The lemon tree in our backyard has started bearing loads of fruit so I’m racking my brains for tasty ways to use up the harvest.
I decided to try baking a lemon slice with Lady AB as I knew it was a simple recipe and I thought it’d be something she’d enjoy eating. However, I wanted a lemon slice that was vaguely on the healthy side and Google led me to the blog Not Your Typical Dietician and her recipe for Healthy Lemon Slice.
I love the fact that the recipe doesn’t use sugar or butter but don’t be deceived – you’re still using a fat (coconut oil/butter) and honey/maple syrup are very sweet sugar substitutes. Nevertheless, it tastes great and is better for you than the lemon slices that you’ll get at the bakery. Lady AB likes to lick off all of the lemon topping and then eat the coconut crust :–)
Here’s my adaptation of the recipe.
Healthy Lemon Slice
Crust
1/2 cup shredded or dessicated coconut
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
2 tbsp coconut oil/butter, melted
1 tbsp honey, melted
Filling
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted honey/maple syrup mixture (half and half)
Juice and zest of one large lemon
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp wholemeal flour
1. Preheat oven on 180 degrees. Line 20cm square baking tin with silicon paper or baking paper.Â
2. Mix coconut, flour, oil and honey in bowl until well combined.
3. Press dough evenly into bottom of tin with back of a spoon (or toddler hands) and bake for 10 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from oven immediately and allow tin to cool.
4. Whisk eggs and the honey-syrup mixture in a large bowl until blended. Finely grate or coarsely peel zest (personal preference) and squeeze juice from lemon (tip – cut your lemons vertically rather than horizontally to get more juice – really!). Add zest and juice to egg mixture. Add baking powder and 3 tablespoons of flour. Mix thoroughly.
5. Pour lemon mixture over cooled base. Bake for 20 minutes until set and edges are light brown.
6. Cool and slice into 9 or 16 squares (depending on how generous you’re feeling). Optional – you can lightly dust the slices with icing sugar using a mesh strainer but I think it’s sweet enough already and if you have zested your lemons using a zester then the top is patterned anyway.
