In my childhood there were a couple of sweet recipes that various family members were renowned for bringing along to gatherings. One aunt used to make a chocolate peppermint slice which I veganised for last Christmas. The other popular sweet that used to appear at these family dos was a lemon slice. A different aunt was responsible for this recipe which I had completely forgotten about until recently.
My mum offered to bring it along to the young man's party as my niece and nephew adore this slice. It turned out to be a big hit with my brother-in-law (on the man's side) so mum kindly emailed me the recipe to pass onto him. After scanning the ingredients I had a feeling it would be simple to make a vegan version, dairy-free margarine for butter, soy condensed milk for regular and Nice biscuits instead of Marie.
The slice turned out to be just as delicious with these vegan modifications as I recall it previously. It's a cinch to put together and appeases most tastebuds so I will certainly be making it again.
Lemon slice (Adapted from an old family recipe)
250g Arnott's Nice biscuits
1 cup desiccated coconut, plus extra for topping
300ml Soymilke soy condensed milk
50g dairy free margarine
2 lemons, finely zested and juiced
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essense
Place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse until the biscuits become a fine powder. Transfer the processed biscuits to a bowl and stir through the coconut and lemon zest.
In a small saucepan, heat the condensed milk and margarine together until the margarine has melted, stirring frequently. Pour into the bowl containing the biscuits, coconut and lemon zest and mix everything together thoroughly.
Spread the mixture evenly in a 28 x 18cm tray lined with baking paper. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or until it sets.
Meanwhile, place the icing sugar in a bowl. Add the vanilla essense and slowly drizzle in some of the lemon juice. Mix together until a thick icing results. If the icing is too thick, add a little more lemon juice and if it's too thin, add some more icing sugar.
Spread the icing over the top of the biscuit layer and then sprinkle dessicated coconut on top of the icing. Return to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes then cut into small squares. Store in a container in the fridge.
As a child, I sometimes had the non-vegan, traditional version of lemon slices like this, when at a friend's house or some such. It was always an amazingly decadent, rich experience - so different to anything my Mum made at home (she tended to bake muffins or make slices with oats and things, rather than products with condensed milk!). I always felt a bit sick afterwards with the sweetness and richness, but it was worth it. I'm rather thrilled to have a vegan version to tuck away now :)
ReplyDeleteYou are completely right about this type of slice being decadent and rich. My mum rarely made anything with condensed milk either which is probably why I have such a soft spot for these sweets that my aunts made. We used to have competitions with my cousins to see who could eat the most without being ill, I vividly recall feeling very queasy at times.
DeleteAlthough I am not keen on lemon dominating in sweet things, I love this slice - I put it down to the condensed milk and coconut which I love. So I am very happy to find that you have found a version that works for you - everyone should have one :-)
ReplyDeleteThe lemon in this slice isn't overpowering but it adds a nice tang to the richness and sweetness. I'm very pleased to have this one in my repertoire now too! :)
DeleteThanks, hope you give it a try!
ReplyDeleteso i made 2 versions of this.. one being traditional and other being vegan.. im not vegan but have friends who are and i love vegan foods lol... anywho side tracked there... out of the 2 slices everyone prefered the vegan one... thank u so much for this recipe.....
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful to hear! It's fantastic when a vegan version of something is more popular than the traditional recipe. I haven't put these to the test with my extended family yet but now I really want to.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Brett, it's always lovely to receive comments and even lovelier to receive positive feedback on a recipe!
Hi! I'm a huge fan of vegan baking, any info on where you find soy condensed milk? love that the rest is aussie-supermarket friendly!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! Unfortunately the soy condensed milk isn't stocked by supermarkets. I usually purchase it from Sunnybrook health food store in Ormond and have also bought it from Radical Grocery in Brunswick. If you aren't in Melbourne I would suggest trying a health food store in your area or an online store like the Cruelty Free Shop or Green Edge. Hope that helps!
DeleteThanks so much! Just for anyone else who's interested- yes got it from The Cruelty Free Shop in Sydney, they now have a store front in Glebe & yes stock it! Also have a soy caramel condensed milk thing, so going to try a caramel slice too! Thanks for the recipe, doing the lemon one today!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoyed the slice! That's great you were able to find the soy condensed milk at the Cruelty Free Shop, I totally forgot that they have a store front now.
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