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Lemon Bars

food
5
food
260 mins
cake/sweets
dessert
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by Natasha
Published on 01 December 2022
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My very first time experiencing a lemon bar was in the 6th grade. A classmate of mine at the time loved baking and brought some for us to school and they immediately became one of my favourite desserts. And this is why I thought of making this lemon bar recipe.

Lemon Bars

Lemon bars or some also may refer to them as lemon squares, are popular dessert bars in the United States. Made out of a shortbread crust and filled with fresh lemon curd, it’s the perfect summer treat.

The two main components: the shortbread crust and lemon curd are usually made separately, but lemon bars combine the two as the curd is baked alongside a half-baked crust. This creates a fudge-like texture mixed with a crumbly crispy crust.

For the lemon curd, it’s always best to use fresh, squeezed lemon juice instead of packaged/bottled one, which is what you will be making today. You also have other options to use other types of citrus fruits for this recipe such as oranges, or limes. So feel free to choose the best ingredients for yourself!

Baking Lemon Bars

Baking lemon bars might be easy but it does need to follow a specific time when baking or else the lemon curd filling will not set correctly. When it is underbaked, the custard filling will not set and it will not set in the fridge, thus losing its shape. When it is overbaked, the custard will be more curdled and when it’s set, it’ll become grainy. The perfect custard will be set firm, right out of the oven but is still tender to the touch in the centre.

Lemon bars are meant to be eaten cold. If you eat it fresh out of the oven, the custard will not be set and it’ll be too hot and sour to taste. So setting it in the fridge after a few hours is a must to have the best results.

The Best Way to Enjoy Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are quite fudgy and sticky, so to cut lemon bars without sticking, you will need to use a knife that’s dipped in hot water so it’ll be easy to cut into.

Baking these lemon bars is simple and easy, so squeeze some lemons and let’s get baking!

Some tips that might be useful:

  • Make sure that it’s not undercooked or over-baked.
  • This is always served cold, I don’t highly recommend eating it fresh out of the oven.
  • Always dip your knife whenever you cut into the lemon bars so the cuts are clean and you won’t have a hard time cutting into it.

Some terms you might need to know:

Lemon Bars

by Natasha
servings
4 people
prep time
215 mins
dish type
Cake/Sweets
cook time
45 mins
course
Dessert
total time
260 mins

ingredients

  • for the Lemon Zest

    • 1 pc(s)lemon(from fresh fruit, this will be used for topping, filling, and making the shortbread crust)

  • for the shortbread crust

    • 70 gramall-purpose flour
    • 25 gramcastor sugar
    • 0.25 tspsalt
    • 56 gramunsalted butter
    • 1 tbsplemon zest

  • for the lemon bars

    • 2 pc(s)eggs
    • 80 mllemon juice(made from about 2 fruits)
    • 100 gramcastor sugar
    • 15 gramall-purpose flour
    • 1 tbsplemon zest(for filling)

  • for the assembly

    • 1 tsplemon zest(as needed, for topping)
    • 10 grampowdered sugar(as needed, for topping)

instructions

Making shortbread crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 170 C.
  2. Melt the unsalted butter in the microwave at 800 watts for 20 seconds.
  3. Zest the lemon and measure the amount according to the ingredients list. Add the lemon zest (for shortbread crust) to the castor sugar. Mix well.
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  4. In a bowl, add all-purpose flour, castor sugar-lemon zest mix, and salt. Mix together with a whisk. These will be your dry ingredients.
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  5. Add the melted unsalted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
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  6. Place baking paper on your 13x13 square baking pan.
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  7. Add the shortbread crust to the pan and flatten it out evenly across the baking pan.
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  8. Bake the crust for 20 mins. or until slightly golden brown.
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Make the filling

  1. Measure the amount of zest needed for the filling and add it to a bowl.
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  2. Juice all the lemon and strain the juice to a bowl. to be used for the filling. You can store the rest in the fridge for other uses.
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  3. Add the zest from step 9 to a bowl of castor sugar. Mix well.
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  4. Add all-purpose flour to the bowl of castor sugar and lemon zest.
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  5. Add the lemon juice that you took from step 2 of make the filling
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  6. Add the eggs to the lemon mixture and whisk until fully homogeneous.
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Assembly

  1. Preheat the oven to 150 C.
  2. Now pour the lemon custard filling to the half-baked shortbread crust.
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  3. Bake for 25 mins. or until it’s firm but slightly jiggly on top.
  4. Set the lemon bars to cool at room temperature for 1 hour. After 1 hour at room temperature, set it in the freezer for 2 hours.
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  5. Dip your knife in hot water and cut the lemon bar into 9 equal pieces.
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  6. Dust the top with some powdered sugar and add a sprinkle from the leftover lemon zest.
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  7. Now take a slice and enjoy it with iced tea!
cake/sweets
dessert
dessert bar
lemon
summer food
user_default.png
Natasha
Bake it till you make it!

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