Blueberry & Lemon Squares

Donal Skehan’s Blueberry & Lemon Squares uses the all-in-one method, making it easy to follow and super-quick to make. All ingredients are put into the bowl at the same time and mixed together to form a smooth batter. Simple, fragrant and taste good too! 🙂

Adapted from Donal Skehan’s recipe in “delicious.uk June 2013 issue”

Cuts into 24 squares; Takes 15 mins to make; 35 mins to Cook

Donal’s Tip: For extra flavour, gently heat juice of 2 lemons with 2 tbsp caster sugar in a pan, stirring, till sugar dissolves. When sponge’s cooked, turn it out onto a wire rack and pierce surface with a skewer, then pour over hop syrup. Cook, then continue with step 4. To freeze: cool cooked cake, defrost before icing.

Ingredients:

250g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
225 g golden caster sugar (I used 210g)
4 large free-range eggs
225g softened butter
3 tbsp milk
grated zest of 3 lemons, plus extra
250g blueberries

Icing Ingredients:

6-8 tbsp lemon juice
200g icing sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 170C. Line a straight-sided 30x25cm traybake with baking paper.
Put dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the middle, then add eggs butter, milk and lemon zest. Beat with an electric hand mixer till smooth and combined, then stir in berries.
Pour batter into prepared tin, then bake on middle oven shelf for 35 mins or till risen and golden. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Mix lemon juice into icing sugar, a little at a time, till a smooth spreadable icing. Drizzle over sponge, then scatter with extra lemon zest and leave to set for 1 hr. Cut into 24 squares.

This is a really easy recipe to adapt; half the recipe and replace lemon for lime or blueberry with other soft fruits and it would still turn out good.. A for-keeps emergency, quick to go to recipe for me.. Only thing was that my icing didn’t work – still very good tho.. 🙂