Nigel Slater’s Genius Raspberry Ripple Toast Is Your Last-Second Summer Hero

Every Wednesday this August, we’re giving you sneak peeks of some of the most gloriously summery recipes in our almost-born cookbook Genius Desserts. (You can order your signed copy now to get your mitts on the rest when the book drops September 4th!)

Nigel Slater’s Raspberry Ripple Sandwich

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As I was gathering up recipes for Genius Desserts (which will be here in 20 days!) and asking all of you for your most treasured, surest things, too, I started noticing some patterns, and really latching onto them.

These are the Wonder Doughs that you can spin off into a million different desserts, give or take. Those are the Magic Potions that you can sprinkle into any cookie or cake for a deeper flavor and extra sparkle. Those guys over there are two very compelling dairy-free chocolate sauces—and that’s no accident.

Probably because I already love excuses to eat toast (I’m guessing most of you do, too)—for breakfast, dinner, and every snack in between—I got very excited every time I stumbled on a recipe that gave me eye-opening new ways and new permissions to eat it for dessert. And so, in the book there are at least seven ways to turn a loaf of bread into dessert, even a stale, forgotten nub of one.

Perhaps the most obvious benefit, when you’re just making toast for dessert, is that instead of waiting for dough to chill or cake to bake, you can make yourself or your loved ones a pick-me-up pretty much the moment a boost is called for.

But what I also discovered, when I made an ill-planned commitment to bring dessert to a dinner party, is that this mini recipe from Nigel Slater is a real star in that arena, too. You can prepare nothing ahead, pick up a loaf of bread, a pint of cream, and a pint of raspberries on the way to the shindig, and involve your friends in a little light cream-whipping and raspberry-smashing.

If your friends are like my friends, they won’t judge your lack of a fancy tart or layer cake and, instead, they’ll be even more excited to play along—their enthusiasm measured in big, messy, happy bites of cold cream and tart raspberry swirls seeping into hot, crisp toast.

Nigel Slater’s Raspberry Ripple Sandwich

This sandwich is a joyously messy experience and nostalgic even if you didn’t grow up in England eating raspberry ripple ice cream (which is vanilla with a raspberry swirl, for the rest of us).

Nigel Slater’s Raspberry Ripple Sandwich

View Recipe

Ingredients

	Fresh raspberries and any other berries you like
	Heavy cream
	Superfine or confectioners’ sugar
	Pure vanilla extract
	Brioche, challah, or white sandwich bread

	Fresh raspberries and any other berries you like
	Heavy cream
	Superfine or confectioners’ sugar

	Pure vanilla extract
	Brioche, challah, or white sandwich bread

Photos by James Ransom

Got a genius recipe to share—from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at [email protected].