AI-generated image
Jelly slice
Three layers: buttery biscuit base, lemon condensed-milk cream and bright red jelly
Jelly slice is a fixture of school fetes, church bake stalls and birthday tables in Australia and New Zealand: a crushed biscuit base, a tangy layer of lemon and condensed milk set with gelatine, and a glassy top of red raspberry jelly, cut into neat squares. It needs no oven but a lot of fridge time, so make it the day before. It contains gluten and milk, and gelatine, so it is not vegetarian; agar-based vegetarian jelly crystals and a vegetarian gelling agent work if set according to their packet. Chef's tip: let the jelly cool until it is syrupy and only just warm before pouring, or it melts into the creamy layer.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the base
- 4 ½ oz unsalted buttermelted
For the creamy layer
- 1 tbsp powdered gelatine
- ½ cup boiling water
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup lemon juiceabout 2 lemons
For the jelly
- 1 cup boiling water
- ¾ cup cold water
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Line a 20 × 30 cm tin with baking paper, leaving some overhanging to lift it out. Crush 9 oz plain sweet biscuits (such as rich tea or digestives) to fine crumbs and mix with 4 ½ oz unsalted butter until it looks like damp sand.
Step 2: Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the tin with the back of a spoon. Chill for 20 minutes, until firm.
20 minStep 3: Sprinkle 1 tbsp powdered gelatine over ½ cup boiling water and whisk until fully dissolved with no grains left. Whisk in 14 oz sweetened condensed milk and ¼ cup lemon juice until smooth. Pour over the base and chill for 1 hour, until set and no longer wobbly in the middle.
60 minStep 4: Dissolve 3 oz raspberry jelly crystals in 1 cup boiling water, stir in ¾ cup cold water and leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until cool and just starting to thicken. The common mistake is pouring it warm, which melts the creamy layer and the two run together.
30 minStep 5: Pour the jelly gently over the back of a spoon onto the set cream, so it doesn't dent the surface. Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight, until the jelly is firm.
180 minStep 6: Lift out and cut into 16 squares with a hot, wet knife, wiping it between cuts. Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 31 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jelly slice take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sweetened condensed milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Moreton Bay bugsSlipper lobster with garlic butter
Moreton Bay bugs are the flat, shovel-nosed slipper lobsters caught off the Queensland coast around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and for Queenslanders they are a summer treat, split and grilled at the beach house. The tail meat is sweet and rich, somewhere between lobster and prawn. Buy them raw, frozen or fresh, from a fishmonger and ask them to halve them if you like. A common mistake is overcooking, which makes the meat rubbery; it is ready the moment it turns white. Chef's tip: grill flesh side down first to mark it, then turn and baste in the shell.
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
Perfect for:Kids' birthday party