Wednesday 30 May 2012

Another Baking Attempt

It has been a long time since I've baked anything. So I decided to try a recipe I found on Lizzy's blog. Lemon squares looked easy enough to make. Plus, I think Theresa is fond of lemon flavored things? So this would be possible to bake for her in the future.

Even if they'll never quite look as good as they do in the pictures that Lizzy posts.

This is probably what a cake baked by me would look like.

So first things first. Making the crust for the squares. This came to me as a bit of a surprise because from the pictures I couldn't really see the crust. Also, I haven't really made crusts so this was new to me.

And I don't think it turned out too badly, except it looked kind of weird. What with my finger imprints all over it as I tried to smooth things out.

It's all lumpy...

Yes, I did a rather odd job with the aluminum foil there. Kind of lopsided and sloppy. I probably should have grabbed a larger piece of it.

Next we have the actual lemon part. Nothing to special happened. I mean, you're just mixing lemon juice and sugar. Even I can do that without causing a fire. In that goes over the crust.

It's all bubbly...

Another thing I really liked about this recipe was how little mess there was and how fast I was done. So little clean-up and it's something quick you can do within an hour. Well, you can probably do it faster than me. I'm not exactly the greatest baker ever.

And when it finally came out. It looked ok. Again, not as good as Lizzy's but it's still edible. I opted out of putting powdered sugar on top because my Mom preferred it that way.

Still came out lumpy.

A few things to note. The center was kind of gummy. I'm not sure if that's because I didn't bake it for long enough or if it was supposed to be that way. It was more tart than sweet, possibly because again, no powdered sugar but Mom liked it that way so that's the way I served it.

Also, it went moldy within a few days. I actually don't know if it was mold or not but my Mom claimed it was and threw whatever remained away. This came as a surprise to me but this is my first time baking lemon anything.

Next, I'm going to try and see if I can make curry from scratch. We normally use those curry paste things and I'm certain it would be better with fresh ingredients.

33 comments:

  1. Sounds like a pretty well done job man despite a few tiny hitches, good luck in making curry too buddy.

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  2. I LOVE lemon bars. Yours look...alright?:P

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  3. you should have posted the photos step by step-that would be super cool! hehe

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  4. i love anything with lemons in it. and this looks and sounds good. yum.
    good on you for trying !

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  5. Looks like you did well, I don't think I've ever baked anything in my life outside of school. I think if I do though, it would have to be something easy to start off with.

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  6. Well good luck with the curry. It's not too difficult. It depends on what you use. If you want to make your own spices and what not then it could get hard. The lemon squares don't look bad at all. If something was wrong with the middle then my guess is that there was undercooking involved. I also don't think they go off that quickly, which, again, may have been caused by undercooking. But I'm less of a baker than you are.

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  7. I love lemon squares... I've actually been wanting to make some for a while. I wonder why they mold so quickly? Maybe because they're softish?

    Good luck with the curry!!!! Let us know how it goes :)

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  8. Looks nice! I am not very good at baking, myself. And curry is a lot better made from scratch, not to mention more fun!

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  9. Sounds like it was a win for the most part, not sure on the moldy either but yeah prob best to throw it out.

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  10. That looks pretty good for a first attempt, actually! Can't wait to see what kind of curry you'll make, so keep us updated!

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  11. was it good? worth baking?

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  12. lmfao what is wrong with you, that is the ugliest looking cake/pie/whatever it is you made I've ever seen. hahaha

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  13. There seems to be a real lag between the time you post something and the time it shows on my list! Your lemon squares look good :-)... With this sort of thing it really doesn't matter if they're a little lumpy - it's all about taste ;-)

    Damn, now I'm hungry lol...

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  14. I think you did a great job. If the center was gummy probably it could have been cooked longer. No 2 ovens are the same so cooking times are an average. Is lemon squares...they are awesomely tart ;-) Can't wait to see the curry.

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  15. yeah lemon molds all the time. Citrus is prone to it

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  16. Actually looks like garlic bread, nice try though!

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  17. Lumpy or no, it still looks good!

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  18. Have you ever heard of an "Eaton Mess"? It looks a bit like that cake!
    I'm a vegetarian, so vegetable chilli and spag bol {made with non-meat} are probably my favourites. Pasta with sauces are easy too...even I can make those!
    Good luck and happy eating!

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  19. Practice makes perfect I suppose. The lemon thing doesn't look too bad either. At least it didn't flop and turn out completely terrible :>

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  20. Dude that's a NICE attempt. People make it all smooth by being pro and doing it all frequently, for an amateur? You did friggin EXCELLENT. Don't bag on yourself. Now share with the blogosphere and don't be rude.

    <.<

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  21. Looks okay. I'd eat it.
    :P

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  22. Whew, I was relieved to see that cake wasn't one of my recipes baked by you...LOL. BUT your lemon bars came out fantastic!!! Seriously, for a novice baker, you did an amazing job. I hope you liked it :) And you can always store leftovers in the fridge to help them from spoiling. (I think Evelyn was right about them being slightly underbaked). Congratulations on a job well done...I'm really proud of you!!! PS...I'm going to France.

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  23. I don't think that it came out looking the bad at all! I giggled at your finger prints though LOL Bravo for making the attempt ;) It probably needed to be refrigerated. Did you put it in the fridge or did it just mold despite that?

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  24. looks nice and try once more and it will be perfect

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  25. normally i LOVE lemon squares! i haven't ever heard of them becoming moldy. that sounds a tad frightening. your writing is funny. the chocolate cake photo reminds me of when i tried to make my friend carrot cake cupcakes. they looked hideous, but everyone said they tasted good.

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  26. I'd eat it....mold or no mold lol

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  27. I think they're supposed to be on the tart side. Otherwise they'd be sugar squares. You could also try chopped pistachios on top with/instead of the powdered sugar. When you sprinkle something on them, they don't look lumpy.

    Nice job!

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  28. Hey there, here's a really simple recipe that I thought you might like to try.

    http://www.semidomesticatedmama.com/2012/06/whats-cookin-easy-3-step-mixed-berry.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FVfltoS+%28Confessions+of+a+Semi-Domesticated+Mama%29

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  29. Well I can smell the lemons from here!! It looks FINE!! And I bet it tasted just fine too! :-) Maybe use the flat of a knife to smooth the top out rather than fingers? LOL! Keep baking and cooking! Curries are great - love all the spices used - and I love shopping for them too!

    Take care
    x

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  30. I expected a mess and you delivered a half decent dessert. Way to ruin my expectations... Admit it, you ask for someone's help, didn't you?

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  31. yum yum I love anything lemony! Hey, it doesn'y matter how it looks, as long as it tastes good :D
    I once attempted a coconut cake. It went wrong for so many reasons! Mainly because I coudn't figure out how to open an actual coconut, and I forgot to put desiccated coconut into the cake batter, so it was basically just a normal cake :/

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