Grated Apple Slice

As the weather warms up I start to crave apple desserts and treats. Our apple trees provide us with more than enough fruit during the summer but at the moment they're just starting to shoot and bloom, ready for pollination.
Because I'm impatient, I grabbed some apples from the supermarket to make my Grated Apple Slice:

I love this slice. Its fresh, its tangy and very easy to make. It has a melt in your mouth shortbread base, a layer of lemony cream cheese and juicy grated apple, and its finished with a sprinkling of crumbled shortbread.
The apple and lemon combination works so well together. You get the fresh juicy flavor of the apple and then the zesty burst of lemon dancing on your taste buds all at once. Its a little like a cheesecake only yummier.

The shortbread base is another one of those pastries that will reward you if you're patient and you work it. I cream my butter and icing sugar with a wooden spoon and once the flours have been added, it will be crumbly. I work in with my hands until it starts to come together; it will still be crumbly and won't come together fully.
I reserve about 1/2 cup of it for the top and then press the rest firmly into the tin, smoothing it out with the back of a metal spoon. You'll be rewarded with a short, soft, melt in your mouth base...yummo!

Once the base and cream cheese filling are in place, I grate the apples and sprinkle them over the top. There's lots of juice but I add that too, no need to squeeze it out or absorb it on paper towel as it adds more flavor.
I preheat the oven and start baking at a higher temperature for the first ten minutes and then turn the oven down so that base cooks up perfectly.

The slice can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. I cut mine into 16 pieces so they're a nice sized piece to enjoy for morning or afternoon tea.
A plate of this Grated Apple Slice would be perfect to take to your next sewing day or on your next family picnic. Its light, its tasty and its gotta be healthy cause its got apples in it, right? ;) OK, maybe not healthy but its a crowd pleaser and a wonderful recipe to have in the files.

If you would like to try my Grated Apple Slice you can download the recipe by clicking the link or right click on the photo below and save it to your computer.

I hope you love this slice as much as I do. It was the perfect recipe to kick start this warmer weather and I even enjoyed a piece outside in the sunshine yesterday while I read...bliss!

Happy baking :)