LEMON BUTTER

What's that I hear you say?  Lemon butter isn't baking?  Well, no technically it is not.  However, lemon butter can be a wonderful part of many baked things. It actually has many many uses including a topping for ice cream, a filling for cupcakes, a topping for a pavolova, a spread for pancakes...this list goes on and on.  I don't know about you but I have often struggled with what the correct name of this delicious stuff is.  Is it lemon butter or lemon curd?  Well, after doing a bit of research today, I have discovered that they are actually two distinct things and each has a different purpose.  Lemon curd is made with either cream or milk or both.  However, lemon butter is simply made with lemons, sugar butter and eggs.  Lemon curd is usually served as a dessert (a recipe for which appears in the recipe section of the CC website) whilst, as I have previously mentioned, lemon butter has many uses.  Anyway, this is definitely a recipe for lemon butter and it is delicious.  There is optional lemon zest that can be included which will give an extra tang to the butter. But, if like me, you prefer your lemon butter to have a smooth texture, don't add the zest.  This recipe makes two cups of lemon butter.

02 September 2016 - I have revised the originally recipe.  I have changed the cooking time and decreased the butter.  This gives a thicker lemon butter.

Lemon Butter

80g unsalted butter, diced and very soft

3/4 cup of caster sugar

4 eggs

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice ( I used 4 1/2 lemons - I microwaved them for 40 seconds to   get maxmimum juice).  

1/4 tsp salt                         

rind of one lemon, finely zested (optional)

1. Place butter, sugar and eggs into the bowl with the whisk. Stopper out.
2. Select Speed 6 Time 30 seconds.
3. Pour lemon juice into bowl.
4. Select Dessert P1 Speed 3 Temp 90 Time 11 minutes.
5. Lemon butter is ready when it is the consistency of runny honey.
6. Pour into the containers you will be storing it in.

7. Allow to cool and then store in the fridge.

8. Lemon butter will thicken further once cooled.

LEMON SLICE (NO BAKE)

A slice is a wonderful sweet treat.  They are even more wonderful when there is no baking involved.  This slice is easy to make and even easier made in the CC.  Feel free to add some lemon zest to the icing - I usually do but didn't on this occasion because I accidentally grated my finger whilst zesting the lemon for the base and I was a bit gun shy!

LEMON SLICE (NO BAKE) 

Slice Base 

1 packet of plain biscuits (Marie, Arrowroot etc)
90g of dessicated coconut

Zest of one medium lemon

120g butter diced

1/2 tin of condensed milk

1. Line a slice tin with baking paper, with paper hanging over the long sides.
2. Place butter in the jug with the kneading blade. Select Speed 3 Temp 80 Time 1.30 min.
3. When butter is melted place broken up biscuits in the jug and select Pulse and pulse until the biscuits are crumbs (it doesn't matter if there are some small chunks of biscuits left).
4. Place other ingredients in the jug. Select Pastry P1 for 50 seconds.  Stop machine at 20 seconds remaining and scrape down the sides of the jug. Resume program.
5. Turn mixture out into the prepared tin. Press down firmly with the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup.

6. Cover with icing and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Icing30g butter, very soft

1 cup of icing sugar

2tsp lemon juice (you may need a bit more to achieve a good consistency)
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in the jug with the kneading blade.
2. Select Speed 8 15 seconds.
3. Check consistency - add more lemon juice or more icing sugar if required.