It’s not Russian but it is a slice! Seemingly sometimes known as ‘Tipsy Cake’ in the US, this is an old school way that bakeries battled food waste by utilising leftover and stale cakes. Trust me, its much more appetising than that sounds and best of all, Russian Slice is incredibly simple to make. Oh, and always a bonus – its boozy as heck!
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So what is a Russian Slice? It is basically a way for bakeries to use up stale cake crumbs and resell them. Not the most appetising sounding recipe when put like that but trust me, they contain a significant amount of booze and are perfectly moist (sorry).
I know them from the Humber/North East Lincolnshire region and haven’t seen them sold much further afield but do let me know in the comments if you have! Some versions have a pastry base but the version that I grew up with just has a feathered chocolate icing with no ‘base’ as such. I’ve stuck with what I know!
I started to research a recipe online and actually came up with very little. I established that it may be an American invention known as ‘tipsy cake’ but none of the recipes I could find seemed to resemble the iced version I knew.
The best option I could find came from the website of The Ginger Bread Lad but his site has since disappeared. I adapted that recipe to emulate my remembered version a little better, especially with the addition of sherry icing and pink cake.
Update: Russian Slice Origins
A reader kindly sent me a link to Atlas Obscura which talks about the potential origins of Louisiana Russian Cake.
Russian cake, also known as Creole trifle, has been a Louisiana tradition since the 19th century. But few bakeries today sell this “cake,” which is made by taking assorted bakery confection scraps and pressing them together into a cake tin. Liberal splashes of rum moisten the cake, and jelly or other infused syrups are used as binding agents. It is assembled in special molds with separate bottoms, and bags of flour or sugar are typically placed on top of the covered cake to press it solidly into the mold.
Atlas Obscura
This would certainly tally with the slice that I know and love and is also inline with another reference I found in an old New Orleans cookbook that I was gifted a couple of years ago.
There is much more information in the article and it is certainly worth a read if you are a geek about these things like me! Thank you very much to Dave Stringer for sending me the information.
Make it a Feast
I truly believe that you can make any dish into a proper feast! Whether thats a feast for one after work on a Tuesday, a casual feast for four on a Friday evening or a feast for 12 for a special occasion!
My Russian Slices are very versatile. I include them in Afternoon Tea Feasts alongside Scones, savouries like my Sausage Rolls or Quiche Lorraine and other sweet treats like my Mini Sticky Toffee Cakes, Chocolate Muscovado Cake and/or Victoria Sponge.
It is equally at home in a Buffet or Picnic Feast. Try serving alongside my Scotch Eggs, Creamy Coleslaw and Cheesy Garlic Rolls.
Don’t forget to head over to my Feast Collection pages to find all of my tips and tricks to help you host a fun and stress-free feast. Plus remember to check out my recipe index to create your own awesome Feast!
Ingredients
There is nothing especially fancy about any of the ingredients in this Russian Slice recipe.
Sherry
Of course with it originally being called ‘Tipsy Cake’ I do include sweet sherry in the recipe. You could substitute this for any slightly sweet alcohol such as golden rum, bourbon or even something more flavourful like Malibu for a coconutty twist.
If you’re not into alcohol in your cakes, you could also use a fruit juice like orange juice. Lemon juice would give the slice a lovely fresh zing.
Jam
Apricot jam is used as the flavour is fairly minimal but again you could substitute this for any other flavour jam. Just expect that you will get some of the flavour coming through.
I think that using a ginger jam would be especially lovely. If you fancy making your own jam, have a look at the brilliant recipes from Fab Food 4 All. So many options!
Make it Vegetarian
Great news! This Russian Slice recipe is suitable for vegetarians without any substitutions needed.
Make it Vegan
There are just a few swaps needed to make this recipe vegan.
- I would start by making a specifically vegan sponge batter and then picking up my recipe from step 4. You could alternatively buy a vegan sponge cake and start at step 9.
- Ensure that the sherry you use or alternative alcohol is suitable for vegans.
- Substitute the dark chocolate for a vegan dark chocolate.
Make it Allergy Friendly
This Russian Slice recipe is free from nuts.
Egg or Dairy Free: To avoid an egg or dairy allergy, follow the guidelines above to make the Russian Slice vegan.
