Homemade Country Slices
A homemade version of a classic country slice! There’s a fluffy, lightly spiced sponge cake that’s full of plenty of dried fruit & topped with crunchy sugar nibs.
In my opinion, Mr Kipling country slices are one of the best shop bought cake that you can buy & luckily, they’re also really easy to make at home! We make a lightly spiced traybake style sponge cake that’s full of sultanas, currant & raisins, top it with sugar nibs, bake then cut into generous slices. Easy stuff right?!
If you’ve never had a Mr Kipling country slice before, they’re a British classic! They’re made with a lightly spiced sponge cake that’s full of sultanas & currants and topped with crunchy sugar nibs. Country slices are available in most supermarkets in the UK & Mr Kipling sell 2 slices per pack.
So there’s a couple of tips & tricks that we use in this recipe, that take our homemade country slices to another level! This includes soaking the dried fruit in tea to make them plumper & juicier and brushing a homemade tea flavoured syrup on top of the cake, for extra flavour. Once made, we cut the traybake into rectangular pieces that are a more generous size than the classic ones and they’ll stay fresh for several days (when stored in an airtight container), so are perfect for packed lunches.
For more cakes & bakes, check out our ever growing collection of baking recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, from classic sponge cakes to brownies, cookies & blondies.
What You’ll Need
- Fruit – Classic country slices are made with sultanas & currants. I’ve added in some raisins as well for some extra flavour but feel free to use just sultanas & currants if you’d prefer.
- Spices – On the ingredients for a Mr Kipling country slice, it states that they use cassia (Chinese cinnamon), coriander, caraway, nutmeg, cloves & ginger in the cake batter. I’ve gone with some similar spices for this recipe & have used cinnamon, ginger & ground allspice. Country slices are only lightly spiced, so we only need to use a small amount of each spice.
- Tea – We’re using black tea to soak the fruit for the cake & to make a tea flavoured syrup, which we’ll be brushing on top. I use Yorkshire tea but any black tea will work.
- Butter – You’ll need unsalted butter for this recipe, as this allows us to control how much salt goes into the cake batter.
- Sugar – For a classic tasting sponge cake, we’re using caster sugar in the batter and for the tea syrup.
- Sugar Nibs – If you’ve ever had a country slice & wondered what the crunchy sugar is on top, it’s sugar nibs (or pearl sugar)! We sprinkle this on top of the cake before baking & they’ll give our homemade country slices that signature crunchy finish. Sugar nibs are available in some supermarkets or you can buy them online. Feel free to leave them off if you’d prefer but keep in mind that you won’t get the crunchy topping.
- Eggs – We’re using large eggs for the cake batter. These should each weigh around 50 grams out of the shell.
- Flour – You’ll need plain (all purpose) flour for this cake recipe. I prefer to use plain flour & baking powder for most of my cakes instead of self raising, as this allows us more control on how much raising agents are used.
- Baking Powder – Used to make our traybake rise. Make sure to measure the baking powder accurately!
- Vanilla – I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract to my cake batter, for some extra flavour. It can be made without though, so don’t worry if you haven’t got any!
How To Make Homemade Country Slices
Homemade country slices are really easy to make! We make a simple cake batter, similar to a Victoria sponge or pound cake, where we use equal quantities of butter, sugar, eggs & flour. Then fold in dried fruit, transfer to a traybake tin, top with sugar nibs then bake.
For extra flavour & moisture, we’re going to be brushing the top of the baked cake with a warm, tea flavoured syrup. This is a simple sugar syrup & only takes a few minutes to make. It makes a lot of difference though!
Tea Soaked Fruit
Before making the cake batter for our country slices, we need to soak the dried fruit so that they’re plumper & juicier. To do this, we add the sultanas, currants & raisins into a bowl, pour over hot black tea, to cover then leave for at least 30 minutes. I used Yorkshire tea to soak my fruit but you could use another black tea, Earl Grey or just hot water instead.
Once soaked, it’s key that we drain the fruit well, through a sieve to get rid of the excess liquid. If we didn’t do this, the cake batter could become too wet!
Lightly Spiced Cake Batter
Country slices are made with a simple cake batter that’s flavoured with a small amount of dried spices & a splash of vanilla extract. This batter is made the classic way, by creaming butter & sugar together until pale & fluffy then beating in eggs & vanilla before folding in the dry ingredients (plain flour, baking powder, salt & spices).
To finish the cake batter, we fold in the soaked & drained fruit, transfer to a lined 9″x12″ baking tin then bake at 175°c/347°f until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. This will take 28-30 minutes. Once baked, we let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes then brush the top with the tea syrup (more on this below!).
Tea Syrup
A simple syrup is made with equal quantities of water & sugar. To make, the syrup is cooked on the stove until the sugar dissolves then it’s brought up to the boil and taken off the heat.
Whilst our traybake bakes, we’re going to be making a tea flavoured simple syrup, which we’ll be using to soak the sponge. This syrup is really easy to make, simply add water into a small pan, bring to the boil then take off the heat & add in a tea bag (like making a cup of tea!).
