Lemon and blueberry squares

Over the last few days it’s really felt like spring. The air is just that little bit warmer, the afternoons just that little bit brighter and there are blossom covered trees on just about every street in town. After such a quiet autumn and winter, where staying in was pretty much mandatory, spring feels like a season of optimism .

I’m envisaging small, but exceptionally jovial socially distant gatherings, outside in the fresh air – underneath trees with brand new leaves. Those sorts of get-togethers deserve a treat – something colourful, crunchy and creamy. Something like lemon and blueberry squares…

I spotted the recipe for lemon and blueberry squares in one of those free supermarket magazines a couple of months ago.  If you’ve been reading this blog for a little while you’ll know I have a soft spot for pretty much any lemon flavoured dessert.  Add in one of my favourite fruits, and I was sold.  I made a mental note to give the recipe a go, put the magazine away for safekeeping so I didn’t throw it in the recycling bin, and of course completely forgot about it.  I found that magazine again the other day while having a tidy up and got baking.

What you’ll need

BASE

• 125g of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 of a cup of brown sugar
• 1 ¼ cups of sifted plain flour
• 1 tablespoon of cornflour

FILLING

• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest (I used the zest of one lemon)
• 1/3 cup of plain flour
• 1 cup of caster sugar
• 2/3 cup of lemon juice (roughly 2½ large lemons)
• half a punnet of blueberries
• icing sugar for serving

How to do it

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160ºc. Grease and line a slice tin (27½ x 17½ x 3½ cm) with baking parchment, extending a few centimetres over the edge.
2. For the base: combine butter, sugar, flour and cornflour in a bowl.  Tip mixture into your line slice tin and press  evenly into the bottom.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the base is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
3. For the filling: whisk together the eggs, zest, flour and sugar until smooth. Add the lemon juice, stirring to combine.  Pour the filling over the base, top with blueberries and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is set.
4. Allow the slice to cool completely in the pan, then cut into squares and dust with icing sugar, serving with additional blueberries if you so desire.

It’s a very straightforward recipe and one where I’ve pretty much always got all the ingredients on hand – making it a very handy go to for impromptu picnics or last minute afternoon tea gatherings. The colourful combination of the tangy yellow lemon filling and the sweet purple berries makes this slice a real standout, especially if it’s nestled amongst a number of other plates at buffet style share table.

Happy baking!

Have a wonderful week.

M. x