Monday, June 4, 2012

Raspberry Lemonade Slice

I knew that this May was all panning out too well not to come with some sort of price. Everything was in my favour until the last day, when I found out that I had some sort of malware warning coming up when anyone tried to visit the page though the internet browser Chrome. I had no idea what malware even was, how it got there and what on earth I was going to do about it. It was deterring visitors and scaring the heck out of me since reading a post earlier that day about blog hijacking. It will never happen to me, I thought. Anyway, it didn't get that serious that I lost control of my page or anything, but there was apparently some evil content on my page coming through the site that hosted the picture for my blog background, Shabby Blogs. So after lots of panicking and hasty researching, I came up with a solution. Delete everything connected to that wormy site! Htmls, everything had to go. Now the problem seems to have disappeared, sadly with the pretty little blog design that was the skin of Lick The Spoon. So that's the explanation for the little facelift that the blog has undergone in the last few days.
 But the recipes keep on churning out! If you've been following for a while, you'll be seeing a bit of a theme going on here. I get quite thrilled by colour when it comes to food, and like a bull, excited by red. Actually I recently heard that bulls can only see blue and yellow, and that movement is what excites them...but...you get my point. If you've been in my kitchen you will see splashes of red appearing too. There's just something about that colour.
So when I decided to buy some frozen raspberries, that made me go on a mad raspberry recipe hunt, and my eyes were instantly drawn to this vivid raspberry lemon slice.
My hubby doesn't like berries like I do, and I think it's mainly to do with the seeds that tend to sneakily linger in your teeth after devouring them. Especially raspberry seeds. Those little demons can hang around for a while and make you look pretty demented as you try to remove them. Well have no fear, all the seeds are removed from this delicious slice. I call it a slice, but as soon as I cut into it, a million ideas were pulsating through my brain.  To me this is a wonderfully versatile recipe as far as sweets go, just depending on how you cut it and decorate it. You can cut it  into a slice or squares for a casual affair, or make them fancy petits fours simply by cutting them into 2x2 inch squares, and topping them with a raspberry. If you cut them into long rectangles you could serve it as an elegant dessert, with a pretty garnish of mint, raspberry and a drizzling of cream. This slice freezes well too, so it is a perfect make ahead dessert for your up and coming dinner party menu. A no stress yet impressive dessert sounds pretty good to me. And it's practically guilt free too!
The filling has a similar texture to lemon curd that has set (as you often find in lemon meringue pies once cooked) and has that same delightful tartness, combined with the subtle raspberry flavouring and a lovely simple buttery base. It reminds me somewhat of Starburst lollies. Fruity and tangy! I think I will try this filling inside a meringue pie. How does Raspberry Lemon Meringue Pie sound to you? Makes me start craving. Keep your eyes open for the recipe!



Cut into petit fours as a lovely dessert at a cocktail party


Fancy it up with a garnish
Dessert style
A winning combination..
RASPBERRY LEMONADE SLICE (Adapted from The Improv Kitchen)


Crust:

9 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt

Filling:

2 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice (about 3-4 medium lemons)
zest of 3 lemons
3 egg whites
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
pinch of salt, extra

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line and grease a 8x8 inch square baking dish.
To make the crust, cream together butter and sugar until light. Add the flour, vanilla and salt and mix until combined well. Do not over mix as this can make the base tough. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

To make the filling, place all thawed raspberries in a fine sieve and press them into a large bowl with the back of a spoon. Discard the caught seeds and skin. Add the sugar, juice, zest, whites, egg, flour and salt and combine, until well incorporated.
Pour the raspberry mixture onto the base and place in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool on the bench before placing in the refrigerator to set completely (about 3-4 hours) Cut and decorate as desired.

NOTES: This slice freezes well and makes a great dessert or afternoon tea to have handy for unexpected guests or dinner parties.


98 comments:

  1. These are so cute, cute, cute! My daughter would just love, love, love these.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow... the photographs alone make me want to bake these!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Eileen! appreciate you popping by!

      Delete
  3. These look delicious! And the presentation is just gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those little squares and rectangles look soo good! I am loving the flavor combination.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Russell! the flavour combo is great! I'm going to try raspberry lime next time...there's something about citrus and raspberry that is so perfect.

      Delete
  5. At the end, do you mean to put in the fridge to set? Just want to make sure you don't stick it back in the oven because I'd be sure to do that if I weren't thinking properly! It looks so yummy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ohh my! you caught me on that one Jenifer! DO NOT PLACE IN THE OVEN TO SET! in the refrigerator:) sorry about that!

      Delete
  6. OMG! you've left me speechless...these are absolutely astonishing! Indulgence at it's best...ok, not completely speechless. I will definitely be making these for sure. Thank you for sharing your recipe :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. ooh la la, these are so gorgeous~ am bookmarking right now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for coming by the blog thehungrymum!

