Lemon bars

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Minimalistic desert, in terms of presentation, taste as well as the work which is required to make them.

Lemon bar is a wonderful sweet treat for lazy cooks who want to impress guests but don’t like to stand in the kitchen baking for half of the day. I love these lemon bars because they have such a condensated, strong taste that you need to eat just a tiny piece to fulfill your dessert craving. Extremely lemony-tasting, sweet and refreshing the same time – they make a perfect finish after a heavy dinner.

I like my lemon bars very flat, so I use rather big baking dish (25x20cm). When I made them once in a smaller baking dish, the crust was too heavy and the topping to thick for my taste. You need to find the balance which suits your taste best.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Carrot cake gives you a wonderful way to smuggle veggies into your diet. However it took me a while to find a perfect recipe for a real carrots-rich cake. I wanted to make an ultra delicious, yet healthy cake with loads of carrots in it. I also wanted my cake to be visually appealing – we do eat with our eyes after all! During my searches I’d bumped into some pathetic recipes calling for 3 medium carrots for the whole cake! That sounds like a carrot cake joke to me, doesn’t it? Other recipes were to rich with overwhelming amounts of butter and sugar. I didn’t want a cake which makes me think I sin when I eat it. Feeling guilt when eating is not what I particularly like. It takes away a joy of consumption. 

Finally, my carrot cake hunt is over. I have an honor to present a wonderfully delicious cake, so good you never would have guessed it’s also quite healthy and definitely not packed with empty calories!