Slice recipes your granny will want to steal (2024)

There's a reason why

get passed down from generation to generation. You can have a slice mixed and in the oven in mere moments. No-bake versions don't even need the oven.Grandmothers across every culture have known this since forever. Most will have a few versatile slice recipes up their sleeve (alongside the requisite hanky) to pull out for unexpected company; hot days when it's too sticky to bake; a quick afternoon tea to celebrate a win; or to make for a Sunday morning treat with a cup of chai.

Gur cake

Use your stale bread to make

. The prepared bread forms layers that sandwich a sweet, fruity mix. After an hour in the oven, the stale bread is transformed into a dense pastry that provides just the right amount of give when you bite into this moreish slice.

Marshmallow chocolate crackle

This

is everything we love about a slice. It's like chocolate crackles went for a stroll and decided to take the easy rocky road.That road leads to an afternoon treat that takes ten minutes tops to prepare.

Louise cake

This is one that kiwi nannas will already know. Anyone who grew up in the land of the long white cloud will no doubt have happy memories of

. It's a symphony in three parts - a biscuit base of buttery shortbread, a generous smothering of jam, both topped off with crispy coconut meringue.

Chocolate orange panforte

may translate as "strong bread", but if it bakes like a slice and cuts like a slice, it's a slice, right? As soon as we see the instructions "press firmly into the tin", it's a fair call. Panforte also shares all the humble convenience of a good slice: it's quick and easy to prepare, it's unbelievably good to eat, and it keeps for a month in the pantry.

Sri Lankan love cake

Billed as 'cake' but meeting all the criteria for a good slice, the

dates back to the Sri Lankan ancient spice trade. The cakeitselfis made from semolina and many eggs, creating a fragrant, sweet, lightly spiced cake with a moist chewy inside and a crunchy exterior.

Apricot slice

Danish

is made with a mix of dates, dried apricots, coconut and hazelnuts blended with a little honey and coconut oil. You pretty much throw the lot into a food processor and blitz it. Then do the slice thing and press it into a tin and leave it to set in the fridge.

Chana magaj

is sweet, spiced, and textured, the perfect accompaniment to a cup of masala chai. A taste of this sweet slice will whisk you away to the bustling, sandalwood-scented temples of India in a heartbeat.

Chocolate peanut slice

Gluten-free, dairy-free and free of refined sugar. This isn't the

your oma/gran/baa-baa would be familiar with, so we think it's time you introduced her.

White chocolate, blackberry and rosemary mud slice

Often the boundary between cake and slice is nicely blurred. This

is the perfect example - it's poured, rather than pressed, into the tin, but it still comes out low and lovely and ready for slicing. There's a full tin of butter beans in this recipe, so it's an excellent example of health-meets-indulgence, too.

Merle's slice

It wouldn't be a true slice list without including at least one Country Women's Association recipe.

is quintessentially CWA, too. It's completely addictive, made with pantry ingredients, and budget-friendly and the lemon drizzle icing gives it that little bit extra.

Apple and sour cream slice

Fruit goes so well in a slice and apples are always a favourite.

combines them with sour cream to up the sweet-tart flavour of this great afternoon tea pleaser.

Semolina slice

This is where slice meets dessert because you could happily serve

for afters at a dinner party. An aromatic sugar syrup, made with rosewater and orange blossom water, lends the yoghurt and semolina slice a heady fragrance.

Rice bar

The darling of cyclists for years, salt

are little energy houses, presumably to fuel you smashing the Tour de France. If that's not quite your thing, we can assure you they make a delicious, nutrient-packed treat for us everyday folk too. There's also a savoury version with added bacon

.

Vanilla slice

Despite not mentioning those all-important "press into the tin" words, no self-respecting slice list (for there are surely many) would fail to mention the delightfully sweet and custard-y

. So we did.