Heavenly Lemon Squares

LEMON SQUARES....to me this is the ultimate comfort food.  I don't know why but I get that happy feeling every time I eat it.  I know my whole family feels the same way cause when I bake it, all 32 cut pieces are gone in a few hours.

For many years, I didn't know how to replicate my aunties' lemon squares.  Their version wasn't gooey, or custardy, or chewy.  It was light and cakey.  And it was the only way I liked it.

I got hold of the recipe just last year.  The problem with most of my aunties' handwritten recipes though was that instructions were always lacking.  Mostly, they were just  listings of ingredients with very general procedures.  Some don't even have baking temperatures and baking times!  Someone with no baking experience would certainly not be able to understand them.   Luckily, I know a thing or two about baking and could somehow fill in the blanks and figure out whatever is missing or seems doubtful.

One thing I figured was that in order to make the filling cakey, then I had to make it like I would a cake.  Makes sense right?  So instead of just mixing the ingredients all together (as other recipes suggest), I tried beating the eggs very well in order to aerate them, much like a sponge cake. The result?

A super light and soft layer of cake!  With this particular recipe, the lemon taste is quite subtle and not overpowering.  My youngest, who is not at all a fan of anything citrusy, absolutely devours these! And the crust? It's heavenly as well!  It has a delicate crunch to it and literally melts in the mouth. Being so light, the only reason we stop ourselves from eating so many is pure guilt....

Have I made you crave for lemon squares yet?  Why not give it a try?  I'm pretty sure you'll be hooked as well!

LEMON SQUARES (makes about 32 pieces)

Ingredients:

For the pastry:
1 cup salted butter, cut into cubes
½ cup powdered/icing sugar
2 cups plain flour

For the filling:
½ cup plus 2 tbsp plain flour
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp Salt
5 large eggs
1 ½ cup plus 2 tbsp granulated white sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
1 tsp lemon extract
zest of one lemon (optional, if you prefer it to be more tangy)

powdered/icing sugar for dusting

Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 180 deg C (350F). If you are using a fan-assisted oven, you might want to turn off the fan or lower the temperature to 160 deg C.  Line a 9x13 baking pan with baking paper. (I use a rectangular springform pan which makes it so easy to remove the lemon squares.)
2.  In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the pastry until it forms a dough. (You can use a mixer or a food processor to do this but I just use my fingers to squish it all together.)  Gather dough into a ball.
3.  Press the dough onto your baking pan. Spread it as evenly as possible. (Tip: If you have a 
fondant smoother, cover the surface of the dough with baking paper then flatten with the 
smoother.)

4.  Chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes then bake in the oven for 25 minutes.  After the pastry is baked, take it out but leave the oven on.
5.  While the pastry is baking, prepare your filling. (You can start this process about 10 minutes after your pastry has started baking. This is just so your mixture will not sit for long before it goes into the oven.)  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
6.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, starting from a low speed gradually increasing to high.
7.  Slowly add in the sugar.  Beat the mixture until it is very light yellow in colour and it has quadrupled in volume.
8.  With mixer on lowest speed, add in the lemon juice, lemon extract and zest, if using.  Lastly, add in the flour.  Mix only until everything is combined.
9.  Pour the filling on top of the warm, baked pastry.  Place pan back in the oven, lower the temperature to 160 deg C (325F) and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.  Again, if you are using a fan-assisted oven, lower the temperature to 140 deg C. Baked filling should be very light golden brown.
10.  Move pan to a wire rack.  Let cool completely before slicing into squares.  Dust top generously with icing sugar.

Enjoy!