Four slices that are twice as nice

• 50 nostalgic bakes just like Nanna used to make

I forgot just how much I love a good slice. Maybe because they seem a bit harder to come by these days unless you are willing to consume the sort of slice that has you picking chia seeds and bits of kernel from your teeth for hours afterwards.

It's delicious and it's still slice but sometimes I clamour for the unsuspecting old-school version. Proper slice. The type gran used to make and you'd have it with a big mug of builder's tea and it had the ability to set the world back on its axis.

The following recipes are those very kind of slices; just slightly more hedonistic with the inclusion of a few fancier ingredients.

Whatever you do, and whichever ingredients you choose to use (you will be able to find them all at the supermarket), just be sure to serve in decent slabs, brick-like proportions that could prevent home invasions at a moment's notice. There really is no other way.

Each slice makes about 10-15 serves depending on the need that needs feeding. Any shallow baking tin will do, as long as it has higher sides so the innards don't go everywhere. You could even use a 30cm Pyrex baking dish.

Choc-caramel hedgehog

Take the old-school hedgehog and add all manner of chocolate shards, wedges of caramel along with malt and choc chunk biscuits and the odd random swirl of dulce de leche. You can go as high- or as low-brow as you like in terms of ingredients. It all tastes good. It's important not to use really hard caramels; use a soft version, such as those supermarket aisle Cadbury caramels, that won't break teeth after this slice has spent time hardening in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

• 320g caramels, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 200g milk chocolate, cut into rough chunks
• 125g Malt 'O' Milk biscuits (or any malted milk biscuits), roughly broken
• 250g chocolate chip biscuits, roughly broken
• ¼ cup dulce de leche
• 350g dark chocolate (I used 70 per cent), broken into squares
• 295g can condensed milk

METHOD

1. Line a lamington tin (about 30cm x 20cm x 3cm) with baking paper, making sure it hangs generously over the sides to make lifting the slice out nice and easy.
2. Place the caramels, milk chocolate chunks, Malt 'O' Milk biscuits and chocolate chip biscuits in a bowl and use your hands to gently toss and combine. Add the dulce de leche, just in spoonfuls here and there, don't try and incorporate it.
3. Add the dark chocolate to a heatproof bowl and place over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Cook until the chocolate has melted.
4. Remove from heat and pour in the condensed milk, whisking constantly to prevent the chocolate from seizing. Once the mixture has thickened, quickly pour this over the biscuit and caramel mix, stirring with a wooden spoon to coat. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tray, smoothing out the top as best you can.
5. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set. Remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing, or use a hot wet knife to slice immediately. Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, if any of it lasts that long.

Apricot, saffron and almond slice

The crumble topping quantity is enough to cover this in its entirety but I'm all for pockets of indecent exposure where the jammy apricoty goodness can peek through. If you don't have saffron, never fear. This recipe was an attempt to use some of those spices we have lurking in the cupboard. It is equally wonderful without it.

INGREDIENTS

Apricot mixture

• 500g soft Turkish dried apricots
• 250ml (1 cup) fresh orange juice
• 110g (½ cup) castor sugar
• 250ml-375ml (1-1½) cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 5-7 saffron strands (optional), softened in 1 tbsp warm water

For the base

• 100g plain flour
• 60g castor sugar
• 70g almond meal
• pinch of salt
• 120g unsalted butter, melted

Crumble topping

• 75g (½ cup) plain flour
• 75g brown sugar
• 75g flaked almonds
• 75g unsalted butter

METHOD

1. Line a lamington tin (approximately 30cm x 20cm x 3cm) with baking paper, making sure it hangs generously over the sides to make lifting the slice out nice and easy.
2. Preheat oven to 170C.
3. For the apricot mixture, add all the ingredients to a saucepan and place over very low heat. Cook until the apricots are soft and look hydrated, but still hold some of their shape – this will take anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes. Watch them regularly, to prevent catching and to ensure the sugar dissolves evenly. You also don't want the saffron to take on any burnt taste so this needs to be the lowest simmer possible. If it looks as though you are losing too much liquid, add a little water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the apricots are plump and malleable.
4. Meanwhile, make the base. Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. Press down into your prepared tin and pop in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly golden, then set aside.
5. Once the apricots have cooked and 90 per cent of the liquid has been absorbed, spoon the apricot mixture over the base.
6. Using your hands, gently combine the crumble ingredients in a bowl, only until clumps form – chunky and glorious is the effect you are after. Dollop the crumble over the apricot layer then place in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden. Watch closely to check the flaked almonds aren't taking on too much colour.
7. Set aside for at least 1 hour to cool completely otherwise this may be too crumbly to slice. If you can't wait, serve it piping hot from the oven with some vanilla ice-cream. Keeps for 3-5 days in an airtight container.

