I am sharing this as a simple summer treat recipe because you can make it in any kitchen. I first developed this recipe in a tiny rental kitchen in London with the bare minimum of kitchen kit as something to pack up for a picnic in the park with a Shakespeare performance of The Tempest. And they are the perfect thing to make if you are in a small, minimally equipped kitchen, a rental or a weekend home at the beach or the lake or the mountains. You can really do it in one bowl (clean out the big bowl to make the drizzle). A simple box grater has skinny holes for lemon zest, but you can skip it in a pinch. No mixer or special equipment required, no hard to find ingredients. You can even buy a disposable tinfoil pan to bake them in at the most basic of grocery stores. And if it’s a short stay and you don’t want to buy flour, baking powder and sugar, simply put the measured ingredients in ziptop bags at home to take with you.
These bars are the perfect picnic treat – they are sweet and puckery, stay moist and tender and hold up really well. I switched it up from a traditional powdered sugar glaze to this lemon juice and sugar drizzle, inspired by a classic British lemon drizzle loaf cake, which adds extra lemon zing and a nice crackly topping without melting or mess when you pack them up. You could also serve them in large pieces with some sliced, sweetened strawberries or blueberries.
Ingredients
- For the Bars
2 lemons
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cups butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
- For the Drizzle
Lemon zest and juice
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Directions
- For the Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick foil or parchment, with some overhang for lifting the squares from the pan.
- Zest one lemon into a medium mixing bowl. Put one small pinch of the zest into a small bowl and set aside. Juice both of the lemons into a measuring cup.
- Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the larger bowl with the zest and stir to combine. If it looks like the zest is clumping up, get in there with your clean fingers and make sure it is well distributed. Stir in the melted butter and the 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice until well combined. Add the eggs and stir until the batter is completely combined and smooth. Scrape it into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until a tester comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Remove from the oven.
- For the Drizzle
- Right when you pull the squares from the oven, put the 3 Tablespoons of sugar into the small bowl with the pinch of zest. Rub the zest and sugar together with your fingers, then pour over the remaining lemon juice – it should be close to 3 Tablespoons. Blend together with a fork, but the sugar should not dissolve completely. Pour evenly over the top of the warm bar, tilting the pan to spread and fully cover the top if needed. Cool completely and slice into squares.
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