The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. In other words, I’ve been baking my buns off.
First, I had the amazing opportunity to participate as an exhibitor at the IACP Culinary Expo in New York City. I’m not going to lie, I had a teensy, tiny meltdown while making 500 samples of Campfire (S’mores) Cookies, Boozy Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars, Lemon Poundcake and Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes. I managed to pull through. It’s what I do. (It would have been really interesting if I had attempted to call myself…sigh).
The IACP event was a wonderful experience. I felt like I’d died and gone to [food] heaven. Imagine a room packed with representatives from your favorite brands, food bloggers galore and plenty of samples – oh, the samples! Let’s just say the event has made it on to the list of the top 10 days of my life.
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TRB’s booth in the Taste of the 5 Boros section of the Culinary Expo |
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Mini Flourless Chocolate Cakes |
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Lemon Poundcakes |
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Boozy Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars |
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Campfire (S’mores) Cookies |
Before I could hang up my apron, Easter was here. (Time to make the donuts Pizza Rustica…) The Cake Boss recipe didn’t disappoint, and there were plenty of smiles around the table.
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Pizza Rustica |
As impressive as this masterpiece of dough, meat and cheese is, the Lemon Raspberry Bars I whipped up for dessert completely stole the show.
Truth be told, I’d never attempted lemon bars. Not for any particular reason. I just didn’t get around to it. Although, I’d do a couple of things differently next time (i.e., use a 9-inch square pan as the recipe recommends and spread less raspberry jam on the crust), the results were quite good.
Lemon Raspberry Bars
(Recipe from Brandy’s Baking)
For the Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
For the Lemon Topping:
6 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp pure lemon extract
zest of 1 lemon
3/4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp flour
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9″ square baking pan with baking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Prepare the crust: Combine all the crust ingredients in a medium bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, then let cool for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare the lemon topping: Combine all the topping ingredients, except the raspberry preserves, in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Spread the raspberry preserves evenly over the baked crust. Slowly pour the lemon topping mixture over the raspberry layer. Bake for 22-24 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 325F and continue baking for 20-25 minutes longer or until topping is set.
4. Transfer the baking pan to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
What did you bake up for the Easter and Passover holidays? Share your recipe with us! Post a comment below.
All very delicious recipes, TRB! Those raspberry bars are excellent. And “I’ve been baking my buns off” — cracked me up!! xo style, she wrote
Glad I could make you laugh!! :)