Lemon-Lime Squares

A rendition of the classic lemon square, these bars have just enough lime in them to really bring new life to an old favorite.  These squares have a thick shortbread crust that is just firm enough to hold the creamy filling and just sweet enough to offset the tartness of the citrus. 

Crust
-1 cup butter, at room temperature
-½ cup granulated sugar
-¼ cup confectioners sugar
-2 cups flour
-1/8 teaspoon kosher salt


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, combine all ingredients until just mixed (dough will get tougher the more you mix it so try to handle it as little as possible -  it’s ok if there are chunks of butter the size of peas).  Use the wrappers for the sticks of butter to grease a 9x13 pan.  Press crumbly dough into the pan to form the shortbread crust.

 
Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.

Filling
-6 extra-large eggs
-3 cups granulated sugar
-¼ cup lemon juice
-¾ cup lime juice
-1 cup flour
-confectioners sugar, for dusting

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon and lime juice, and flour until no lumps remain. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set and a slightly darkened "crust" has formed on the surface. Let cool to room temperature (this is important or the confectioners sugar will melt into a globby mess!) - expedite the process by placing in the fridge or freezer.

Once cooled, dust with confectioners sugar. Pucker up and enjoy!

Hummingbird Cake

So this is a great recipe I got from one of my favorite cook books.  After a few tweaks, I found this cake to be very similar to carrot cake - just without the carrot!  The combination of nuts, banana, and pineapple blends beautifully with the thick cream cheese frosting.  Hope you enjoy!

Cake

- 2 ¼ cup flour

- 1 ¼ cup sugar

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 cup vegetable oil, plus some to grease pans with

- 3 eggs

- 1 cup chopped pecans, plus some to decorate

- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

- 4 oz canned crushed pineapple, plus 4 tbsp juice from the can

Frosting

- 1 package/brick cream cheese

- 4 tbsp butter

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 3 ½ cups confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use some oil to lightly grease two 9-inch layer cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. 

 

Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda into a large bowl.  Add eggs, oil, pecans, mashed bananas, pineapple, and pineapple juice.  Mix just till combined. 

Divide batter into both pans.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until firm to touch and golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temp (you can put them in the fridge or freezer on a rack if you are in a rush).

To make the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth.  Add confectioner’s sugar and beat until creamy and spreadable.  If the frosting is too firm, add milk by tbsp until desired consistency is obtained.

Frost the cooled cakes with the cream cheese frosting, spreading more chopped pecans over top to decorate.

Enjoy!

Apple Crumble Bars

Here's a twist on a traditional concept for those of you who love apple pie, but want to shake it up a bit.  By cooking the apples on the stove prior to baking, they take on a very nice caramel flavor. 


Dough
-1 cup butter (2 sticks)
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-3 cup flour

-For dough, combine all dough ingredients until it has a crumbly texture, divide dough in two and press half of it into a greased 9x13 pan (or whatever you have around that size) and set the other half aside. 

Filling
-9ish apples, pink lady or granny smith work well
-1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
-1 cup brown sugar
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tbs cinnamon (or however much you like)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel, core and cut apples into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices.  Combine apples slices with other filling ingredients in a pot over medium heat on the stove (may seem like a lot of apples at first, but they reduce down quite a bit).  On medium heat, mix apples and sauce until some of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce becomes caramel-ly (although still somewhat liquid-y) and apples cook through, about 20 minutes.
 


Pour apple mixture into prepared pan with the pressed dough and spread evenly.  Take remaining dough and spread over the apples (if you take hand-fulls of the dough and squeeze it in your hand, you can form larger "chucks" to place on the apples...just a suggestion for a more crumbly top).  Bake for about 40 minutes until it's bubbling throughout and has turned golden brown on top.

Serve with  some vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!