Gluten Free: Substitute the self raising flour with gluten free flour and add in the appropriate amount of gluten free baking powder (usually 1 tbsp per 100g flour). Alternatively, start with shop-bought gluten free cakes.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
Equipment Notes for Russian Slice
You can use any tins/tin to bake the cakes in. There is no requirement for a certain shape or size. Just make sure the batter comes at least 1cm up the side of the tin or you will make biscuit and not cake!
I use either my basic model Kenwood stand mixer to make the sponges or whip out my electric hand mixer. You could equally use a good old fashioned wooden spoon and some elbow grease for this one.
If you don’t have a microwave you can melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over a low heat on the hob.
If you don’t have any small disposable piping bags, you can pop the white icing into a small sandwich bag and carefully cut off one corner. This is difficult when sandwich bags are gusseted so try to look for some non-gusseted ones like my favourite Ikea bags. (Don’t buy them from Amazon!).
A good large sharp knife is ideal for cutting the slices. The sharper and thinner the blade, the neater cut you will achieve. I keep my knives good and sharp with a knife steel. They’re surprisingly easy to use one you get the rhythm.
A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.
Get Ahead
Because the Russian Slices are so moist, they will keep for a good week in an airtight container. They are therefore an excellent choice if you need to take a bake to an event but can’t bake immediately before. They’re also perfect to keep in a cake tin in the house for elevenses over the week.
It would be helpful to bake the sponges a day or two before you want to assemble the slices but you can just leave them out for a few hours to dry in a pinch.
Leftover Russian Slice
The slices will freeze beautifully, even fully iced. I would however freeze them as a slab rather than pre-cut into slices. Half now and half for another time maybe?
Russian Slice Tips
I’m not usually a fan of the all-in-one method sponge method but as the texture of this sponge is ultimately compromised by its treatment, I don’t think the extra effort of using the creaming method is worth it.
Over-baking the sponges may feel unnatural but you do want them to be dry!
It really doesn’t matter about keeping the cake colours super separate – its all ultimately going to be marbled together so don’t panic too much.
Piping isn’t my forte either so don’t worry about trying to make the feathered icing look amazing. Once the slices are cut, you’ll be surprised how professional even the shonkiest of icing can look.
This Russian Slice recipe is such fun to make, I really hope you enjoy making a taste of my childhood as much as I enjoyed creating it. Whats your favourite childhood treat that you’d like to recreate? Let me know!
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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More Simple Sweet Bakes
The Recipe
Russian Slice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 250 g Salted Butter
- 250 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 4 Egg
- 250 g Self Raising Flour (Self-Rising)
- 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder (Dutch Processed)
- 2 tbsp Skimmed Milk
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 0.5 tsp Red Food Colouring
Slice
- 8 tbsp Apricot Jam
- 5 tbsp Sherry - cheap stuff
Icing
- 50 g Dark Chocolate (Bittersweet) - cheap stuff
- 4 tbsp Sherry - More cheap stuff!!
- 100 g Icing Sugar (Confectioner’s Sugar)
Instructions
Making the Cakes (Skip if using leftovers or shop-bought cake)
- Preheat the oven to 180c or equivalent.
- Line a brownie pan with parchment paper.
- Add 250g Butter, 250g Caster Sugar, 4 Eggs and 250g Self Raising Flour to a large mixing bowl and beat together until fully combined and a bit airy.
- Scoop just under half of the mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder and 2 tbsp Skimmed Milk to the removed mix and beat to combine.
- Add 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract to the remaining original mixture and beat in.
- Scoop half of the vanilla cake mix into a small mixing bowl and add 1/2 tsp Red Food Colouring.
- Spoon all of the 3 cake batters into the lined brownie pan. A little mixing around the edges/joins won’t hurt.
- Bake the cake for about 25/30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Then give it a further 5 minutes to get a bit drier. So counter-intuitive!
- Once the cakes are cool enough to touch, tear them up into chunks and leave them on a cooling rack to cool and dry out. Leaving them for a couple of days, out, but under a fly cover would be ideal.
Construct the Slice
- Line a small roasting tray with parchment paper.
- When you’re ready to make the slices, use your fingers to crumble each colour of cake into separate mixing bowls. You are aiming for a breadcrumb size pieces but some larger pieces won’t hurt.
- Warm 8 tbsp Apricot Jam in a small bowl and mix in 5 tbsp Sherry.
- Split the boozy jam between the bowls. Mix each to damp consistency.
