Meyer Lemon Cake Bars

by Kare on 10:34 am in Dessert, Food, Fruit, Vegetarian

Here is where I would love to wax poetic about the intriguing Meyer lemon, and how I picked up a luscious-looking bunch of them at my neighborhood farmer’s market on a particularly crispy, sunny winter day … or maybe I plucked them off of a ripe old tree in a sunny corner of my sweet old Aunt’s backyard as she smiled at me, sipping tea as she rocked on the back porch.

But the reality is, I, well, picked up a box of ‘em at Costco. It was last Wednesday, and after our 12-day-old’s pediatrician appointment, I talked my guy into stopping at Costco and sitting in the backseat with the bambino while I ran in for 10 very quick minutes. After being shut in for weeks, it was nice to feel normal (and yes, Costco is my “normal”), picking up a few must-haves. And, of course, browse (quickly) for a few wants. One of the wants ended up being Meyer lemons.

Not a terribly romantic scene, but the big bunch of yellow-orange orbs brightened up my day nonetheless.

Meyer lemons are sort of an orange-y version of a lemon – and are likely, actually, a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. They’re absolutely delicious and even slightly special in place of regular lemons in, say, lemon vinaigrette and lemon curd.

And they’re ridiculously perfect in these rich, moist, gooey cake bars.

Meyer Lemon Cake Bars are, consistency-wise, a cross between a brownie and snack cake. They’re dense with a large crumb, super-moist, buttery, rich, and the perfect balance of lemony-sweet. The tangy glaze is the cherry on top.

So go to your local farmer’s market, your Auntie’s place in Santa Barbara or, you know, hit up your neighborhood Costco. Just get some Meyer lemons in your hot little hands. Then make some of these.

Print this recipe

Meyer Lemon Cake Bars

Yield: About 16 bars

Ingredients:

Cake bars:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest (about one medium lemon’s worth)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest (another medium lemon’s worth)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ x 9″ baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Pour the flour mixture into the butter/sugar/lemon mixture and mix together until blended.
Spread mixture in the baking pan.
Bake for 30 minutes, until it begins to get golden brown around the edges, and is set in the middle.
Cool for about 20 – 30 minutes.
Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Drizzle glaze over the top of the cake bars.
Cut into squares and enjoy!

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Tags: bars, lemon, meyer lemon

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11 Responses to “Meyer Lemon Cake Bars”

Janet@FCTC January 16, 2012 at 12:18 pm #

These look great! I love lemon desserts and have a ton of Meyer lemons (bought at Wal mart lol) that I need to use. And I know EXACTLY what you mean about feeling normal when you get to get out when you have a little one.

[Reply]
Susie January 16, 2012 at 2:50 pm #

These look super moist and tasty. I love lemon anything…. I hardly ever go to Costco only because there isn’t one close to me it’s a bit of a drive. My mom had both of my kids for 3 days and I almost didn’t know what to do with myself except sleep in, bake, play video games and see a friend. LOL it was glorious!

[Reply]
Andrea (questfordelish) January 17, 2012 at 5:42 pm #

this looks so increcibly delish. My mom would faint if I made this for her. Thanks for sharing.

[Reply]
Jay Schufman January 18, 2012 at 3:55 pm #

Thank you for a delightful desert! My wife was perusing Zite on our iPad and came across your article/recipe. We then wondered where (in rural Minnesota) we might find Meyer lemons. We happened to go to Walmart this afternoon, and voilà! There they were! A somewhat subtle, but remarkably distinctive flavor! You’ve done a great job putting together this recipe. We do appreciate the effort! Next, we’re going to try Meyer lemon meringue pie–after finishing your wonderful cake bars, of course!

[Reply]
Reply from Kare:
January 21st, 2012 at 9:45 am
Hi Jay, thanks for commenting! I love that they’re available at Walmart! Costco and Walmart … I guess they’ve hit the mainstream and then some. :) Meyer lemon meringue pie sounds amazing (and gorgeous). If you get a chance, please swing back by and let me know how it turns out!

[Reply]
Vicki January 21, 2012 at 3:50 pm #

I just bought some Meyer Lemons yesterday at my local Wal-Mart Superstore. This is the first time I’ve been able to get these. I also found your recipe on Zite. Being a lover of any kind of lemon dessert, these are the best. My husband said these were the best he has ever had. Thanks for the great recipe.

[Reply]
Steph January 23, 2012 at 10:09 pm #

Delicious! I’ve been craving lemon bars for days now and came across your blog early this morning. Made them this evening and they are absolutely what I was craving. As a twist – I added blueberries right on top of the batter just before I put them in oven.

Thank you so much for the recipe!

[Reply]
Jessica February 6, 2012 at 6:44 am #

I made these for a super bowl get together and they were fantastic! I doubled the lemon juice in the cake, since I like a stronger lemon flavor. This was prehaps the best, moistest cake I have ever made. A true keeper recipe- thank you!

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Coffee Machines February 9, 2012 at 9:44 pm #

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[Reply]
Tara A February 19, 2012 at 10:14 am #

This is divine! Thank you so much!!!

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[...] I just happen to have a plethora of Meyer lemons at the moment, thanks to the trip to Costco that I talked about here. (I’m thinking Meyer Lemonade or even Meyer Lemon Drops later on today with the remainder. [...]