be quite sticky on the outside at this stage.

Arrange the slices on a baking tray and bake till light brown. I prefer a crispier biscuit, so I have baked them a little longer, about 3 to 5 minutes longer. They will crisp up further as they cool.

I love these crispy biscuits. They are not too sweet and rather addictive. Great with a cup of either coffee or tea. Perfect as a tea-time treat with a mug of warm tea.

The recipe can be found here.

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Swabian Parsley Cake

This is not a cake, but a flatbread with a savoury topping. The base is a yeasted bread and the topping is made up of parsley, egg, bacon, heavy cream, sour cream and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

The base is a chewy soft bread. I baked in a 9"square baking pan (the recipe uses a 10" pan), as I wanted a thicker bread base.

I like this! Perfect for tea time, especially good when eaten still warm, minutes after baking. Yum!

Swabian Parsley Cake (Peterlingskuchen)
(Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss)
makes 1 (10-inch) cake
Dough :
1-2/3 cups, scooped and leveled, minus 1 tablespoon/200gm all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading (I use bread flour)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
pinch of granulated sugar
1/2 cup / 120ml water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the bowl

Topping :
2 tightly packed cups / 80gm flat-leaf parsley, stemmed (about 2 bunches)
2-1/2 ounces / 70gm Speck or slab bacon, finely diced
1/3 cup / 80ml heavy cream
1/3 cup / 80gm sour cream
1 egg
freshly grated nutmeg
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the dough : Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Put the yeast in the well and add the sugar. Slowly pour in the water, stirring gently with a fork. Keep stirring, adding the salt and oil. As soon as the dough is starting to come together, dump it out on a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously until the dough is smooth and silky, 4 to 5 minutes. Resist adding too much more flour as you knead; you want the dough to remain as soft as possible. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean dishcloth. Place in a warm, draft-free spot and let rise for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Line a 10-inch cake pan with a piece of parchment paper, letting the sides hang over the edge to function as a sling after baking.
3. Place the dough in the prepared pan. Gently push the dough down and out to cover the bottom of the pan and make a very slight rim, taking care not to stretch the dough so much as simply spread it out with your fingertips, The dough should be even and slightly dimpled. Cover with the dishcloth and set aside for an additional 30 minutes.\
4. To make the topping : Coarsely chop the parsley and place in a mixing bowl. Add the speck, heavy cream, sour cream, egg and a few gratings of nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine well. Scrape the parsley mixture evenly onto the risen dough.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the top is starting to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes. Using the parchment paper as a sling, remove the cake from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve hot or warm. The cake is best eaten the day it is made, but you can keep it for 1 day at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap. Warm leftovers in a 350F/180C oven before serving.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #31 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray