Jam / Nutella coconut slice

Même recette en français

By now I guess no one still expects me to keep up with my self-imposed one blog post a day June challenge. No one had noticed I guess!
It's silly because I have been rather excited about my food this month and tried new recipes and been eating very well. But finding time and the inspiration to write up is another thing. Oh well, I guess no one really wants that anyway. My time gets sucked up by Instagram, which I have just installed and tried using. It's been available for Android phones for two months but I was ignorant of that and still used Picplz. Only picplz is now closing down so it's been my cue to at long last use the real thing. I am also catching up with Mad Men, thankfully while it's the European championship, so apologies for preferring the company of Jon Hamm to yours, my dear but invisible readers.

But I think everyone agrees that a blog post about some baking is always exciting. So here goes for today's snack.

 I made my own version of Louise slice (from New Zealand) otherwise called a jam coconut slice (Australia). I am satisfied with the recipe except next time I will use only 1/4 tsp baking powder as it turned a bit spongier/cakier than I intended.

It used up 4 egg whites I had in the fridge so next time I'll also use 1 or 2 whole eggs instead. This won't be the same recipe you say? Perhaps, but it'll still be good!

I used some Nutella just to see how it would turn out. It was OK, the kids preferred that, of course, but I think I preferred the jam version -with my homemade strawberry jam- since Nutella goes dark and loses its creaminess once it's baked. You decide.

Jam coconut slice

For the base :

150 g flour
1/4 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
50 g sugar
pinch of salt
50 g cold butter
1 egg

Filling

a few tsp of jam (strawberry, raspberry, apricot...) and/or Nutella
100 g dried, grated coconut
50 g sugar
4 egg whites (or 1 to 2 eggs)

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into tiny cubes and mix with your fingers until it forms breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix well. Press into an 8 -inch (20 cm) square tin.
Spread with jam and / or Nutella.
In another bowl, mix the coconut with the sugar, then add the eggs. (If it is on the dry side, it would still be OK, but the moister it is the moister the baked topping will stay). Spread on top of the jam.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and puffy. Let cool completely then cut into squares.