Carrot-Zucchini Bars with Lemon Frosting

Remember all of the frosting I made for the lemon blueberry cupcakes which I froze and used for the lemon Victoria sponge cake??  Yes, you guessed it, I still had some lingering in the freezer waiting to be used.  I found a tasty looking recipe on Pinterest  ̶  thanks to a couple of my friends, I am now obsessed with this site  ̶  which called for lemon frosting.  This is also a great recipe to sneak in some extra vegetables for the veggie hater in the family!

Ingredients for bars

2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups carrot, shredded
1 cup zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine eggs, brown sugar, oil, honey, and vanilla.  

3. Fold in the carrot, zucchini, and pecans.

4. Combine flour, baking powder, ginger, and baking soda in separate bowl, blend well.

5. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and stir until combined.

6. Spread batter into 13x9x2 inch baking pan.

7. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

8. Remove from pan and allow to cool on wire rack.

9. Once cool, prepare frosting and spread over cake.  Cut into bars.  

10. Store in airtight container in cupboard.

(recipe adapted from http://realmomkitchen.com)

Serves 20 people

TIPS

- Use your favorite nut to replace pecans.

- When using a glass pan, be sure to grease it and line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

Ingredients for frosting

4oz. cream cheese

2 1/2 tbsp butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sieved

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Zest of 1 large lemon

Directions

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until combined and smooth.

2. Mix lemon juice and lemon zest.

3. Add sieved confectioners' sugar and mix well until smooth.

(frosting recipe adapted from annies-eats.com)

Bon appétit!

Lemon Victoria Sponge Cake with White Chocolate

Several weeks ago, I made lemon blueberry cupcakes and made far too much lemon frosting, so I froze the leftovers, ready for my next sweet tooth craving. 

In order to use the frosting before I leave the parentals for the bright lights of Kansas City, I decided to make the classic Victoria sponge cake, but instead of chocolate  ̶  my favorite  ̶  I added lemon to tie in with the flavor of the frosting.  I used the lemon frosting to sandwich the two sponges together and melted white chocolate chips to place on top of the cake to please the choc-lover in the family.

The cake was light and delicious!  It is a very easy recipe  ̶  I have been making Victoria sponge cakes since I was 5 (with a little help from Mum)  ̶  and requires no special ingredients.  Enjoy with afternoon tea or, more decadently, with a glass of dessert wine after dinner!

Lemon sponge ingredients

4 oz margarine
4 oz sugar, sieved
4 oz self rising flour, sieved
Pinch salt
2 eggs
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Grease two 7-inch round cake pans around bottom and sides.
2. Draw around bases of each pan on parchment paper.  Cut out circles and place on bottom of pan.
3. Beat margarine and sugar in large bowl until color of mixture is almost white.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time.
5. Fold in flour, salt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and juice with a metal spoon.
6. Separate mixture evenly between two pans and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.  Use listening test to determine if cake is cooked.*

7. Once cooked, use spatula to loosen sides of cake and tip pan over onto wire cooling rack with bottom of cake facing upwards.

8. Slowly remove parchment paper from sponge and allow to cool.
9. Prepare lemon frosting and sandwich two sponges together.
10. Melt 4 oz white chocolate (I did not have any white cooking chocolate and used chips) and pour over top.  Allow to set.

* Listening test: Place sponge close to ear.  If a faint popping noise can still be heard, leave sponge in oven for another 1-2 minutes.

Serves 8 people

TIPS 

- I have yet to find a 7-inch round cake pan in the U.S., but a standard 8-inch works well.
- Fresh lemon (grated rind and squeezed juice) is a superior taste than commercial lemon juice.
- Place bowl of water in electric oven to add moisture to the air and prevent cakes drying out.
- White cooking chocolate is easier to work with than white chocolate chips.
- If chocolate is microwaved too long and the consistency hardens and becomes thick, slowly beat in small amounts of vegetable oil until the mixture becomes liquid again. 

Lemon frosting ingredients

4oz cream cheese
2 1/2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sieved
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 large lemon

Directions

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until combined and smooth.
2. Mix lemon juice and lemon zest.
3. Add sieved confectioners' sugar and mix well until smooth.
4. Sandwich both sponges together.
(frosting recipe adapted from annies-eats.com)

 Bon appétit!