We let the tea steep for a couple of minutes then add in caster sugar and cook over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar. We bring the syrup up to a boil then immediately take it off the heat. The syrup needs to be warm when we brush it onto the cake but not boiling hot!
Soaking The Cake
To soak the cake, we let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven then brush the top with a light coating of the warm syrup. We let this soak for 5 minutes then brush on another layer of syrup. Then we let the cake cool in the tin for another 30 minutes or so, until it’s cool enough to handle then we transfer it to a wire cooling rack and let it cool completely before cutting into slices.
Tips & Tricks
- Soak the dried fruit in hot black tea before using, as this will make them plumper & juicer, with more flavour. Make sure to drain the fruit well before adding them to the cake batter, so that the consistency of the batter isn’t made too wet.
- Cream the butter & sugar together well, it should be light & fluffy. This is key to make a soft & fluffy sponge cake.
- Country slices are meant to be very lightly spiced, so go easy with the dried spices in the cake batter!
- Top the cake with sugar nibs before baking, to give this traybake its’ signature crunchy topping.
- Bake the country slice traybake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. A slightly lower oven temperature stops the cake from cracking.
- Brush the sponge with syrup whilst it’s still warm. This adds moisture & flavour to the sponge and also glazes the top. I flavoured my cake soaking syrup with black tea but you could use vanilla, dried spices or citrus zest instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Country slices are a type of rustic, lightly spiced fruit cake that are topped with crunchy sugar nibs & are famously sold by the brand Mr Kipling. Country slices are sold in most supermarkets & you get 2 slices of cake per packet!
To cook homemade country slices in an Aga, bake the cake on a grid shelf placed on the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the top set of runners just before baking the cake, leaving it in for the duration of the cook. Use the boiling plate to cook the syrup for brushing on top.
Homemade country slices need to be stored in an airtight container & are best eaten within 3 days.
Sugar nibs are also called pearl sugar and they’re a type of white sugar that has large granules that don’t melt when baked. Instead, sugar nibs stay crunchy so are often used to top cakes, buns & cookies.
More Baking Recipes To Try!
- Classic School Cake
- Tres Leches Cake (3 Milk Cake)
- Kettle Chip Rocky Road
- Scottish Morning Rolls
- Tangzhong Dinner Rolls
- Rapeseed Oil Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
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Homemade Country Slices
Equipment
- 9" x 12" Baking Tin
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- Sieve
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Soaked Fruit
- 75 g Sultanas
- 75 g Raisins
- 50 g Currant
- 250 ml Hot Black Tea (See Notes)
Cake Batter
- 225 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 225 g Caster Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 Large Eggs
- 225 g Plain Flour
- 2¼ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp Ground Allspice
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
- 30 g Sugar Nibs (Pearl Sugar)
Tea Syrup
- 100 g Water
- 1 Tea Bag (See Notes)
- 100 g Caster Sugar
Instructions
Soaked Fruit
- Add the sultanas, raisins & currants into a small mixing bowl, pour over the tea then leave to soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Once soaked, tip the fruit into a sieve & leave to drain well.
Cake Batter
- Preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (347°f/311°f). You'll also need to grease & line a 9" x 12" baking tin.
- Add the softened butter & the caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer then beat, using the paddle attachment until the mix is pale & fluffy. This will take around 5 minutes, on a medium speed.
- Next, add in the vanilla extract then mix the eggs in one at a time, with the mixer running on a medium speed.Make sure to give the bowl a scrape down regularly, with a spatula!
- Once the eggs have been mixed in, take the bowl off the mixer then sift in the flour, baking powder & spices. Add in the salt then place the bowl back onto the mixer & mix on a low speed, until the flour is just combined. A few streaks of flour is fine at this point, as it will be mixed in when we add in the fruit.
- Next, add the soaked fruit into the cake batter then fold in with a spatula until incorporated. The fruit should be evenly dispersed through the batter.
- Transfer the cake batter to the lined tin, spread into an even layer with a palette knife then top with the sugar nibs. Bake in the preheated oven for 28-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.Make sure to sprinkle the sugar evenly over the cake!
Tea Syrup
- Whilst the cake bakes, make the tea syrup. To do this, add the water into a small saucepan then set over a medium-high heat & bring to the boil.
- Once the water is up to the boil, take the pan off the heat and add in the tea bag. Leave to steep for 2-3 minutes then take the tea bag out.
- Add the sugar into the tea then set the pan over a medium heat & cook, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring the syrup up to the boil then take the pan off the heat & set to one side until your cake is cooked.The syrup should be warm when we use it.
Soaking The Cake
- Once the cake is cooked, let it cool for 10 minutes then brush the top with a light coating of the warm tea syrup. Leave to soak for 5 minutes then brush on another coating of syrup.
- Let the cake cool in the tin, until cool enough to handle (around 30 minutes) then transfer to a wire cooling rack & leave to cool completely.
- To serve, cut the cake in half down the length then cut into rectangular pieces. I got 16 pieces out of my traybake!I find that a sharp, serrated knife works best for cutting the cake.
