2014 Cooking Club Week 25: Almond Slices

My mother got this recipe from a friend of hers in the 60s and it's a been a favourite in our family ever since.
Sorry the measurements are only in ozs.

Ingredients:

6oz self-raising flour
3oz butter or margarine
Half a teaspoon of baking powder
1 large egg, separated
4oz caster sugar
2 heaped tablespoons of apricot jam, warmed to make it easier to spread
1-2 drops of almond extract (optional)
A small amount of milk if required
Flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 180C
Grease and line a small swiss roll tin - 29cm x 19cm

Rub the butter or margarine into the flour and baking powder. Add 2oz of the sugar, the egg yolk and almond extract if using. Mix to a dough, adding a little milk if necessary.

Knead lightly and roll out a bit, it's very soft and will break up if you roll it out fully. Once it's roughly three quarters the size of the tin, put it in and press it out with your fingertips. I use a straight-sided glass dusted with flour to even it out.



Spread with the warmed jam, leaving a border of around half a cm all round.

Beat the egg white until stiff then add the other 2oz of sugar a little at a time, beating it well.

Spread the meringue over the jam, leaving a border again, then sprinkle with the flaked almonds.



Bake for 20-25 minutes until the meringue is cooked. Allow to cool in the tin then cut into 16 slices. You could get 24 dainty ones out of it but we like them big.



*You could use any chopped nuts on top, and dessicated coconut works very well with raspberry jam.