Chester Cake Recipe | Cooking with Nana Ling

A dense, fruity and rich layer between butter shortcrust pastry, Chester Cake is a old-fashioned recipe that turns leftover baked goods into something special.

What is Chester Cake?

Chester Cake, also known as Chester Slice, Chester Squares and Gur Cake, is hard to find these days but has historically been a favorite in Australian bakeries and dates back to England and Ireland.

I first came across this slice recipe in the “Pilot Recipe Book contains 100 Trade Recipes of Proved Merit” published by Marrickville Margarine Pty Limited in 1937.

I inherited this recipe book from one of my dear neighbors from my Sydney days, Joyce. Joyce was a wonderful cook who sent out amazing treats every Christmas season. Her family owned a bakery in Sydney and this appears to be a book from that period.

My mom also remembers Chester Cake from her years of working in bakeries and remembers it being made from yesterday’s fruit rolls, bread, hot cross buns and the like – and very popular too.

Chester cake recipe

This recipe has been on my to-do list for a while and I was urged to make it after receiving a special request for this recipe from a reader who fondly remembers her grandma making this recipe .

There are so many versions of this recipe, which is not surprising since it is traditionally made from leftovers.

In creating the recipe here, I used the Pilot recipe book along with another recipe that my Aunt Judy found in her recipe clippings collection.

Ingredients for Chester cake

To do that pastries You need:

• butter
• powdered sugar (fine sugar)
• egg
• vanilla extract
• plain flour
• baking powder
• lemon juice.

For the fillingYou need:

• stale bread
• syrup
• currants
• sultanas
• spice mix
• Cinammon
• Milk.

For ingredient quantities, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Substitute: This piece can also be made with leftover fruit buns, fruit tarts, hot cross buns, and the like in place of bread. When substituting the filling, simply choose the amount of additional fruit and spices you add to the filling based on how fruity/spicy the items you are using are.

Prepare Chester Cake

Start by preheating the oven to moderate (180 degrees Celsius).

Step 1: Make the dough

Beat the butter, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla until light and creamy.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and stir into the creamy mixture until combined. Don’t over mix – just enough to combine.

Add enough lemon juice to form a firm dough. Start with 2 tablespoons and gradually add the third as needed.

Divide the dough in half, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Don’t skip the cooling step. It makes handling the pastry much easier.

Step 2: Make the filling

Soak bread in milk for 5 minutes. I added the crusts, but you can remove them if you’d like – it’s really just a personal choice.

Then squeeze excess moisture out of the bread and place in a mixing bowl.

Soak the sultanas and currants in water for 5 minutes and then drain.

Add the remaining ingredients for the filling and mix or squash the mixture with your hands.

Step 3: Assembling the Disc

Roll out one half of the dough between sheets of baking paper in the shape of a slicing dish.

Cut the dough until it fits snugly on the bottom of the cutting pan, leaving the bottom layer of parchment paper.

Pour the filling into the disc mold over the layer of dough, using a spatula to ensure an even layer.

Roll out the second half of the dough between sheets of baking paper in the shape of the slicing dish. Cut the dough to fit snugly over the top of the filling in the cutting pan and remove both layers of parchment paper.

Beat the egg white with a little water until fluffy. Brush the dough lightly with it, then sprinkle with additional sugar and prick with a fork.

Step 4: Let’s Bake

Place the slice in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool in the mold for 20 minutes before removing and letting cool on a cooling rack.

When cool, cut into squares.

Enjoy Chester Slice

When my mum shared a few slices of this with an elderly English friend, she loved it – and enjoyed it served warm with custard. This seems like the perfect way to enjoy Chester Cake, although it’s also perfectly served cold alone or with ice cream.

Your Chester Cake should last a few days and you can store it in or out of the fridge.

Want more old-fashioned recipes?

If you love this recipe, you might also like my Apple Amber, Sultana Cake, Coconut Cake, and Golden Syrup Dumplings recipes.

You can also browse the entire collection of slice recipes here.