A Slice Of Life?

The Slice is Right? Slice and Dice?

Hmmm... yeah they're all pretty rotten as far as titles go LOL.

The apricot slice was a bit hit. It was very simple to prepare with the hardest bit being halving the apricots and removing the stone. A word of warning, the slice dries out fairly quickly so it's probably best to make it on the day you're planning to eat it (or, as I did, the night before if it's for morning tea) as I don't think it will keep very well. Not to worry in our house, it's nearly gone already!

Apricot Slice

from Bill's Open Kitchen by Bill Granger

1 1/2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

180g butter, softened

14 apricots, pitted and halved (this may vary depending on the size of the apricots - mine were quite large, I'll use small ones next time round)

2 tablespoons caster sugar, extra

Preheat oven to 160C. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Place the eggs, milk and vanilla in another bowl and mix to combine. Pour the egg mixture and butter into the well in the dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly into a greased or non-stick 20 x 30cm lamington tin

Push the apricot halves, cut side up, evenly into the cake mixture in four rows of seven. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, sprinkle over extra sugar and cook for another 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cut into fingers with two apricot halves per slice. Makes 14 slices. (Like I said, the apricots I used were quite large so I cut the slice into squares with one apricot half per slice.)