Lemon ‘brownies’

Don’t look for chocolate in this recipe – you won’t find it here. The name “brownie” comes from its slight similarity in texture (though this cake is lighter and less dense than classic chocolate brownies). There’s no baking powder either – and that’s intentional. This cake is wonderfully lemony – soft, incredibly moist and made with fresh lemon juice and zest, then topped with a tangy lemon glaze. You’ll want to make it as soon as possible!

Ingredients for the lemon ‘brownies’:

• 160 g butter
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
• freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon
• 170 g plain flour

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition (the batter may curdle slightly at this stage, but this will not affect the finished cake). Add the lemon zest and juice, and mix to combine. Sift in the flour and gently fold with a spatula until just combined.

Pour the batter into a prepared 28 × 18 cm cake tin lined with baking paper, smoothing the top with a spatula.

Bake at 150°C for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs (do not overbake, or the cake will be dry). Allow to cool completely in the tin before glazing, then cut into squares. Decorate with fresh berries and serve.

Ingredients for the lemon icing:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• finely grated zest of 1 large lemon

Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add a little more lemon juice; if it is too thin, add more icing sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: ‘the girl who ate everything’.