Baking for Beginners: Lemon Squares

Bright, tangy and sharp. Lemon is one of the greatest flavours to ever happen to cooking especially when it comes to sweets. Since I was little I've had a habit of fishing the lemon slices out of my drinks and eating them.

These Squares are one of my favourite things bake: they're light, slightly gooey with a toasty biscuit base and thin crisped sugary top. They are ridiculously easy to make and take only about a hour from start to get-in-my-mouth-now.

Lemon Squares (makes about 16 squares)
You'll need:

For the base

• 200g plain flour
• 75g icing sugar
• 175g butter, softened
• zest of half a lemon

For the lemon filling

• 3 eggs
• 300g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 6 tbsp lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• icing sugar to decorate

Make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5.
2. Place all the base ingredients in a bowl and rub the butter in with the tips of your fingers, until everything starts to come together. 
3. Line the bottom of a square 23cm tin with baking paper and press down the dough so it covers the base evenly. Pop it in the oven for 20 mins or until it's turned a light golden brown.
4. While that's baking, make the filling by vigorously whisking together the eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest until it starts to thicken.
5. Take the biscuit base out of the oven and pour the lemony filling straight on top. Then back in it goes  for a further 20-25 mins, until the top forms a lovely golden brown and crispy layer.
6. Once done, take it out and leave to cool in the pan completely before slicing into squares. Dust the tops with icing sugar.