Lemon poppy seed squares

These are like a lemon poppy seed loaf met a lemon square, and became best friends!

Credit: Mary's Kitchen Crush

• makes

  16

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Crust

• 225 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup (115 g) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp (3 g) almond extract, optional
• 260 g plain flour
• 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp (40 g) poppy seeds
• ¼ tsp (1g) salt

Filling

• 4 eggs
• 1¼ cup (280 g) granulated sugar
• 2 lemons, zested
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup (40 g) plain flour
• ½ tsp (3 g) baking powder
• ½ tsp (3 g) salt
• 1½ tbsp (30 g) icing sugar
• 1½ tbsp (30 g) poppy seeds

Makes 9 large or 16 small squares.

Chilling time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes

Instructions

1. Heat oven 175°C (350°F)Spray a 23cm (9 in) square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment; set aside.
2. For the crust, cream together butter, granulated sugar and almond extract with a hand mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in flour, poppy seeds and salt just until combined.
3. Press into bottom and 1½ cm (half an inch) up sides of prepared pan. Dock crust with a fork. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Bake until lightly browned, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly.
5. Reduce temperature to 165°C (325°F).
6. For filling, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Add lemon zest and juice followed by flour, baking powder and salt.
7. Pour into crust and bake until set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature,  then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
8. Cut into squares, then lift squares from pan using the parchment edges. Dust with icing sugar and scatter with poppy seeds before cutting to serve.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.