It was Justin’s birthday last week, and each year I take a birthday cake request from him. It’s usually something I don’t make often, if ever, because it’s something I don’t much like myself. There aren’t that many sweet things that I don’t like. But most things containing lemon or orange make it onto that list. Funnily enough, I don’t mind food made with lime or grapefruit!
Last year, I pulled out and kept a page from a copy of Stella Magazine containing a recipe I knew he’d like. It was for lemon marmalade bars by Sarah Leahey Benjamin. I promptly filed it away and forgot about it. On his birthday I asked, “So what cake do you want for your birthday?” He replied, “Lemon drizzle cake.” I think I made that last year (and more than likely the previous year too!), but it was his birthday, so who was I to say no? I flipped through my recipe folder and my eyes fell upon the pretty picture of the lemon marmalade bars. “What about these?”, I asked. “Yeah, OK.” he replied, a little indifferently.
It was delicious – even I had a piece or two. We took some with us for Granny Glittens to try when we went for a visit and she enjoyed it too. Success!
Lemon marmalade bars
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 lemons unwaxed
- 200 g/7oz caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 4 tsp cornflour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 45 g/1½oz unsalted butter melted and cooled
For the base
- 140 g/5oz plain flour
- 50 g/1¾oz caster sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 125 g/4½oz unsalted butter melted & cooled
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- icing sugar for sifting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4
- Line a 20cm/8in square tin with tin foil, making sure the foil goes up & over the sides
- Slice one of lemons into 8 wedges lengthwise then slice each eighth into small pieces, making sure to remove the seeds
- In a small bowl, mix the slices with the sugar, rubbing the sugar into the lemon with your fingers to help extract the lemon oil
- Set aside for about an hour at room temperature
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour with the caster sugar, ¼tsp salt, melted butter and vanilla essence
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down with the back of a spoon, making sure it goes right into the corners
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown
- While the base is cooking, finish preparing the filling
- Juice the remaining lemon, measure out 3 tbsp of juice and set aside
- Using a food processor, blitz the macerated lemon & sugar mixture until smooth
- Add the lemon juice, eggs, cornflour, ¼ tsp salt and melted butter
- Purée again until the mixture is smooth
- Once the base is cooked, remove the tin from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2
- Carefully pour the lemon filling over the cooked crust and return the tin to the oven
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture is just set
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan
- Dust with icing sugar prior to serving
- Using the edges of the tin foil, lift the cake out of the tin and cut into squares, rectangles or diamond shapes