- Spoon the mixtures into the lined tin in a haphazard fashion, pressing it down as you go to create a block of marbled boozy cake crumbs.
Ice the Slice
- Melt 50g Dark Chocolate in the microwave and leave to cool a little. Or melt it in a small pan on the hob.
- Mix 4 tbsp Sweet Sherry and 50g Icing Sugar into the chocolate and beat until smooth and lump free. Add a little extra sherry or icing sugar to achieve the consistency of runny honey.
- In a separate bowl, combine 50g Icing Sugar with a little water to make a slightly runnier white icing. Put this in a sandwich bag or disposable piping bag.
- Pour the chocolate icing over the cake and smooth out to the edges.
- Snip the end off the piping bag or corner off the sandwich bag and pipe the white icing in horizontal stripes over the chocolate icing.
- Start with the middle stripe and work outwards to make sure the stripes are vaguely even before you run out of icing with only half covered! Saying this, there is nothing to stop you making up some more white icing if you need.
- Run a skewer up and down the length of the tin in even stripes to create the feather effect.
- Put the whole cake into the fridge for the icing to set and the cake mix to firm up. A couple of hours will do it. You can cheat with a bit of freezer time if you need to, just don’t forget about it!
- Slice into 16 pieces. I trimmed off the edges for presentation but there is no real reason to do this in real life.
Kay says
I am going to try this recipe. I remember buying a wonderful treat called Russian Crumb Cake, only sold on Mondays, at a bakery near Trudeau St. on West Metairie Ave. in Metairie, LA. all of 45 years ago. Of course the bakery has been gone for decades. But I still remember that yummy cake! Also, you never knew exactly what colors your piece would be. Great memories!
L. Richards says
I’m attempting my version of this, this morning. There is a recipe for Tipsy Cake in the Edmonds Cookbook 1981 edition, from New Zealand. It was a popular cake during my childhood, and the recipes from the Edmonds cookbook are all based on English recipes of the time, and earlier. Most now are considered classics and somewhat rarely made. The recipe I have bakes the cake as one, then splits the cake, and soaks both sides in brandy, putting it together with wipped cream. The marbled effect is achieved with colouring half the batter with melted dark chocolate. As a base it uses a branded box cake no longer available called “Golden Yellow Cake”. The closest substitute I can find comes from Bero’s 100 year anniversary cookbook and is the well-known Madiera cake. Although, none of this except the contrast between heavy marbled parts of the cake and lighter normal cake match what I remember. Like you, I recall there was always a red or pink element to the marbling. To save too much trouble I am going to colour the cream pink, perhaps with a touch of raspbery or rum flavour, and leave out the lemon of the madiera in favour of orange essence, to set up a hint of “jaffa cake” flavour. The booze I’m using will be Southern Comfort, because the spicy floral sweet smell seems perfect. Then I’ll ice as your recipe outlines. So not a purist reconstruction, but I hope the ingredients will come together well. Wherever it originally came from I’m glad it still exists and that other people remember it.
Chloe says
This sounds amazing!
Alan Finlayson says
There used to be a large commercial bakery in Edinburgh called Martins the Bakers which supplied its own shops all over Edinburgh, and one of their range of cakes sold was Typsy Cake (It was my favourite through the 70s and 80s until the bakery eventually went out of business). They did exactly as you described, being a commercial premises, they did not want to waste anything so used leftover cake to sell the next day as Typsy Cake. Never seen them since but, wow, they were delicious and I really miss them!
Alan F says
Hi Chloe.
Just came across this article on the Russian slice. I make them in the bakery I work at in Swansea. We use a fresh Swiss roll base, sponge cake soaked in fruit jelly in the middle, then Swiss roll for the top. Covered with whited fondant, feather with pink and chocolate icing for the top.
Chloe says
Gosh thats a very different version!
Deb Singleton says
I may give this a go, but tweak it slightly. Our local sandwich shop sells Russian Slice, I’m in Bramley, Leeds… The one they sell is made with rum I think, but the sponge centre is very, very moist, topped with the thinnest layer of plain sponge top and bottom. It then has a sort of fruit flavoured pink and white hard icing on top, maybe a bit strawberry? It’s absolutely lovely, but so rich, I have to have one slice in two sittings, as their slices are huge!!! Thinking about it, the main part tastes very rum and raisin to me… Absolutely lovely and thank you for the recipe!
