Easy Dessert Recipe: ‘OMFG No-Bake Slice'

The Best Slice Recipe Ever. Really. 

Disclaimer: this recipe is sponsored by Lavazza. I was invited to Melbourne International Coffee Expo and given a A Modo Mio coffee pod machine. This recipe will work with any type of coffee.

When I see the words ‘no-bake’ my stomach somersaults with joy. It’s not that I hate the oven; it’s just that I love easy recipes almost as much as I love dessert. Last week, I adapted a coffee slice recipe from a family-friendly food blog. The result was, quite possibly, the best slice I’ve ever sunk my teeth into. 

It all started during the MICE (Melbourne International Coffee Expo), when Lavazza invited me to attend a class and learn how to use their A Modo Mio machine. I was lucky enough to receive one as a gift (thanks Lavazza!), just in case I still wasn’t convinced that capsule coffee makes the cut. A Modo Mio is Italian for ‘my way’, which relates to the 8 different coffee capsules available and the ease at which you can set the machine to spurt out coffee in a heartbeat, just the way you like it. 

As far as coffee pod machines go, A Modo Mio is easy to use and quickly produces a decent cup complete with crema. Although I enjoy coffee, I’m by no means an expert. In fact, I’m more of a tea drinker (sorry Lavazza!). So while I give A Modo Mio two thumbs up, my view on coffee is a little different. When thinking about how I like coffee a modo mio, the answer was obvious: I like my coffee best when I can eat it, not drink it. This, my friends, was the inspiration behind this coffee slice recipe. 

The super strong Lavazza’s A Modo Mio capsules are perfect for this dessert recipe. Each contains 7.5 grams of coffee per capsule, as opposed to the usual 5 to 6 grams in other pods. The model that now sits proudly on the kitchen bench is the Electrolux Premium Milk, complete with an automatic milk frother/steamer wedged on the side. So far I’ve used it to make hot and iced chocolate as well as milk for my coffee, while a couple of pods mysteriously disappear everyday (must be the boy). 

My favourite pod is Lavazza’s ¡Tierra! variety, and it’s not just because it tastes like chocolate. The coffee comes from Lavazza’s first independent corporate social responsibility project, which started in 2004. Each time you drink ¡Tierra! coffee, whether in beans, grounds or capsule form, you help improve the living conditions of coffee-growers in overseas communities. 

But that’s enough about Lavazza. It’s time to share my secret behind making a slice that is guaranteed to win hearts, bed strangers, break up marriages, impress your boss, hype up the kids, get you good grades, and successfully bribe your way into just about anything. I call it the espresso-walnut-biscuit-condensed-milk-heaven-on-earth-mother-tucker. Or maybe that’s just the sugar talking. 

FOR THE BASE

- 500g Arnott’s Granita biscuits (2 packs) 

- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (395g) 

- 185g butter 

- 1 shot of A Modo Mio coffee (or 100mls instant or percolator coffee) 

- 175g chopped walnuts 

FOR THE TOPPING

- 375g of full fat cream cheese (1 ½ regular packs) 

- 1 ½ cups icing sugar 

- 1 shot of A Modo Mio coffee (or 100mls instant or percolator coffee) 

- 100g walnuts 

Here we go, kids. 

1. Smash the biscuits in a bowl until there’s a mixture of small and chunky crumbs. Add the walnuts and give the dry ingredients a mix. 

2. Over a low flame, melt the butter and condensed milk together in a saucepan, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Mix in one shot of A Modo Mio espresso or your coffee alternative. 

3. Pour the above into your smashed biscuit and walnut mix and combine. 

4. Press mixture into a lined, square baking tin or similarly shaped vessel and refrigerate until set. 

5. While your no-bake slice is setting, stir the cream cheese like crazy until it takes on a fluffy, whipped form. Then add the icing sugar a few spoonfuls at a time, stirring thoroughly. Once all the icing sugar has been added, pour in one cooled shot of A Modo Mio espresso or you’re coffee alternative. 

6. Spread the icing over your biscuit base and decorate with walnuts. 

7. Refrigerate for half a day (ideally overnight), cut into squares, and be prepared to have people worship you for the rest of your life. 

Seriously, it’s that easy.