All that zest

On a distressing wintry night there is only one place you should be. Busily working away in the kitchen, producing these ravenous treats. The spongy texture and subtle lemon zest is a duet made in heaven. I was utterly surprised when flicking through recipe books, as it came to my discovery that I had never actually made lemon bars myself. That has since been rectified and I now have a tin brimming with tender squares of lemon sweeties. This recipe is from a favorite little cookbook of mine, splattered with the evidence of all the joys of baking now, yet its simplicity makes it all worthwhile. Brighten those miserable grey skies with these pops of lemon delights. 

{Freshly squeezed}

{You simply can not stop at one!}

Makes 12
2 eggs
175g caster sugar
150g soft margarine/ plus extra for greasing
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
175g self-raising flour
125ml milk
icing sugar for dusting

Syrup
140g icing sugar
50ml freshly squeezed lemon juice


Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 18cm square cake tin and line with baking paper. 
 
Place the eggs, caster sugar, and margarine in a bowl and beat hard until smooth and fluffy.
Stir in the lemon rind, the add the flour lightly and evenly.
Stir in the milk,    
mixing evenly, then spoon batter into the prepared cake tin, smoothing level. 

Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes in a square cake pan, until golden brown and firm to the touch

To make the syrup;

Place the icing' sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil.

Prick the cake all over with a skewer and spoon the hot syrup over the top allowing it to be absorbed.
Leave to cool completely in the tin, cut into 12 pieces and dust with a little icing sugar before serving.