Thursday baking - sticky lemon slice

As we bake our way through A Treasury of NZ Baking...

Due to an issue with my copy of ATONZB still in storage, I have been thus far unable to participate in our Thursday baking challenge. Thankfully last weekend Becky lent me her spare copy, so now I'm back in the game!

I decided to make this sticky lemon slice as my friend Natalie was visiting and she loves lemon treats. It was an added bonus that the recipe doesn't need any special ingredients - so didn't require a trip to the supermarket. And thankfully I was able to scavenge the first of the yellowing lemons off the lemon tree.

This slice is quite similar to a lemon tart. It was delicious - very gooey and lived up to its name in stickiness. In fact it was so sticky and gooey that I got 'told off' for eating it too loudly! It is quite sweet, so nice to have with a cuppa - I had it with a peppermint tea, which complimented it nicely. I will definitely make this again. Here's the recipe;

Week 5: Sticky Lemon Slice (Julie Biuso)

Base
225g butter, softened
70g icing sugar
275 standard flour

Topping
400g sugar
4 medium sized eggs, beaten
4 tbsp standard flour
1 tsp baking powder
grated zest of 2 lemons
90ml lemon juice, strained
icing sugar

Preheat oven to 170C. Line the base of a non-stick 32 x 21cm tin with baking paper. For the base: process butter in food processor until whipped. then add icing sugar until light in colour. Sprinkle in the flower and process until the mixture forms a ball. Tip into the tin an press flat. Bake for 15 mins, then remove from the oven. While the vase is cooling, make the topping.

Topping: Process eggs and sugar in food processor for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, then sprinkle the flour and baking powder over the top. Add the lemon zest and juice, mixing it all together with a large spoon. Pour the mixture on top of the base (it will fill the tin).

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden in colour and firmish to touch. Cool in the tin, then dust with icing sugar and cut into squares. Transfer to an airtight container when cool. This slice will keep for 3-5 days.