This coconut jam slice is perfection. The combination of buttery flavour, raspberry and coconut is outrageously good but it’s honestly the work of minutes to put together.
- A gorgeous flavour combo.
- Quick and easy to make.
- Just 8 simple ingredients.
- Texturally soft, jammy and crisp all in one bite.
- Portable and can be made ahead.
My MIL has been making this raspberry coconut slice for years and the cookbook she first found it in calls it Gwen Biscuit. Where that name comes from no one knows but what matters is it’s an absolute family favourite. The base is cake like, rather than a biscuit and it’s buttery and so yum.
Here in Australia this coconut raspberry slice is a morning tea or afternoon classic. Sometimes it’s made with a more shortbread style crust but, more often than not, it’s this cakey base version. If you want to try the shortbread crust, use the one from these raspberry shortbread bars.
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Ingredients you’ll need
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are self-explanatory and typical ingredients in a cake or slice.
Self-raising flour can be substituted for both the plain flour (all purpose) and baking powder. Butter should be unsalted and I always use large free-range eggs. Also make sure to use vanilla extract, not essence.
- Desiccated coconut: Desiccated coconut is very finely shredded coconut. In Australia desiccated coconut only comes unsweetened so, if you have a choice where you are, choose unsweetened.
- Raspberry jam: Choose any raspberry jam you like though I have to say, I love the Bonne Maman raspberry jam for this. For that matter, you can use any flavoured jam you like or have on hand.
How to make coconut jam slice (step-by-step)
There are three components to this raspberry coconut slice.
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
- The buttery base: Beat together butter and sugar until creamy, add egg and vanilla, then mix in dry ingredients. The cake batter then gets spread into the base of a square baking pan.
- The filling: The filling is nothing more than jam. Just spread it over the batter evenly.
- The coconut topping: Finally, just mix together coconut, sugar and egg until combined, then scatter it over the top of the jam.
With the three layers made and assembled you can place it straight into the oven to bake.
Tips and tricks
- Weigh ingredients: Make sure to weigh the ingredients (especially the flour, sugar and coconut) for the best results. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the ingredient into the cup measures before levelling off with the back of a knife. Just don’t scoop with the cup measure straight into the flour or coconut.
- Cream the butter and sugar: You want to beat the butter and sugar until it’s looking fluffy and light. This is called creaming. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
Yield and storage
This recipe makes enough for 12-16 pieces. I generally do 12 rectangles.
Raspberry coconut slice can be made 1-2 days ahead and keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before serving. It also freezes well, if you have any leftovers you want to save for another time.
You can serve this slice as is with a cuppa on the side but my hubbys family will often have some ice cream with it and have it for dessert. The flavours are also perfect for smothering a slice in some warm runny custard (crème anglaise).
Did you try this coconut raspberry slice recipe?
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Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened (1 stick / ½ cup)
- 105 g white granulated sugar (½ cup)
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 130 g plain flour (all-purp flour) (1 cup / 4.6oz)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup raspberry jam
COCONUT TOPPING
- 125 g unsweetened desiccated coconut (1 ½ cups / 4.4oz)
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with baking paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat together the butter and ½ cup of sugar until it looks pale and creamy.
- Add the first egg and vanilla and beat until smooth again. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl (to distribute and aerate), then add to the butter mixture. Beat on low until just combined.
- Drop spoonfuls of batter into the prepared pan then carefully spread around into a fairly even layer.
- Spoon over dollops of the raspberry jam and spread that out too.
- In the medium bowl the flour was in, using a fork, mix together the coconut, ⅓ cup of sugar and last egg until well combined.
- Sprinkle the coconut mixture over the jam and press it down just a little bit.
- Bake for around 35 minutes.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- All ovens vary – always test for doneness 3-5 minutes before the recipe suggests
- For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
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3 Comments on “Raspberry Coconut Slice”
Thank you for such a quick response. Greatly appreciated.
You noted that the slice is sweet but not too sweet. That is certainly what I would want in a slice. Now wondering what to do….reduce the jam a little or simply bake as written.
I have never been a decisive person !
Hello,
I have always loved a Raspberry & Coconut slice, however as I have gotten older I tend to avoid the slice due to the high amount of jam & sugar.
Is it possible to reduce the quantity of jam & sugar?
Thanks for your prolific number of posts. Amazed at your commitment.
Regards,
Angela
Hello Angela and thank you. I’ve already tried to lower the amount of sugar in the batter so that it still works but isn’t super sweet. You could drop down the sugar in the coconut topping and that shouldn’t affect the bake. With the jam, you can drop that down as much as you like without affecting the bake but it will affect the flavour. Maybe you could use a low-sugar jam? Hope that’s helpful.