Apple Sour Cream Slice (Without Cake Mix)

a piece of apple sour cream slice on a white plate with apple slices.

5 from 4 votes

Apple Sour Cream Slice (Without Cake Mix)

You will love this easy apple sour cream slice, made from scratch (without cake mix). A buttery shortbread base is covered with warm cinnamon apples, topped with cinnamon dusted sour cream and baked to perfection. Using canned pie apples, it is as easy to make as it is delicious!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Chilling Time2

Total Time50

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Australian

Servings: slices

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

For the shortbread base

170 grams plain flour about 1 and ⅛ of a cup when fluffed with a spoon and levelled.
75 grams rice flour approx. ⅓ cup.
75 grams icing sugar ½ cup
¼ teaspoon salt regular table salt
150 grams butter chilled and cut into cubes

For the apple filling

600 grams pie apples (canned pie apples). Or, use homemade stewed apples or pie apples instead. Drain any excess liquid first.
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice you can add 1 teaspoon of zest too, if you like.
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the sour cream topping

300 ml sour cream regular, full fat
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/320 F. Grease and line a 20 x 20cm (8 x 8 inch) square baking tin with baking/parchment paper.
Place the shortbread base ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a soft dough. **If you don’t have a food processor, rub the butter into the other ingredients with your fingertips until a soft dough forms.
Add the shortbread mixture into the prepared tin and use the back of a spoon (or the bottom of a glass) to press the dough firmly into the tin, until level.
Bake for around 20 minutes, or until the base is lightly golden on top. Remove the base from the oven.

For the apple filling

Place the apple filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. If there is any excess liquid in the apples, drain the apples before adding them to the slice.
Spread the apples over the top of the shortbread base (you don't need to wait for the base to cool).

For the sour cream layer

Give the sour cream a little stir to make it easier to spread.
Top the apples with the sour cream and use a spatula or spoon to spread it evenly over the slice.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together to make cinnamon sugar.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the sour cream.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the sour cream layer has set.
Remove the slice from the oven and allow to sit in the tin at room temperature for 20 minutes before transferring to the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours.
When the slice has firmed up, cut into slices and serve.

Video

Notes

Line the baking tin. Lining the tin with baking/parchment paper makes it easier to remove the slice from the pan. Leave the edges of the paper long, to help lift the slice from the tin when it has fully set. The base is more fragile when warm, so if you want to eat it right away, cut the slice while still in the tin and remove the individual pieces.
Use chilled butter straight from the fridge to make the shortbread. As with making pie dough, cold butter will make a more tender crust. Use a food processor where possible, to speed up the process and avoid warming the dough with your hands.
Instead of apples, you can swap for canned pears, or even peaches or apricots.
This slice is not overly sweet. There is no added sugar in the pie apples and only a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on the sour cream layer. If you prefer the slice a little sweeter, mix 2-3 tablespoons of caster sugar into the apple layer or through the sour cream before layering it onto the slice.
Drain the apples first, to ensure there isn’t a lot of liquid, or the slice will be wet.
The slice should chill for at least 2-3 hours before slicing, to firm up completely. Serve it chilled – it tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge!
I don't recommend freezing this slice.
Storage; keep it chilled in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the slice being cut into 12 pieces, with one piece being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the slice.
This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition