Sour to taste, but deliciously sweet to eat.

When are lemons in season?

Lemons are generally available all-year-round, but the best time for lemons are during the colder months from May – September. (RSA climate)

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Light lemon sponge pudding

This delicious self-saucing light lemon sponge pudding is perfect for feeding a crowd, especially after a Sunday meal. It’s the ultimate quick and easy comfort dessert, that’s ready in under an hour. As it bakes, the mixture separates into two layers, forming a light sponge at the top and a tangy lemon curd at the bottom.

INGREDIENTS

• butter, melted, to grease
• 210g (1 cup) castor sugar
• 40g (1/3 cup) cake flour
• 15ml (1 tbsp) lemon zest
• 15ml (1 tbsp) lime zest
• 80g butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 500ml (2 cups) milk
• mascarpone, to serve
• icing sugar, to dust

INSTRUCTIONS

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 2L round ovenproof dish with melted butter.

2

Place 125ml (½ cup) of the castor sugar, the flour, lemon and lime zest, melted butter and egg yolks in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined and add the milk.

3

Use an electric beater to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining castor sugar and whisk until thick and glossy.

4

Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the citrus mixture. Add the remaining egg whites in batches, folding gently. Pour into the prepared dish and place in a baking dish. Fill halfway up the sides with cold water.

5

Bake until set, about 40 – 45 minutes. Dust with the icing sugar before serving with the mascarpone.

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Greek Lemon tart

This recipe is a family favourite. Therefore, although the recipe is accurate, it is often made with pure love – in other words, a pinch of this and a pinch of that!

INGREDIENTS

• FILLING
• 500g Double-Thick Yoghurt
• 1 x 385g tin condensed milk
• juice of 1 medium-sized lemon
• pinch salt
• CRUST
• 1 x 200g packet Marie Biscuits
• 145g butter, melted
• fresh mint sprigs, to garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1

For the filling, combine the yoghurt, condensed milk, lemon juice and salt. Refrigerate until needed.

2

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 24cm pie dish. For the crust, blitz the Marie Biscuits until a fine crumb forms and combine with the melted butter. Press the Marie Biscuit crust into the prepared pie dish and bake in the oven, 10 minutes.

3

Allow the crust to cool completely, about 1 hour. Pour the creamy lemon filling into the cooled crust and refrigerate to set, at least 2 hours. Serve garnished with fresh mint sprigs, if desired.

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Lemon tart

When life hands you lemons… Make this!

This lemon tart is wonderfully smooth, creamy and zesty. This is a beautifully flavourful addition to any tea party, and bursting with elegance.

INGREDIENTS

• Pastry
• 225g (1½ cups) cake flour
• 125g chilled butter, cubed
• 80g (½ cup) icing sugar, plus extra to dust
• 3 egg yolks
• 15ml (1 tbsp) ice water
• Lemon filling
• 250ml (1 cup) fresh cream
• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 110g (½ cup) castor sugar
• 125ml (½ cup) lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1

Place the flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2

While the motor is running, add the egg yolks and process to combine. Add the ice water and process until the dough just comes together.

3

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently bring together to form a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper to 3mm thick. Line a 34cm x 11cm lightly greased, loose-bottomed tart tin with the pastry, trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5

Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper and fill with baking weights. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is light golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C.

6

For the lemon filling, place the cream, eggs, egg yolks, castor sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk to combine. Strain through a sieve and pour into the tart shell.

7

Bake until just set, about 30 – 35 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate until completely set. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

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Zesty lemon fridge tart

A zesty lemon fridge tart that takes 15 minutes to make plus two hours to set in the fridge. A refrigerated tart requires no cooking and works as well at tea time as it does for dessert… and it’s so easy!

INGREDIENTS

• 110g butter
• 100g digestive biscuits
• 100g ginger biscuits
• 15ml cocoa powder
• 250ml fresh cream
• 1 x 397g tin condensed milk
• 15ml lemon rind
• 125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• few sprigs of mint, optional, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1

To make a 22cm-sized tart, you’ll need to melt 110g butter.

While you’re doing that, crush 100g digestive biscuits and 100g ginger biscuits.

To the crushed cookies add 15ml cocoa powder and the melted butter.

Line a 22cm springform cake tin. Spread the mixture evenly, pat down firmly and refrigerate.

Now get cracking on the filling by combining 250ml fresh cream with 1 x 397g tin condensed milk, 15ml lemon rind and 125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (roughly the juice of two lemons).

Using an electric beater, whip all these ingredients together well, then pour the mixture over the prepared base and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Garnish with fresh zest and a few sprigs of mint, and serve.

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Super-easy lemon cheesecake

Gone are the days of overly fussy cheesecakes! Condensed milk makes this version quick, super-easy and oh, so dainty…

INGREDIENTS

• CRUST
• 50g melted butter
• 100g ginger biscuits, crushed into crumbs
• CHEESECAKE FILLING
• 5g gelatine powder
• 30ml (2 tbsp) cold water
• 125g cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ tin (190g) condensed milk
• zest of 1 lemon + extra, to garnish
• 60ml (4 tbsp) lemon juice
• 125ml (½ cup) fresh cream, whipped to stiff peaks
• fresh blueberries, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1

For the crust, mix the melted butter into the ginger biscuit crumbs (blitz the biscuits in a food processor or place them in a bag and use a rolling pin to crush them). Spoon the ginger biscuit crust into 3 serving glasses and refrigerate, 5 – 10 minutes.

2

For the filling, soak the gelatine powder in the cold water and set aside until needed. Stir the cream cheese to soften, then add the condensed milk, lemon zest and juice. Beat together with an electric mixer until smooth.

3

Melt the gelatine on high in the microwave, 8 seconds, and stir it into the condensed milk mixture. Gently fold in the stiffly whipped fresh cream, divide the mixture over the crusts and place the glasses, covered, in the fridge, 1 hour. Serve topped with fresh blueberries and extra lemon zest to garnish.

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Ricotta and lemon cakes

Go beyond the traditional lemon tart and whip up something inspired instead. You do not need a sweet tooth to appreciate this dessert. These quick and easy ricotta and lemon cakes boast some of Sicily’s most beloved flavours. The ricotta makes these treats beautifully soft, and the tang of lemon is complemented perfectly by a light dusting of icing sugar. We love that this recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make and it is the perfect, tangy treat for those who enjoy a lemony dessert.

INGREDIENTS

• 175g butter, softened
• 175g (¾ cup) castor sugar
• zest of 2 lemons, grated
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 300g ricotta
• 130g (1 cup) self-raising flour
• 5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
• icing sugar, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease two 6-hole large muffin pans.

2

Using a food processor, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, egg yolks and ricotta, and beat again on a low speed.

3

Using a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the ricotta mixture.

4

Gently fold in the flour and baking powder and pour into the greased muffin pans.

5

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the cakes are firm and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans.

6

When cool, dust with the icing sugar before serving.

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