Lemon Slice

Just when you thought I’d put away the lemon card, I draw it out once more.

A few people have asked me for the other slice recipe I seem to mention so much! It is full of deliciousness and the colour is as rich and golden as the sunshine so really does remind me of Summer….ok, much warmer weather than we are currently experiencing in Wellington anyway!!

Thanks to Ellie Won and her blog Kitchen Wench for this one! I discovered her blog a couple of months ago and now read it weekly. Seriously if you haven’t checked it out, please do! Beautiful photography too. I must say I am quite looking forward to trying out her Maple Syrup and Walnut Cake one day soon. I will add to the list!

Luscious Lemon Slice

For the base

• 225g of all-purpose flour
• 80g icing sugar, sifted
• 180g unsalted butter
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp iced water

For the topping

• 6 large eggs
• 600g of caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
• 250ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
• 1/2 cup of flour
• Icing sugar, chopped pistachios or fresh berries and cream to serve

Preheat your oven to 180° and line a 25 cm baking tin with baking paper. Put the flour, icing sugar and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until well mixed. Add the butter and pulse till the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then add the vanilla and water till the pastry forms a ball. Press the dough mixture evenly into the lined tin.

Bake the base for about 15-20 minutes, or till the edges have gone golden and the pastry has dried a fair bit and firmed up. While the pastry is baking, lightly beat together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice. Sift the flour over the top and whisk until the mixture is smooth!

Once the base is cooked, remove from the oven and set aside for about 10 minutes to cool and drop the oven temperature down to 150°. Once the base has cooled, briefly whisk the egg mixture and pour over the base. Carefully return to the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or till the topping has set. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

I recommend covering the tin tightly with cling film and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Bring back to room temperature before serving. I decided to decorate my slice with a light dusting of icing sugar and a few small pieces of Whittaker’s Dark Chocolate. There really is something about the combination of lemon and dark chocolate.

Mmmm, enjoy!

And…after discovering some new weird and wonderful kiwi food blogs through entering Sweet New Zealand last month, I’ve decided to enter this very nice summery slice in November. Nothing like a bit of sunshine yellow to get us through to the start of Summer!

Sweet New Zealand for November is hosted by Mairi at Toast. Go and visit her blog to see what the country has been cooking up!