      Delete
  8. These raspberry lemon cakes look absolutely amazing. The pictures are fantastic. I actually found you on pinterest. Glad I did!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Frank! I'm so glad you found the blog too, and are enjoying the posts!

      Delete
  9. aw you are too kind! It would be my pleasure to post my recipes up on your site! thanks for letting me know about it. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. These look absolutely delicious would love to share an image and place a link back to your recipe on my blog. I have a weekly post where I share inspiration from around the blogasphere. A recent post you can see at the link below:

    http://leecarolineart.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/inspiration-from-blogasphere-4-diy.html

    Lee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. how lovely, that's not a problem! thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it!

      Delete
  11. This looks beautiful, especially with the frozen raspberry on top!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Made this for my fiancé and now he is obsessed with it! He rarely flat out asks for me to make anything, but he keeps on asking me to make this. Thanks so much for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ah thats wonderful! I love hearing stories like these Ellen! thanks for sharing, and thanks for popping back:)

      Delete
  13. You're so interesting! I don't believe I've read through something like that before. So wonderful to find someone with genuine thoughts on this topic. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This site is something that's needed on the
    internet, someone with a little originality!
    Feel free to visit my website ... Paddypower

    ReplyDelete
  14. Louise, these look amazing! Somehow, you manage to make this look both adorable and elegant, which is rather an impressive feat! May I ask... in the "fancy it up with a garnish" picture, you piped out a small dollop of white cream behind the raspberry, and I'm curious what type of cream it is, as it seems to be firm enough to retain its shape. I would really like to try making these this weekend! Thank you for creating such a lovely blog! =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jane, thanks for popping by with a question! The cream behind the raspberry is what we call thickened cream here, and I've whipped it into thick peaks. I'm guessing you could do thick with any type of cream such as double cream etc. I'm so glad you like the presentation! be sure to pop back after the weekend and let me know how you liked them!

      Delete
  15. I'm having trouble with the raspberry firming up any suggestions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sorry annon, I seem to have missed seeing a few of these comments, and I'm guessing its faaaaaar too late now to be of any help to you. just in case anyone else is having this problem though, I would say that the slice was not cooked for long enough. The centre should be a bit giggly but still dry to touch on top, and will firm up in the refrigerator if cooked for long enough.

      Delete
  16. How do you make the cream sauce you have in some of the pictures?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there Sydney, thanks for your question! the cream sauce you refer to is simply thickened cream from the bottle (heavy cream) as is the piped cream on the top, except its whipped.

      Delete
  17. Whoa, these look delicious. I'm making them right now and am a bit concerned that my flour in the raspberry mixture is clumpy. Any advice for flour buying? Seems strange to bite into a little ball of flour. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh no! you could try whisking it, or try breaking down the clumps by mashing them with the back of a spoon. hope it smooths out for you!

      Delete
  18. hope I can get an answer quick! I am making this right now for Thanksgiving tomorrow and I was wondering about the thawed raspberries. should I have 2 1/2 cups after I run them through the sieve or before? Because after I have a little over a cup left. Is that ok?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi there! thanks for your question. Its 2 1/2 cups of raspberries before even processing them. you will end up with less than 2 1/2 cups of puree, and less again once youve strained out the seeds and skin remnants. You can add more raspberries if you desire, but I found this quantity sufficient. hope this helps!

      Delete
  19. That is very interestіng, You аre an excessively prоfesѕional blogger.
    I hаve joined уοur rss feеd and looκ forwaгd
    to searching foг extra оf your eхcellеnt рost.
    Adԁitіοnally, I've shared your site in my social networks
    Feel free to surf my web blog ; galaxys3.Fr

    ReplyDelete
  20. You ought to be a part of a cоntеst fοr one
    of the most usеful blogs on the web.
    I'm going to highly recommend this web site!
    My weblog ; galaxy note 2

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi, I do think this іѕ an еxсellent
    web site. I stumbleduρon іt ;) I'm going to revisit yet again since I book-marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
    Also visit my homepage : pikavippii

    ReplyDelete
  22. They look amazing. Im going to print this out and make it this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. how did it go Mobile hair and makeup Brisbane?

      Delete
  23. Gorgeous food styling and I was tasting it in my imagination as I was reading your post.... fabulous! I cant wait to get some raspberries for the taste sensation!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much for stopping by Jo--so glad you enjoyed the post!

      Delete
  24. Shouldn't these be renamed a Slice of Heaven? My they look divine!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldnt say no to that Sandi! truly delicious!

      Delete
  25. yum~! this looks like something easy and delicious to make with my daughter! thanks for posting :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I made these for my daughter's wedding shower, they were a big hit. I wanted to let you know that I made them vegan by eliminating the egg and substituting 2 Tbsp corn starch + 2 Tbsp water for each egg and omitting the flour. They turned out beautifully. Love them <3

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh Julie, I can just see these at a bridal shower, and how fantastic they would be! and thanks for the vegan conversion, I'm sure there are lots of vegans who would love a slice of this!

