Category Archives: Desserts

Lemon Squares

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These are so creamy and delicious without the effort of a lemon meringue pie!    It’s a quick easy dessert, and easy to take along anywhere.

These look perfect, and I haven’t even dusted them with powdered sugar!

 

Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment paper, lightly greasing the pan first, then lightly grease the parchment.  Make sure you leave some overhang, it will make it much easier to remove when the bars have cooled.

Preheat oven to 350.

 

SHORTBREAD BASE

  • 3/4 cup plain all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 110g / 1 stick unsalted butter , cold, cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
  • Base – Place Shortbread Base ingredients in a food processor fitted with the standard “S” blade. Pulse 5 to 10 times until it becomes like sand. (I didn’t feel like washing my processor, so I just worked it with my fingers like I do any shortbread)  Pour into the tin, spread, then press firmly into the base, pushing it right up to the edges.

It’s not very often I bake with all purpose flour any more, but with just the two of us here, I went the traditional route.  I will be sure to try this again with 1/1 Gluten Free Flour and I will update with those results!

LEMON CURD TOPPING

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest (do this before juicing)
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (2 – 3 lemons) – don’t use anything other than fresh lemons!
  • Bake base for 20 minutes or until golden on the edges and pale golden in the middle. Remove from oven. ( Note: don’t let it cool, pour in curd immediately).
  • Lemon Curd – While the base is baking, place Lemon Topping ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
  • Bake 20 minutes – Pour Lemon Curd onto base, then bake for 20 minutes until the topping is set but still soft.
  • Cool – Remove from then oven and cool on the counter for 1 hour, then fridge for at least 2 hours. Slice into 16 squares. Dust with icing sugar (confectionary sugar) and serve!

This recipe came from Nagi at Recipe Tin. Her recipes are always sure winners, and I wanted to make sure I got this one down right away so I don’t keep searching. Many recipes call for making a separate lemon curd on the stove top, and while I am sure they are fantastic, I don’t think I lost any flavour by doing it this way and it was so easy! I didn’t have enough lemon to make Grant’s favourite lemon meringue pie, but this was a close interpretation, and it’s delicious.

Apple Pie Cookies – Gluten Free

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It’s apple season and these cookies are a great way to get an apple pie fix in a hurry.  Quick and easy to make, they bake up in only 12-15 minutes and you can be eating them before your pie crust would have even chilled.

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups (210 g) gluten free flour blend
  • 3/4 tsp xanthum gum (if your GF flour blend doesn’t have any)
  • 1/4 cup  (36 g) cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup ( 150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 (80 g) grated semi tart apple (peeled)
  • 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 large egg, beaten – at room temperature)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a large bowl mix together flour, xanthan gum (if using), cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar.  Whisk to combine.

Add grated apple and mix well, separating all the apple pieces.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add butter, egg & vanilla.  Mix to combine well.  The dough will be really thick, but soft.

Form balls about 1 1/2 tbsp and then press into a flatter shape, about 1/2 inch thick and place on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

GLAZE

  • 3/4 cup (86 g) icing sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp milk

Mix all glaze ingredients well, adding a wee bit of milk as necessary to get the glaze thin enough to drizzle.

Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies and enjoy!

Make sure you have a cute apple grater to help – sorry, Stella isn’t available all the time!

We have found Gluten Free On A Shoestring to be an amazing source, all the recipes are easy to follow and we’ve enjoyed every single one #gfshoestring

Nicole (@gfshoestring) put white chocolate chips in her cookies, and while I am sure that would be amazing, it is not something I ever have on hand, and we didn’t think they even needed chocolate chips.

Snickerdoodle Cake

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Crunchy sugar cinnamon coating, tender and delicate crumb inside, what’s not to love?

WHAT???? Snickerdoodle cookies in cake form? A dream come true. This cake encompasses all the bits of the cookie we love, but in cake form – perfect for a dessert or just snacking.

