Here’s a super citrus version of a well-loved classic. Not only does it have a melt-in-the-mouth crumbly shortbread base, a sumptuous caramel mid-layer and a rich chocolate top, but there’s also a refreshing lemon edge to it all.
Makes: 16 squares
Time: 80 minutes + cooling/chilling time
Level: Easy, but you’ll need to move quickly in steps 6 & 7
Equipment: 20cm/8” square baking tin
Ingredients
Shortbread
- 200g/7oz plain flour
- 150g/5½oz butter
- 75g/2½oz caster sugar
- Approx. 25ml/1fl oz lemon juice
- Zest from half a lemon
Mid-layer
- 100g/3½oz butter
- 397g/14oz tin of condensed milk
- 100g/3½oz soft light brown sugar
- 125g/4½oz – 150g/5½oz Lemon curd (About half a standard jar)
Top layer
- 200g/7oz white chocolate, broken into pieces, or use chocolate chips
- 30g/1oz butter
- ½ tsp Lemon extract (optional)
- Yellow food colouring
- Zest from half a lemon
Method
1. Preheat oven to 170C / Fan 150C / 335F / Gas 3. Grease and line the base of the tin with baking parchment and dust lightly with flour.
2. Place flour in a large bowl then rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar and add the lemon juice then the zest. Either knead briefly to form a dough or tip it directly into the tin and go straight to step 3.
3. Press the dough into the tin and level it using floured hands and/or a plastic dough scraper. Prick holes with a fork a few times. Bake for 25 minutes, until light golden. Set aside to cool.
4. To make the mid-layer, put the butter, condensed milk and sugar in a non-stick saucepan over a gentle heat. Melt everything together, stirring continuously then boil for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.
5. Pour the caramel over the shortbread base. Add small blobs of lemon curd and swirl in, using a cocktail stick. Put aside to set firm, maybe in the fridge. (If your lemon curd is firm, give it 20 – 30 seconds in the micro-wave to loosen it.)
NB 1: If the surface sets very rough, heat a small offset spatula in a mug of boiling water. Dry it on kitchen paper then smooth the surface ready for the chocolate.
NB 2: The next two sections require speed, so have everything ready and easily available.
6. Melt the white chocolate, ideally over a bain marie. While it’s melting, put the butter in the microwave for a few seconds and add in the lemon extract (if using), then pour a little of this into the chocolate, stirring it carefully. If there’s no sign of the chocolate seizing, add the rest.
7. Pour about two-thirds of the melted white chocolate over the caramel layer and tilt the tin to spread it evenly, or spread it with a spatula. Working very quickly, add 2 or 3 drops of yellow colouring to the remaining chocolate ganache and mix it in. Now blob this onto the just-poured chocolate. Swirl with a cocktail stick then sprinkle with the lemon zest.
8. Allow to cool. (It could go in the fridge for a while) Cut into squares.
I hope you enjoy making and eating these lovely traybakes. Click this link for more traybake recipes. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.
If you made and enjoyed these shortbreads you might also want to make the strawberry version.
Retired Bloke on Food n stuff 