      Delete
  27. I want to try this recipe, looks delicious. I love your photos! If you don't mind me asking, what type of camera, and camera lens did you use for your photos? Thanks so much.

    Susan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Susan, thanks! I have a very basic camera, a 16 mega pixel Fujifilm Finepix JV. I use picmonkey.com to edit just about all of my photos--you should try it, it makes a fantastic difference!

      Delete
  28. what can I say? your pictures captured me and after having your blog open on my desktop for 3 days, I made the pie. Wonderful! Smells and tastes like summer. I really loved it. Made one as is and one with a baked meringue top. Both got great reviews. thanks!
    http://balicravings.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ooh balicravings, your picture is mouthwatering! so glad you enjoyed the pictures and the recipe:)

      Delete
  29. Thought you'd enjoy this picture...
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=559086884125221&set=a.188878817812698.43826.187240077976572&type=1&theater

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wow, these look so delicious! I really want to make these but before starting I have a couple questions to ask. When you say to line and grease a 8x8 pan, do you mean to line with parchment paper, than grease it with cooking spray? Thanks, love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for your question annon. Youre correct, the pan is to be lined with baking paper (or parchment paper)I usually spray it with a bit of oil or swipe a bit of butter over the pan first so it holds in place better. good luck and let me know how it all goes!

      Delete
  31. This looks absolutely amazing!! What do you use (or make!!) for the white "sauce" (I'm unable to think of the word here!)on top? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aw thank you! the sauce is actually just unwhipped thickened full fat cream. the piped part is whipped thickened cream.

      Delete
  32. This looks delicious, I cant wait to make these for an upcoming baby shower. One question, can you make a double batch in a bigger pan or does it not set up right? I have to make enough for 40 people so just trying to make it efficient. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your question Katlyn, I'm so sorry I didnt get back to you earlier, I must not have seen your comment somehow until now. I would definitely recommend making each batch separately, just to be on the safe side with the top setting. The top will be giggly when you remove it from the oven and firm up, but I'm not sure how it would go with a larger surface area. better safe than sorry I say!

      Delete
  33. I just made these for my mom and sisters as a beginning of summer treat, and they loved them! The consistency was perfect, they taste so fresh and summery, and they're just so pretty. My mom asked for the recipe and I think these are going to be a new family staple. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm thrilled to hear how you enjoyed them! thanks for coming back to tell me, so happy it was enjoyed by all:)

      Delete
  34. Hi, I absoluely love your post. I tried them out on the weekend but the raspberry topping turned out really hard and thick. Yours look so juicy and yummy. What do you think I did wrong? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh thats a shame! is it possible you cooked it a little too long? the centre should still have some wobble when removed from the oven...

      Delete
    2. That could be the true. Thank you for your help.

      Delete
  35. These were very good on a hot summer day- tasted just like raspberry lemonade in a bar form! A few things I would tweak for next time would be to reduce the amount of lemon juice slightly; they were a little too tangy for me. Also, my crust wasn't as thick as it is in the pictures. However, the crust was absolutely perfect. Lastly, the bars in the center of the pan were a little underdone. Next time I will bake it closer to the 35 minute mark. But overall a great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi! These look amazing and I want to try making them tonight. Do I need to put the berries in a food processor before I strain them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi there, yes you do puree them before straining the skin and seeds out. cheers!

      Delete
  37. i would really like to make the cubes for my sisters baby shower! so i would be making about 30 of them. any short cut tips would be super helpful:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi there, thanks for dropping by! the cubes are easy, you just have to cut them smaller. i recommend refrigerating before cutting, and gently making indentations with the knife blade on the top before cutting, so you get perfect squares. between cuts, you can clean any residue off the blade so you get the cleanest cuts. i have not tried it on this in particular, but i find that dipping the knife in hot water before cutting makes for very clean cuts (works particularly well with cheesecakes.) good luck! i'd love to gear how it turns out for you!

      Delete
    2. i dont know any short cuts as such, sorry!

      Delete
  38. would lemon essence do if juice was not available?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! No sorry, I dont think lemon essence would be good in this particular recipe. the flavours are very fresh, so lemon essence would spoil this. thanks for the question!

      Delete
  39. What do you do to give the raspberry on top a "frosty" look?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi there! they are frozen raspberries, straight out of the freezer:)

      Delete
  40. I cant wait to try this as I love all things "raspberry', belong to a group of Brits here in Va, they will love it. We have been taking tea on Sunday afternoons since 1972 We just love to have a good cuppa & a good old chin wag

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to delight you with this recipe! How was the afternoon tea? sounds like a lovely tradition!

      Delete

Give me some sugar, Sugar...