PREPARE THE PAN

  •  1 cup granulated sugar
  •  2 teaspoons cinnamon

CAKE

  •  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  •  2 teaspoons cinnamon
  •  1 teaspoon baking powder
  •  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt
  •  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  •  1 cup granulated sugar
  •  1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  •  3 large eggs, at room temperature
  •  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  •  1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

PREP THE PAN

  1. To a small bowl, add 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and whisk to combine; set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 325F.
  3. Generously spray a 9-inch (12-cup) Bundt pan with floured cooking spray (or grease the pan with shortening), being careful to cover all the nooks and crannies, as well as the center tube. Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. You will only need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cinnamon-sugar, but try to evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube.
  4. Save the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture for layering in as the filling; set everything aside. (I used less than half the remaining sugar mixture but just couldn’t bring myself to put that much of a sugar layer in a cake that already has 2 cups of sugar in it!)

CAKE

  1. To a large bowl, add the flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and whisk to combine; set aside.
  2. To the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer), add the butter and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute.
  3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add 1 cup granulated sugar and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the brown sugar and mix on medium-high speed until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color, about 2 minutes.
  5. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed for 1 minute after each egg.
  6. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla and mix on medium speed to incorporate, about 30 seconds.
  7. Add half the flour mixture, half the Greek yogurt or sour cream, and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
  8. Add the remaining flour mixture, remaining Greek yogurt or sour cream, and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
  9. Turn half the batter out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. The batter is quite thick and that’s okay.
  10. Evenly sprinkle the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the batter, which creates the filling as the cake bakes. (As I mentioned earlier, use as much of the sugar mixture as you are comfortable with – I had lots left)
  11. Turn the remaining batter out into the pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for 55 to 62 minutes (I baked for 59 minutes), or until top is lightly golden brown and set, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Don’t overbake because the cinnamon-sugar crust will become overly crunchy.
  12. Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I found this recipe on a new site for me, Averie Cooks. This turned out so well that I might be hopping over to her site again to see what else she has going on.

Served for dessert with a dollop of whipping cream, this cake is also so moist and delicious on its own, it is perfect for snacking
The girls are in training to “stylize” my food photos – this is Stella’s version.
Here is Sloan’s interpretation – either one makes me want to take a bite.

Stela was quick to to make sure I saved the recipe so it could get it on the blog. Well, she asked if I screenshot the recipe and when I said I printed it out, her dad told her that was the old fashioned way of taking a screen shot.

Fruit Pizza for Dessert!

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Spring is here!  This fruit may not be in season here yet, and I can’t wait to make this when it is, but berries and mango are often available and you can use whatever fruit you like to make this refreshing dessert.  

The perfect cookie crust is tender but firm and a little crunchy – top that with the best of seasonal fruit on a creamy pudding bed and you’ve got a fabulous dessert.

COOKIE CRUST

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  •  1 tsp baking soda
  •  1/2 tsp baking powder
  •  1/4 tsp salt
  •  3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter unsalted, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract


INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a bowl mix together the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of your mixer add the sugar and butter and beat for a couple minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing until the egg is fully incorporated. Add the flour and mix for an additional 2 minutes. Take the cookie dough and form it into a ball. Place it over the prepared baking sheet. Roll the ball into a round large cookie or any shape you prefer. You might need to add some more flour over your roll or over the cookie so that it doesn’t stick.The cookie should be at least 1/4 of an inch in thickness.
  • Bake the cookie for about 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden. Let it cool completely.

Make this cookie crust ahead of time – even a day ahead is fine, but be sure to let it cool down.

CREAMY CUSTARD

  • 3 tbsp corn starch
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean extract

In heavy bottom saucepan stir corn starch, sugar and salt together. Slowly add the beaten egg yolks and milk. Stir until thickened, remove from heat and add in the vanilla. Cover the top wth plastic wrap to avoid a skin forming and allow to cool completely.

(You can also do this in the microwave, but watch it! I’ve had it spill up and over more than a few times …..)

ASSEMBLY

Spread the cooled custard on the cold cookie crust. Arrange fruit of your choice to cover the custard and allow to set completely before serving.

Lemon Meringue Pie

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It’s really not spring here yet, but I can feel it’s arrival any day now, and what better way to celebrate than with lemon meringue pie. It is Grant’s favourite pie, and I just had to make it on a bright sunny day, feeling that this spring in particular is so welcome!

We were in such a hurry to eat the pie that my photo isn’t the best, and yes – I just can’t seem to get away from having the meringue weep! Still delicious….

LEMON CURD

  • 5 large egg yolks (save the whites for meringue below)
  • 1 1/3 cups of water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (yes – fresh is best!)
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, soft and at room temperature

Whisk egg yolks together and set aside.

Combine water, sugar, cornstarch, salt lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium heavy bottom saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring FREQUENTLY. Trust me, you don’t want this to burn. Once it thickens up, S L O W L Y stir a couple of tablespoons into the reserved egg yolks. Stir constantly and add another couple of tablespoons of the lemon sauce. Add the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the lemon mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. This will thicken and release large bubbles, demonstrating just how thick the mixture is. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, continuing to stir until the butter has melted.

Pour into partially baked pie crust. Set aside while you whip the meringue.

Preheat oven to 350

MERINGUE

  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium speed just until blended. Turn beaters to high and slowly add in the sugar and salt. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.

Using a large spoon dollop meringue all over the pie, being very careful to have it reach right to the edges, and touching the pie crust. (This will help to keep the meringue from separating away from the crust, and theoretically from weeping too much but mine always weeps??). Use the back of your large spoon to create swirls in the meringue.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, watching so it is just nicely browned.

Set on the counter for 1 hour and then put in the fridge for at least 4 hours to allow the lemon curd to set.

Check out my flaky pastry recipe for the best start to any pie!
Please!! Freshly squeezed lemon juice!!
Partially baked crust, warm lemon curd and just waiting for the meringue
Ready for the oven
The only tricky part of this whole recipe is waiting for the pie to completely cool down. This pie is best the day it is made, but without any family dinners, you just know Grant and I managed to make it last a few days and it was amazing right to the last bite.

One of my favourite sources for baking recipes is Sally’s Baking Addiction, and this lemon meringue pie recipe came straight from her blog. Make sure to check it out, she has so many great tips and videos to create amazing treats.

The best caramel apples!

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This caramel is amazing!

I’m not winning any style points for my first attempt at caramel apples but they tasted incredible!
  • 8–9 cold apples
  • 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) heavy cream
  • 1 cup (240ml) light corn syrup
  • 2 cups (400g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 60g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Prep the apples: Rinse the apples with water, then wipe completely dry. Removing the slippery waxy coating will help the caramel seal to the apple. Remove the apple stem and insert a caramel apple stick about 3/4 down into the apple.
  2. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking sheet, or grease the pan with butter. Caramel usually sticks to parchment or wax paper. (I used parchment paper and didn’t have any trouble with sticking)
  3. Make the caramel: Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Do not turn the temperature up or down– keep at medium the entire time the caramel cooks. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted. Once melted, brush down the sides of the pan with a water-moistened pastry brush and attach a candy thermometer to the pan, making sure the bulb is not touching the bottom of the pan (as you’ll get an inaccurate reading).
  4. Without stirring, let the mixture cook and bubble until it reaches 235°F (113°C). Some readers have been cooking to 240°F (116°C) and saying the caramel sticks much better to the apples that way. Stick with anywhere between 235°F – 240°F. Reaching this temperature should take about 15 – 20 minutes, though don’t use time as your guide because it depends on your stove. Don’t be alarmed if your caramel is taking longer, just use the candy thermometer as your guide. The temperature will heat up slowly, then move quickly, so keep your eye on the pot. Once at 235°F – 240°F, remove caramel from heat and stir in the vanilla. Avoid over-stirring which can create air bubbles in the caramel (and then on the apple). Allow caramel to cool for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened. If caramel is too thin to coat apples, let it cool and thicken for 5-10 minutes longer.
  5. Dip the apples: Holding the caramel apple stick, dip the apple into the warm caramel, tilting the pot as needed to coat all sides of the apple. Lift the apple up and swirl it around or gently tap it against the side of the pot to let excess caramel drip off. Place coated apple on prepared pan. Repeat with remaining apples. Enjoy immediately or allow caramel to set, about 45-60 minutes. If you want to wrap the caramel apples in cellophane treat bags for travel/gifting, wait until the caramel has completely set.
  6. If desired, you can add toppings. Immediately after coating in caramel and before the caramel sets, roll the caramel dipped apples in finely chopped nuts, toffee pieces, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, or coconut. You can even drizzle with melted chocolate or white chocolate, too.
  7. For displaying or serving, I recommend placing on wax paper or another nonstick surface. Even when the caramel has completely set, caramel apples may slightly stick to a serving dish. To eat a caramel apple, you can bite right into it or sit it upright on a cutting board and cut slices around the stick. (Or pull out the stick and slice.) These are great for sharing!
  8. Loosely cover and store the leftover dipped apples in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
The cutest trick or treaters really appreciated the orchard treats!
Nothing better than an appreciative trick or treater!