Lemon and elderflower slice

Don't be alarmed at the intensity of colour – the lemon juice and egg yolks gives it that vibrancy. Rather than depending on gelatine for creating the jiggly-wobbly texture I've upped the amount of egg yolk here, letting it do the setting. Please don't worry about the fresh elderflowers as pictured. I happen to have a neighbour with no idea they have a mortgage's worth of edible flowers hanging from their tree, and I am free to snip when the moment calls. This recipe uses elderflower cordial which you can find at the supermarket or specialty deli-grocer. You will need about seven lemons to get sufficient juice and zest for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

For the shortbread crust

• 100g plain flour
• 60g castor sugar
• 70g almond meal
• 120g unsalted butter, melted

For the lemon curd filling

• 4 large eggs
• 5 egg yolks
• 60ml elderflower cordial
• 250g castor sugar
• pinch sea salt
• 3 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 175ml lemon juice
• 100g unsalted butter
• fresh elderflowers to scatter, optional

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Line a lamington tin (approximately 30cm x 20cm x 3cm) with baking paper, making sure it hangs generously over the sides to make lifting the slice out nice and easy.
3. To make the shortbread crust, add all the ingredients plus a pinch of salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Press down into the prepared tin and pop in the oven for 30 minutes or until lightly golden, then set aside.
4. While the crust is baking, make the filling. Whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice and butter in a medium saucepan until smooth. Place the saucepan over low heat and whisk, fairly continuously, until the mixture thickens to a fudge sauce-like consistency. It should hold its shape but also pour.
5. Pour the lemon curd over the crust, giving the tin a gentle shake to even it out. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until almost set, with a slight jiggle in the centre. Allow to cool completely, then place in the fridge for at least 4 hours to set.
6. Scatter with edible flowers just before serving, if using. Slice into pieces using a hot wet knife. Keeps for 3-5 days covered in the fridge.

Cherry Garcia slice

If a chocolate brownie and one of the world's best ice-cream flavours had a love child, it would be this. All chocolate and cherry and nougat, it's a truly indulgent version of the good ole Cherry Ripe. I don't like to use food colouring so I used some freeze-dried fruit for the lovely pink colour instead, and it adds tart little pops of sourness here and there amid all the sweetness.

INGREDIENTS

Base

• 110g shortbread or plain biscuits
• 100g rolled oats
• 1 tbsp condensed milk
• ¼ cup melted butter, cooled

Cherry layer

• 300g glace cherries
• 45g freeze-dried strawberries, plus extra ¼ cup to mix through
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 cups finely desiccated coconut
• 3 tbsp–½ cup condensed milk, to mix
• 150g soft nougat, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 100g milk chocolate chunks

Topping

• 200g dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp butter

METHOD

1. Line a lamington tin (approximately 30cm x 20cm x 3cm) with baking paper, making sure it hangs generously over the sides to make lifting the slice out nice and easy.
2. To make the base, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz to combine. Gently press across the base of your prepared tin then pop in the fridge while you prepare the remaining elements.
3. To make the cherry layer, add the glace cherries, 45g freeze-dried strawberries, vanilla and desiccated coconut to a blender and blitz until combined. You don't want to lose the texture of the coconut, but you need the ingredients to be fully incorporated and malleable in your hands. Add the condensed milk slowly and test the mixture by rolling some into a ball – if it holds its shape, you are done. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and gently stir through the nougat and milk chocolate chunks and the additional quarter cup of freeze-dried fruit.
4. Remove the slice base from the fridge and press the cherry-coconut mixture over.
5. To make the topping, add the dark chocolate and the butter to a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Cook until the chocolate and butter has melted and is smooth and glossy when stirred. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the top of the cherry layer then place the slice back in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours to set.
6. To slice, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or use a hot wet knife to slice immediately. Keeps for 10 days in an airtight container in the fridge.