Today I’m making Shortbread Lemon Squares. The combination of crumbly buttery crust, without eggs with tarty, sweet and sour lemon filling that will make you love them, from the first bite.

Ingredients for the dough:

280g all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
150g cold butter
70g sugar
50g sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for the filling:

300g peeled lemons
200g peeled oranges
150g sugar
30g cornstarch
zest of 3 medium lemons
zest of 2 medium oranges

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Step 1

Start by covering a 9 by 9 baking pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Give it a quick whisk with a spatula to combine the ingredients.

Then add the chunks of cold butter. Using your hands, combine all the ingredients until they turn into crumbs. You can also use a food processor or a blender for this step.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract and give it a stir.

Step 4

Next add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture. Give it a quick whisk with a spatula, and using your hands, knead the dough.

Step 5

Divide the dough into one third and two thirds pieces. Take the bigger piece and push it onto the bottom and sides of the pan. You can also use a rolling pin and roll it on parchment paper, then transfer the parchment paper into the baking pan and finish the sides with your hands. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. Cover the small piece of dough with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 hour.

Step 6

First, we need to zest the fruits. You can use a citrus zester or a regular grater to get the thin layer of lemon and orange peel. We’ll need a zest of three medium lemons and two medium oranges. Next, we need to cut the peeled lemons, separate the flesh from the rind and remove the seeds. I’m using lemons from our lemon tree and they are super juicy and have a lot of seeds, so it took me a while to get the job done.

I used six medium lemons to get 300 grams of lemon flesh.

Repeat the same process with the oranges. We need to get 200 grams of orange flesh.

Step 7

Next, combine the lemon and orange zest with the citrus flesh and grind with a blender until it reaches a puree consistency.

Step 8

Pour the citrus puree into a heavy bottom saucepan. Add the sugar, cornstarch and mix until the cornstarch has dissolved. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.

Transfer the lemon filling into a clean bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

Step 9

Pour the lemon filling on top of the chilled dough and smooth it with a spatula. Using a hand grater, chop the smaller part of the frozen dough and spread the crumble dough on top of the lemon filing.

Bake at 350°F degrees (180°C) for 30-35 minutes or until a light golden brown color forms on top. Let it cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

My cake spent the night in the refrigerator and now it will be very easy to cut into the desired portions. You can also dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar.

I just love this buttery crust with the tarty, sweet and sour filling.

Make sure to watch my YouTube video recipe for step-by-step instructions and see how I make these Shortbread Lemon Squares! Want new recipe updates? Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel!

Tips for Making These Shortbread Lemon Squares

Make sure to use cold chunks of butter in this recipe.

In order to combine the flour mixture with the cold butter, use your hands or a food processor/blender.
Don’t skip the chilling dough step. It helps to grate the dough for the top layer.
The exact amount of fruits will depend on the size of the fruits. We’ll need 300 grams of lemon flesh and 200 grams of orange flesh.

Let the baked cake cool down to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

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