Versatile Lemon Curd Slice

After a scorching  case of email rage this morning, which I am sure fellow bloggers can relate to, I decided to spend the afternoon in the kitchen cooking up something to take my mind off mindless emails.

I decided to make this lemon curd slice because I had some lemons that needed using up and fancied something sweet and tangy with my cuppa.  You could use jam, fresh berries, plumbs or apple pie filling instead of lemon curd.  I am sure some cinnamon and mixed spice added to the dough would be fab with an apple or plum filling.

This makes enough to fill my 24cm x 24cm (9.5inch x 9.5 inch) square baking tin.

Lemon Curd Slice

3 cups self-raising flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
150g butter, chopped
3 free range eggs
1 or 2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups lemon curd
Icing sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 180C and line a square cake tin.  As I mentioned mine measures 24cm square.

Put the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the eggs and vanilla extract then mix to combine.  Press about 2/3 of the dough mixture into the bottom of a greased and lined cake tin.  Spread over the lemon curd and crumble remaining dough mixture over the top. Cook for 35-40 minutes at 180C.  Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Lemon Curd

Zest and juice of 2 large or 3 small lemons
50g butter
2 free range eggs
1 cup sugar

Put zest and juice in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, add the sugar and butter.  Stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.  Add the eggs but make sure the mixture is not too hot, if it is then the eggs will cook too quickly and you'll end up with stringy threads of egg white through your lemon curd, you certainly don't want that to happen!  Stir the mixture until it is nice and thick.  I store my lemon curd in the fridge.

I have submitted this recipe to Tea Time Treats which is a monthly blogging and baking event that is hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Kate from What Kate Baked on alternate months. Kate is hosting this month and the theme is Jams and Conserves.