Teresa Warman says
I have been looking for this recipe. I used to spend my bus fare home from school and walk 2miles home to buy a piece in 1948 .The cake shop was opposite the school ,hard to resist it was worth the walk and the ticking off for being late home,I was 10 at the time ,going to make one for great grand children see if they like it .Teresa Warman Oxford
Chloe says
Oh I bet that was totally worth the walk! I hope your grandkids love them as much as we clearly do!
Tim says
Oh my. I was going to say I vividly remember the stuff at a greasy-spoon/diner/cafe in a pedestrian precinct in a West Yorkshire town from the 1980s, but 1948 takes the biscuit 🙂
The sort I remember was a brick with a couple of layers – sponge, jam/jelly, sponge, jam/jelly, sponge, icing (white, like an iced bun) with piped pattern on top. What a treat.
Nicholas Cleere says
I used to get tipsy cake from a small country shop in our village in County Tipperary, Ireland in the sixties. It was a real treat.
James Robinson says
As a child Russian Slab used to be sold in a small bakery in Pontefract Yorkshire, Malcolms I think it was called, can’t really remember there were two either side of the Elephant Hotel, and a Greggs opposite, Thorntons as it used to be called. Later in life I once saw it sold by the Coopland chain (not sure which of the Coupland brothers chain it was), but not for some years.
Sue says
Yes, I remember Malcolms! I also used to buy it from Cooplands in Castleford. I’ve just bought one from Grants bakery in Corbridge, Northumberland, as we’re here on holiday and came online to find a recipe for it. Small world!
Dorothy says
I grew up eating them every week. My mother used to buy them from a bakery around the corner in Welbeck Road (Walker, Newcastle). When we moved it was hit and miss trying to find them, occasionally we would get them from Greggs, local bakeries were guaranteed to have them but not now. I’m glad I found this site, will make them to send home to my mother – I live in Wales and I cannot find Russian slice anywhere here.
Gemma says
We’ve just bought a slab of Russian Cake today in a bakery here in Whitley Bay! The biggest slab covered in pink and white feathered icing, drenched in rum. My husband said it tastes like trifle. It’s delicious!
Chloe says
Amazing, it’s so good to find one nowadays, and a decently boozy one at that – well done!
Michele says
My ex-husband’s mother — born and raised in N’Awlins — used to make this! She called it Russian cake and made it with strawberry or raspberry jam, white and yellow cake chunks, lots of rum, no icing at all. She had a special mold with a loose top and would weight it with a brick for I think three days. She used to say it had a thousand calories per slice 🙂
Chloe says
Oh wow, 3 years is serious dedication! And shhhh, we don’t talk about the calories!!!
Carol Jenkinson says
My mum had a bakery in Barrow in Furness back in the early 1970’s. One speciality was her scrummy Russian slab cake. I think we ate more than she sold when she wasnt looking. I am using your recipe to make a slab tomorrow so fingers crossed it’s as I remember. Thank you for your recipe
Chloe says
Ha I bet she knew and made extra!! Hope you enjoy the recipe x
Mal says
Did your mum have a stall in the market because I remember buying Russian slab cake in the market years ago
Helen says
I was brought up just north of Newcastle upon Tyne & they sold Russian cake in our local bakery. I remember it tasting like rum truffles , very moist , but the ones we had , had a soft pink fondant type icing , that was feathered in design.
Yummy , I can still remember it vividly & must have last eaten it 35/40 years ago !
Chloe says
I don’t think there is one bakery that made these the same as another – such a good recipe! Thanks for sharing your memories x
Ian Crawford says
The recipe for Russian Slices sounds amazing. I had been looking for such a recipe for a while and then there was yours. I was brought up in Corby, Little Scotland, in the 50s. My mum and dad would buy Tipsy Cake from the bakers, most bakeries as I assumed it was of Scottish origin, I used to love it. Since leaving Corby, I have never tasted this type of cake since. I,m currently waiting for the other half to complete making a fruit cake, then it’s my turn to give this recipe a go.
Thank you
Chloe says
Aw I love the nostalgia that this recipe brings! I hope that they turned out as you remembered x
Gavin says
I was in Cambridge in the 1990’s and there was a small chain of bakeries called Nadia’s mostly nice filled rolls and cakes for lunch . Russian cake was my favourite especially if I’d been nursing a hangover! Theirs was pink and yellow with white icing and glacé cherries in the sponge mix . I’ve searched a long time for the recipe I did find a 1940’s recipe but I’m sure this is a perfect match to what I remember. Can’t wait to try here in South Africa . I grew up in Ireland and there was nothing like it at all!
