Over this holiday weekend, many will be getting together with friends and family members to honor those who have served in the armed forces. I am a firm believer in ending all gatherings on a sweet note. For this Memorial Day, I’ve chosen a delightfully lemony dessert as the finale.

Lemon represents sunshine and warmth to me. Making lemon flavored desserts and drinks is my favorite way to welcome in Summer. These delicious, cakey bars get a punch of tart citrus from both lemon zest in the batter and lemon juice in the glaze. The combination of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour provides the cake-like texture. The result is a dessert perfect for the holiday kick-off to Summer!

Lemon Cake Bars (adapted from thisdelicioushouse.com)  Total Time Required: 40 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes, Makes: 16 servings

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• zest of 1 large lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper. Set the baking dish aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Mix in the 1/4 cup of lemon juice, vanilla, and salt until well blended.

Fold in the flour and mix until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top and bake on the center rack in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice starting with 2 tablespoons of juice then adding more to obtain the desired consistency.

Pour the glaze over the cake in the pan and let it sit until completely cooled and the glaze has set. (Putting the pan in the refrigerator will accelerate the setting process.)

Carefully lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares.

Serve and enjoy!

We’ll be remembering all those who have served this weekend.  ~Linda

Lemon Cake Bars (adapted from thisdelicioushouse.com)  Total Time Required: 40 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 30 minutes, Makes: 16 servings

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• zest of 1 large lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray then line it with parchment paper. Set the baking dish aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the 1/4 cup of lemon juice, vanilla, and salt until well blended. Fold in the flour and mix until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top and bake on the center rack in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice starting with 2 tablespoons of juice then adding more to obtain the desired consistency. Pour the glaze over the cake in the pan and let it sit until completely cooled and the glaze has set. (Putting the pan in the refrigerator will accelerate the setting process.)

Carefully lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.