There’s something wonderfully old-fashioned about a Louise slice. It’s been a Kiwi favourite for well over a century - believed to be named after Princess Louise, one of Queen Victoria’s daughters. It’s one of those clever, humble bakes that layers simple ingredients into something special: a buttery shortbread base, a generous spread of jam, and a coconut meringue baked on top until golden.

When I first tested this recipe, we didn’t actually have any jam in the house, so I used up some marmalade instead. It worked incredibly well — the citrus gave it a bit of a lift. So I’d encourage you to get experimental here. Any seasonal jam, marmalade or even lemon curd would be lovely. If you want to keep it traditional though, you can’t go wrong with a berry jam.

Let's get baking! 

Ingredients

Base:

125g unsalted butter, softened

100g white sugar

1 whole egg

190g plain flour

8g (2 tsp) baking powder

A pinch of salt (~1g)

1 tsp Heilala vanilla paste

Filling:

About 160g jam, marmalade or curd (whatever’s on hand or in season)

Topping:

2 egg whites

100g white sugar

100g desiccated coconut

Optional: ¼–½ tsp Heilala vanilla paste for a fragrant coconut top

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C fan bake. Line a 20x30cm slice tin with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the whole egg and vanilla paste.

Fold in flour, baking powder and salt to make a soft dough.

Press the dough evenly into your lined tin. If your jam or marmalade is quite firm from the fridge, let it soften up a bit so it spreads easily. You want it to sit on top — not mix into the dough.

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar until glossy, then fold through the coconut. Stir in the extra vanilla if using.

Spread the coconut mixture gently over the jam layer.

Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden on top. Let it cool completely before slicing into squares.

Enjoy!