Chloe says
Oh wow, glace cherries is a new one. Are you going to add some in? I’d love to know how it goes for you!
Noni says
I grew up in Ireland as well and Tipsy cake was always available here in Dublin. You could buy a small cake in a cake shop or the whole cake which measures about 8 inches x 5 inches . It had pink icing and chocolate stripes. This recipe reminds me of it and I’m hoping to try it soon.
Virginia says
I remember Russian slice on sale in a health food (!) type shop in King Edward Street, Oxford in the 1980s. I don’t think it contained alcohol and I can’t remember whether it was iced, but many a slice sustained me when I was a student.
Chloe says
That sounds like my kind of health food shop! Thanks for sharing x
John Parsons says
Hi There everyone, I own a bakery in a small village in East Sussex, I started as a cleaner just short of my 13th birthday, I’m now 56 years old.
I am researching Russian cake at the moment, as a youngster I remember my mentor making it, He used swiss roll sheet for the base and the top and it was made up of left over cake, various colours, pink and yellow from Battenburg or angel cake along with offcuts of chocolate and coffee, from memory we used boiled apricot jam and Rum and lightly tossed the cake in it, then spread it on one sheet of swiss roll with the other sheet on top.
We would leave a bag of flour on top to “press” it for anything up to a week and then we would fondant ice the top and feather it then cut it up in slices.
I’m planning on reviving it some 35 years later (mainly to use up some old cake). Have enjoyed reading your stories. Thank you. John
Chloe says
Oh thats brilliant and sounds really how I remember it too. I’ve never thought of pressing the cake so I might try that next time and update the recipe! Thank you for sharing and I love that you’re going to revive it!
Noni says
Hi John, yes that’s sounds very similar to tipsy cake I used to have in Dublin , I’ll have to try making it.
Penny Taylor says
Russian Slice was always my favourite growing up in York. I used to buy it from the bakery near my school in the 70’s.
Chloe says
I love the nostalgia that this bake brings! Thank you for stopping by and sharing 🙂
Terri Pellegrini says
I remember eating tipsy cake as a girl in Glasgow more than 60 years ago. My mum would bring them home from working in a local bakers along with Paris buns….3 of each. Just heavenly…still get them here in Ayrshire and just as gooey and good, sticky soft with pink icing and jammy…love them😃
Chloe says
Oh I’m so pleased you can still get them, I think they’re a dying breed sometimes! Thanks for sharing your memories 🙂
Jac says
Hi, Chloe,
Was so pleased to see your recipe for Russian Tipsy cake. I have been looking for something which I remember buying from Co-op SE London, around thirty years ago, which my son loved and I can taste it now. It was sweet and moist. (Did taste as if it had sherry in it but cannot imagine bakers using that, probably sherry essence, which I cannot seem to find. (although I want sherry flavour I am thinking of the Grandchildren) The only difference is that it was white icing with feathering in brown. I was excited about making this. Tried making it yesterday but I had used a dry sherry, strawberry jam and did lemon feathering. It was not successful. (plus I wanted it done quickly) Think the sherry was too dry. I am determined to do it again with much better results. When lockdown is over will get correct ingredients.
Chloe says
Oh what a lovely memory! I really hope that your next attempt is fab!
Jac says
Hi, Chloe,
Success this time with Russian Tipsy cake. Thank you for your recipe. Icing was not as good as your cake but was still delicious. Will be a firm favourite in this house.
Chloe says
Oh brilliant! I’m so pleased it worked and thank you for letting me know 🙂
LINDSEY MORLEY says
Spent my childhood summers in Cumbria as that is where my Dad was from (always Cumberland to my Dad), my Mum & Dad always bought big slabs of Russian Tipsy cake from Rea’s Bakery in Workington, first time i tried to recreate tipsy cake at home a few years ago i ended up slightly pickled from the rum, much to the amusement of my 3 teenage children.
Chloe says
ha ha, this made me laugh. I love that this recipe brings back such great memories for so many people!
El says
Nice looking recipe! I think I might have the answer to the Russian conundrum as well…
Since pre-Soviet times, Russian bakers have been crushing up stale, unsold cakes and pastries and using them to make kartoshki, which means ‘little potatoes’ (they’re small, round and covered in cocoa, which kinda looks like a dusting of soil?)…not too dissimilar to this! Here’s some more info and a recipe i found (from the blog, That’s What She Had), if you’re interested!
Happy baking!
el says
Sorry- I forgot to paste in the link. Here it is…https://thatswhatshehad.com/russian-kartoshka-dessert/…always quote your sources, eh?
Chloe says
Oh thats super interesting, thanks for taking the time to let me know, I’ll definitely check out the link!
Michelle Rolfe says
Cake and sherry! Why have I never had this before!? I think I might be tempted to eat a bit too much of this in one sitting! Michelle
Chloe says
You wanna see the state of my trifles mate. I don’t know why I bother with the cake bit!!!
Sandra Russell says
Chloe I’ll be 80 come September and I remember this cake well. I’m a born and bred Cockney and the people of the East End of London were very poor so it was very plentiful in all of the baker’s shops as was much cheaper than fresh cake. We had it with and without a pastry base, some were iced a bit like yours, some were plain and there were some with very runny glace icing which you could barely see but you could taste it. It was always made with rum and if you were lucky you’d get some made with some left over fruit cake in it. We sometimes called it anything cake and my husband, a Scot who was brought up in Kent, said that they called it heavy cake. I don’t think that it was peculiar to any specific area but it was always in the poorer areas.
Chloe says
Aw great to know that it’s found down south too, thanks for sharing. And happy birthday for September too!
Jacqui – Only Crumbs Remain/Recipes Made Easy says
Ive not heard of this before It looks delicious.
Chloe says
I still think its a fairly northern thing so that wouldn’t surprise me. They are glorious tho!
mick says
we used to have this in newcastle upon tyne many years ago ,my mum used to get it from the bakers,its lovely.
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
I’ve never heard of Russian Slice before but now I know what it is I will have to give it a go at some point. It looks and sounds delicious and you made my life super easy by including the vegan swaps. Fantastic & super informative too!
Chloe says
Aw glad you approve – I always try to give as many options as possible 🙂
Corina Blum says
I remember eating these as a child but I hadn’t thought about them for ages! They look delicious. I’m doing a lot more baking these days and would love to have a go at these one day.
Chloe says
So nostalgic aren’t they?! Let me know if you make them x
stefani says
I love this recipe.
Can I add you have fabulous or I like to say FAB pictures.
I am in Canada so I will try to make this recipe using cups…
Chloe says
Aw thank you, thats very kind. I hope that you enjoy them. Just toggle cup on in the recipe card and you’ll be away!
Gillian says
I grew up in Sussex and a Russian slice was my favourite when we went to a cafe. Used to eat it a lot as a child in the 1970s/80s. Haven’t seen it for years. Thought maybe it had been banned due to using leftovers.
Ann Leiseboer says
Comment posted at cedges.co.uk:
G’day Chloe. I made the Russian cake about two months ago to take on a road trip of 3 weeks. IT WAS FANTASTIC. JUST AS I REMEMBERED IT. Mind you I threw in everything i love to eat. I had done some baking before we went away and kept some of everything I’d made. Chocolate cake, Madeira cake, shortbreads, I then added dried cherries, dried pears, marzipan, That was yummy. I put Apricot fruit cake. I soaked some dates in Lemonchello ( don’t tell my Husband) oh yes and some Aussie Lamingtons & chopped up Mars bar.
I had to mix it all up in my washing up bowl ( it was sterilised). I then Squeezed some blood oranges from our tree and bound it all together. There was enough to fill a roasting pan say 12 inches by 2 inches deep and placed another tin the same size on top with 2 of my husband’s 4 kg weights . Left it in the fridge for 24 hours and it was perfect. It cut beautifully because of my home made no fail gunk for greasing all my cake pans. We still have some left in the freezer too.