I copied, and followed these instructions completely and believe me – patience is key as it took longer than I expected for my caramel to reach temp. If you want even more tips and tricks, head over to Sally’s Baking Addiction …. her website is amazing and so far everything I’ve tried has been great.

This is what you want your caramel to look like …..
My first attempt was completely ruined – using sweetened condensed milk. Next I turned to the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction and it turned out perfectly.
I didn’t have trouble with the caramel sticking to the apple, but I had enough caramel left over so I drizzled some over the top and that allowed me to put a few more toppings on as it was hardening so quickly on the first go that I didn’t get much on.

Plum Torte

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Or, Sugar Plum Fairy Cake as Leah called it. This is without doubt the most amazing result for the least effort! A quick cake batter that rises beautifully around the plums and your whole house smells like the closing days of summer with those purple plums and cinnamon in the oven.

All those little crevices hold delicious Italian plums!
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 12 (ish) plums, pitted and quartered
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • cinnamon (anywhere from 1 tsp to 1 tbsp depending on your love of cinnamon)
  • raw sugar (again depending on how much crunch you want)

Heat oven to 350. Prepare a 9 inch springform pan, by lightly spraying with cooking spray, or if like me, you don’t have one that size just use a 9 inch cake pan lined with parchment.

Cream butter & sugar together until light yellow and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until mixture is again light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir just until combined.

Pour into prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Lay your quartered plums around the top.

Sprinkle first with lemon juice, then sprinkle cinnamon over. I didn’t even measure – just sprinkled until it looked good to me. Lastly, sprinkle raw sugar over top, covering all areas, but not so much you can’t see plums! (Of course you could use granulated sugar, but I love the extra crunch of raw sugar).

Bake about 45-50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool on rack and remove from pan.

This would probably work equally well with any stone fruit, but I’ve only tried it with plums. Let me know if you do try it with another fruit.

This recipe comes from smitten kitchen.com and Deb Perelman claims that it tastes even better the next day, but we certainly didn’t let that happen …..

Look at how many plums are on there, yet the batter rose up above and hid them all!
Ready for the oven, you can see the raw sugar on top, but still see all the fruit as well as the batter.
It’s official, i’ve now done this recipe with any number of fruits and it is always perfect. By far it is my easiest, most rewarding & quick dessert!

Stella’s Quick Icing

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Stella woke up with a desire to make a small layer cake. Takes after her Nana?? 🤣 She quickly put together my yellow cake with some leftover chocolate buttercream icing. The cake batter however was more than we needed for her layers so out came the donut pans.

We also had some blood oranges so she whipped up this quick icing glaze – and instructed me to get it on the blog!

1/2 cup icing sugar

Juice of one blood orange

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Stir together until you have a somewhat thick glaze. Dip your donuts in and allow to set. If you want a thicker coating allow the first one to dry a bit, and then dip again.

