dentist cake

When I was younger it didn't take much bribing to get my siblings and I to the dentist. However if we were good (well our teeth anyway), my mum chose an ironic treat to reward us. CAKE!

There was a bakery  next to the dentist and we would pop in there after and chose a treat. At first, being typical young kids would go for the biggest or the most colourful but then we started trying mums favourite and we never looked back. Unfortunately the bakery is not there any more and hasn't been for years but we still think of the fruit slice we loved and I tried to make a version of it today. 

It consisted of 3 layers; a firm shortbread base, a mince fruit middle and then a more crumbly textured shortbread on top with crunchy sugar to finish. It was like a glorified xmas mince pie! We used to take them round to our grandmas who lives 2 minutes up the road and we would warm it up and have it with ice cream or evaporated milk. Yes, evaporated milk is a favourite in our house, and much preferred over single cream.  I'm sure the name puts people off but it really is delicious. Thats what we have on our apple crumbles I never even considered custard until I was 17!
Anyway I also made a variation on this inspired by a favourite childhood sandwich. A sweet pastry base, a plum jam middle, then finished with a peanut butter crumble! The jams so sweet and the peanut butter gives a salty richness, it works trust me!