OH YES I put chocolate icing on top,then put lines on white icing in lines on top of the chocolate icing and feathered it. Thank you so much for helping me after I first contacted you about the cake . You were very kind.I will be looking at the link you sent for your newspaper.
cedges says
Originally posted on cedges.co.uk:
Hi Ann, Thank you so much for getting back in touch. I’m absolutely tickled that you loved the recipe and absolutely made it your own! Not only did you throw the kitchen sink in, you mixed it up in it! Please send pictures next time you get a slice from the freezer – I’d love to share it with my other readers. My new site is now live so next time you want to look at the recipe, make sure to head over to https://feastgloriousfeast.com/russian-slice/. Hopefully I can tempt you to try some of my other recipes or feasts too x
roz1962 says
Comment from post at cedges.co.uk:
I grew up in Scarborough, and this was always a favourite of mine when I was a kid. Not sure our local bakery put booze in it, but I definitely will! 😁
Chloe says
Comment from post at cedges.co.uk:
Lol my bakery’s always tasted of booze but being an old school bakery its probably an e number filled artificial flavouring! Boozy bakes are the best tho…let me know what you think x
Ann Leiseboer says
Comment from post on cedges.co.uk: I AM VERY NEW TO Cedges EATS. I have been looking for this recipe for Russian Slice for years. I used to buy it from Birketts Bakery ( now long gone ) in Penrith Cumbria ( Cumberland in those days ) It was the most delicious slice invented as far as I was concerned. Anyway, I am going to make this slice but I have one problem. My Husband does not like alcohol of any description. Could I use fruit juice to bind the cake together with the butter? I have to own up to cheating sometimes when a recipe calls Lemoncello or Cointreau mainly in fruit cakes etc, and he is none with wiser. With Rum I fear he would detect it and screw his nose up at the cake and not eat it. Can anyone tell me what I could use I know he will like the texture of the cake overall? Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Chloe says
Response from post on cedges.co.uk: Hi Ann, I’m so pleased that you found me and that you took the time to get in touch. Russian Slice is by far my most popular recipe, I think because it is so unusual and very difficult to get hold of in the shops now! I absolutely love that you sometimes sneak booze into things but I think you’re right, you’d know that there is sherry in this one! I’m actually 90% of the way to creating a new site at https://www.feastgloriousfeast.com which includes all of the recipes from Cedges Eats (plus lots more) with massively expanded information including lots of suggestions for substitutions. I have copied the section I have written about substituting the booze here:
“Of course with it originally being called ‘Tipsy Cake’ I do include sweet sherry in the recipe. You could substitute this for any slightly sweet alcohol such as golden rum, bourbon or even something more flavourful like Malibu for a coconutty twist. If you’re not into alcohol in your cakes, you could also use a fruit juice like orange juice. Lemon juice would give the slice a lovely fresh zing.”
I certainly think that fruit juice if your best bet. I’m trying to think what will give you the most authentic flavour and I wonder if apple juice might actually be the answer. Orange juice will certainly work and whilst lemon juice will definitely give a great zing and make a great tasting slice, I don’t think you’ll end up with the flavour that you’ve been reminiscing about. The main key is just to make sure that you keep the quantity of liquid the same as in the recipe, regardless of what you decide to use.
Please do come back and let me know how you get on, I really hope you love it! And also please do pop over to https://www.feastgloriousfeast.com and get yourself on my newsletter list so I can tell you when I launch. The new site is so exciting! x
Jan Haigh says
Hi Chloe and Ann!
I grew up in Brampton, Cumbria. Moved there when it was still Cumberland. I remember my dad buying Russian Tipsy cake probably from Bells of Lazonby. It was always a family favourite and a special treat. Just decided to look up a recipe for it tonight. We’re on holiday in Austria and our accommodation host left us some goodies including some little petit four/French fancies like cake which tastes just like the tipsy cake back in the day! Will try your recipe Chloe when I’m back home!
Jan xx
Chloe says
Hi Jan! Oh thats really interesting, I’ve never heard anyone call it tipsy cake in this country – thats mostly in the USA. Its still a special treat to get one from the bakers for me! I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday and I can’t want to hear what you think about the recipe 🙂
Jenny Walters says
Wow Chloe. Fantastic recipe and post! Absolutely love the sound of Tipsy Cake and your pics are fab too!!
Chloe says
Thank you, that means a lot! Booze can improve nearly any food I think (just don’t tell dry January!) It is amazing what spending a little bit of time on photography can achieve, certainly one of my best sets 🙂
Mandy says
Absolutely love the sound of this Chloe. Thanks for including the vegan substitutions as well – will have to give this a go soon.
Chloe says
Aw thanks – let me know if you do! I’m going to try to provide vegan and veggie advice for each of my recipes so I may well be asking for your expert advice!