Deep, gooey, zingy, passionfruity, lemony, shortbreaddy, custardy, coconutty, Passionfruit Lemon Delicious Slice.
This is another one of those see it, obsess about it, make it, make it again, obsess some more (and then make a chocolate version – that post coming up!) type slices. That’s to say it was inspired by a ridiculous slab of lemon slice I had from the café downstairs, which was texturally wonderful and obscenely more-ish, but failed in that it was not sufficiently lemony. There’s the culprit in the picture below.
Me to the rescue. I have my trusty Gooey Lemon Bars recipe, but this deep dish slice had more kind-of layery action going on, a crust of coconut, a curdlike layer of lemony custard, a thicker denser lemon custard layer, then the base. As the Gooey Lemon Bars have only a lemon custard filling, it would never make this strata. I was put in mind though of impossible lemon pie, which has no crust, and had a good idea how to make all this internal stuff happen – spoiler alert – it includes some flour. First attempt, a madly lemony Lemon Delicious Slice which was just a tad too firm for what I was after (though it was much revered by taste testers, so modifications are included in the recipe below should you need a lemon slice robust enough to be wrapped up and popped in a schoolbag – that’s the firmer Lemon Delicious Slice below).
Second attempt, this time inspired by recipes for Passionfruit Lemon Delicious, and we have a deep, soft, zingy filling with a lovely bitey shortbread base, which keeps for up to two weeks, and is so passionfruity-lemony you will feel like you have actually been eating something good for you. And you have – because things that make you happy must on some level or other be beneficial.
Passionfruit Lemon Delicious Slice
Makes 20 pieces
Shortbread base
ingredients
250 g cold salted butter, cubed
200 g flour
65 g rice flour
200g icing sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
mixing
Line a deep 20×25 cm cake pan with bake paper by folding up the sides of a single sheet of paper up the walls of the pan like wrapping half a present. (I use an old-fashioned expandable cake pan. If you don’t have one it’s well worth looking around to see if you can get one- they are very versatile).
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture starts to bunch together into raggy lumps. Tip the shortbread dough into the lined cake pan, and spread out evenly, then press down firmly. With a fork, make prick marks all over the base.
Bake the shortbread for 25 minutes at 175°C until it is nice and golden. Reduce the heat to 150°C. Pour the Passionfruit Lemon Delicious straight over the hot base and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until the filling is set, but still wobbles a little when you jiggle the pan.
Passionfruit Lemon Delicious
For a straight lemon filling, omit the passionfruit pulp and add an extra 25 mL lemon juice
ingredients
6 large eggs
225 mL lemon juice (4-5 lemons)
Zest of 2 lemons
55 g passionfruit pulp (about 3-4)
180 g caster sugar
45 g flour (if you want a firm filling then use an extra 30 g flour)
1/4 tsp baking soda
100g coconut
150 mL liquid cream (or milk)
Combine all ingredients except the cream or milk and beat well. Just before pouring the filling over the hot base, beat in the cream or milk until well blended.
Enjoy!xxx
