Fudgy Lemon, Coconut & White Chocolate Blondies {gf}

Hands up if you have an Instagram addiction. Guilty as charged! I love scrolling through the beautiful images, being inspired by what other foodies are doing around the globe, and learning a few tips and tricks along the way. The other day I read a blogger’s profile which began…. “Recipe developer” … and it got me thinking, “I could add that to my profile too!” After all, there is not often a recipe that I’m willing to leave unchanged, and then there are those that are created off the cuff …. like this one.

I had some home-grown lemons that needed using up, and mums group the next day, so really the only excuses I will ever need to bake something! But that day I was feeling rather slap-dash, and couldn’t be bothered looking up a recipe. There are those who say you need to follow a recipe when baking, but when you’ve baked as much and for as long as me, perhaps sometimes, and especially this time, it might work out okay. I mean, what can go wrong really, with a cake that supposed to be fudgy?

With a bit of this, and a bit of that, some lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar, butter, eggs and white chocolate… it came together quickly. I did consider making a paleo version, but there wasn’t enough almond meal. Using what I had, namely, coconut, almond meal, rice flour, maize flour and this recipe as my reference. If only I had written down the quantities! There was no choice but to make it again, and test it out on my eager guinea-pigs err, friends. This, the official version, got the two thumbs up.

Fudgy Lemon, Coconut and White Chocolate Blondies {gf}

Serves 16

Ingredients
150g white chocolate
100g unsalted butter
½ cup gluten-free plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup almond meal
1 cup desiccated coconut
¾ cup caster sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
¼ cup lemon juice
2 eggs, beaten

For the glaze
1 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
5 teaspoons lemon juice

Method
Preheat oven to 175degC/347F. Grease and line base and two sides of a 20x20cm (8 x 8-inch) cake tin with non-stick baking paper.

Melt the butter in a saucepan or the microwave. Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add coconut and almond meal, sugar and lemon rind. Stir in beaten eggs and lemon juice. Finally, add the melted butter and chocolate, and stir until flour streaks disappear (do not beat).

Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 25 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown and cake is dry to touch. Leave in tin to cool completely before cutting into squares to serve. Remove pieces to a wire rack set over a sheet or two of old newspaper, to add glaze.

To make the glaze, sift icing sugar into a large bowl and add lemon juice slowly, until you reach desired consistency. Spoon the glaze into a small zip lock bag before snipping off a tiny piece of one corner and piping over the blondie squares. Allow to set before serving.

Inspired by Dr Oetker