Jelly Slice

Phoebe Thorburn -

What a classic! Military-like layers of retro precision, that texturally compliment & fulfill the universal love for kids-party food (that I have at least), hm! These are such a joy to make, and look so swish you'll be mighty proud of yourself tucking into a slice witha lil' fancy cake fork (or a spoon!).

You'll need to track down some red vegan jelly (or gently re-melt some set stuff you can locate) - or Jel Dessert - as they're often called. But I've seen them popping up (check ingredients for brands) everywhere in little supermarkets & health food stores (and online as always) so maybe save this recipe for when you next see some.

Ingredients

  • 300g vegan & gluten-free (if need be) tea biscuits (eg. scotch finger, arrowroot, marie)
  • 55g vegan butter, melted
  • 140g/1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 30 mins in hot water, then drained & rinsed
  • 90g vegan cream cheese (I used tofutti)
  • 45g coconut oil (preferably unscented, but that's not necessary), no need to melt it
  • juice of 1 lemon (approx 1 1/2 tbsp)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (or another liquid sweetener)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 packet of vegan raspberry or strawberry flavoured jelly (I used Simply Delish which is available in Australia, Just Whole Foods is available in the UK)

Method

  1. Get your cashews soaking and line a 20cm/8inch square tin (or similar) with baking paper with generous overhang - so that you can easily pull the slice out of the tin by make-shift baking paper 'handles'.
  2. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor (or alternatively bash in a plastic bag with a rolling pin) until they resemble course sand. Add the vegan butter and blitz until incorporated and the mixture resembles wet sand. Pour the crumbs into the lined tin and press down firmly with wet finger tips or the bottom of a cup - to achieve a compact flat layer. Pop in the fridge.
  3. Drain and rinse the soaked & hydrated cashews, then add to a high-powdered blender along with the cream cheese, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, maple syrup and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour over the biscuit base and smooth out to the edges. Tap the base of the tin on the bench a couple of times to bring any air bubbles to the surface, before popping the tin into the fridge to set for at least 30 mins.
  4. When the cream cheese layer is set - aka you can tip the tin on a 45 degree angle and everything stays put - boil the kettle and prepare the vegan jelly acording to packet instructions. Using a large spoon or measuring cup, very gently dribble the jelly onto the cream cheese layer, minimising the height you "pour" from every time. Add it to different areas of the slice each time to minimise meltage of the layer below. Once all of the jelly mixture has been added to the top of the slice, return to the fridge once more to set completely (at least 2 hours to be safe).
  5. Remove the slice from the tin by running a knife around the edges of the tin, using the baking paper overhang to carefully lift it out (it's okay if it bends a bit!), then slice with a sharp knife and serve. Store in the fridge when not eating. Lasts 5 days.