Tangy Lemon Squares

Servings: 1 8-inch (20 cm) square pan, which makes 16-25 squares

Ingredients:
Base
1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (50g) sugar
½ cup (125g) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling
4 oz (120g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups (310g) sugar
¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10ml) finely grated lemon zest
½ tsp (2ml) baking powder
½ cup (125ml) lemon juice
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with parchment paper so that the paper comes up the sides.

2. To prepare the base, pulse the flour and sugar in a food processor to combine, or simply mix together by hand. Add the butter and pulse it until the mixture is an even crumbly texture, but the dough should not come together. Press this into the prepared pan. Alternatively, the base can be prepared by hand, by cutting the butter into the flour-sugar mixture using a pastry cutter until crumbly.

3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the base turns golden around the edges. Prepare the filling while the crust cools.

4. In the food processor, pulse the cream cheese with ½ cup of the sugar until smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup of sugar, the flour, lemon zest and baking powder and blend. Add the lemon juice and eggs and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor once or twice. Pour the filling over the cooled crust.

5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges are set and just show signs of soufflé-ing a little, but the centre should still have a bit of a jiggle to it. Cool the squares to room temperature before chilling for at least 3 hours before slicing.

The squares can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.