Yum, says Stella.

 

Strawberry Shortcake

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This is my favourite basic white cake recipe.  It is quick and easy to do – light, fluffy, and tastes great.  In the spring it is the perfect way to make strawberry shortcake for any occasion.

SS 2

CAKE

1 cup white sugar
1⁄2 cup butter (soft)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease and flour a 9×9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.  If you want to make a 9 x 13 cake, or a layer cake, double this recipe.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.

Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk until batter is smooth.

Scoop batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch, and a toothpick or tester comes out clean.

IMG_5162

This might just be sweet little Stella’s first whipped cream beater to lick …. but shhhh – don’t tell anyone, Mom and Dad are away!

SS 1

5 YEARS LATER – Stella is just as sweet, but now she’s serving up the desserts!

Rhubarb Citrus Bars

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With a hint of citrus these rhubarb bars just scream spring.  I think everybody is glad I found something to bake other than sourdough bread.  

Rubarb citrus 4

Nothing better than the smell of this custard filled rhubarb citrus bar on a rainy spring day.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SHORTBREAD:

  • 1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup/65 grams granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup/170 grams cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1-inch pieces

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 10 ounces rhubarb, sliced (2 1/2 cups), plus 1 slender red stalk for the top
  • 1 ¼ cups/250 grams granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated orange or lemon zest
  • Pinch of fine sea salt
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for serving

PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees and line a 9-by-9-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving two edges long so they overhang the pan by at least 1 inch. (This is for lifting the bars out later.)
  2. In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and process until a crumbly dough forms. Press dough into the lined pan in an even layer. Don’t clean out the food processor, you’re going to need it.
  3. Bake crust until golden at the edges, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack and raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.
  4. While the crust is baking, make the filling. In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb slices and 1 cup sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat until rhubarb releases its juices. Raise heat and bring to a simmer. Keep simmering, stirring once in a while, until the rhubarb breaks down completely, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the rhubarb and juices to the food processor, and let it sit with the cover off until it cools down a bit, about 15 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, lay the very pink rhubarb stalk on its narrower side. From the edge of the stalk, peel a long strip from the stalk. Continue to peel strips from the stalk, flipping it around the other side to keep it even. (This makes it easier to peel, but don’t worry too much about getting uniform strips.) Line up peeled strips and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths. Some may curl up, and that’s fine. You’ll have about 1 cup strips.
  6. To the food processor, add the eggs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, flour, zest and salt, and pulse until mixture is puréed. Pour into baked shortbread base, and carefully scatter the rhubarb strips on top. It should look a little like confetti. Bake until the filling is set and puffy, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely in the pan.
  7. Once cool, use a butter knife to cut at the edges of the crust to release them from the pan, then use the parchment “handles” to lift up and transfer the pastry to a cutting board. Cut into 1 3/4-inch squares. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Ready to put together … you can see I’ve added a bit of orange zest to the shortbread crust, loved the way it was aromatic and added a bit of flavour as well.

Rhubarb Citrus 7

The custard is creamy, the rhubarb is tart, and the shortbread crust is buttery …. perfect.

This recipe came from New York Times, and they recommend a 9″ square pan, which I don’t have …. the only adjustments I made (for the sizing) were to use just 3 eggs, and I withheld a bit of the shortbread crust and sprinkled it over the top before baking as a bit of a crumb, and it worked perfectly in my 8″ pan.  Some reviewers suggested less sugar, and I’d agree with that – depending on your rhubarb.  I also didn’t  need to put the rhubarb into the mixer to blend as it cooked down beautifully and I preferred the texture.

Rhubarb citrus 3

You can totally skip the step of those rhubarb ribbons on top, but I love the way they look.  Also, the extra crumb on top is just because I didn’t have a large enough baking vessel, and I’m kind of glad I didn’t ….. love anything with crumb on top.

Rhubarb citrus 5

Just out of the oven and the house smells fabulous!  So hard to let this cool down until it is safe to cut it – must let that custard set ….