Lemon Slice

This blog has been running for many moons now, and I'm not entirely sure why I haven't ever posted this recipe.  For years, I supplied a cafe with this particular lemon slice and was making it at least once a week (and with a long time of this, I was a little tired of it).  After I stopped supplying the cafe, I usually only made this slice once per year, for my brother's birthday.  However, since it's been so long, the wounds have healed and I'm ready to dive back in to lemon slice and fully embrace its delicious beauty once again!  Given that it's one of the favourite desserts of most of my family, this comes as a joyous occasion for all of us.

The slice itself is so simple to make, no baking required, and tastes absolutely wonderful!  It also suits a range of tastes because it's not overly sweet - the fresh lemon of the icing blends perfectly with the sweet biscuity base.

Ingredients - base (21 x 31 cm (8 x 12 inch) brownie tin)
250g butter
1 x 400mL can condensed milk
2 x 250g packets Marie biscuits
2 cups desiccated coconut

Ingredients - icing
500g icing sugar
50g butter
Approx 8+ tablespoons lemon juice
Extra desiccated coconut for garnishing

Method - base
1. Melt the butter and condensed milk, mix until combined.

2. With a large Ziploc bag, crush the Marie biscuits with a rolling pin.  Make sure to use a sturdy bag and squeeze all the air out, because it may burst if you aren't careful!  You want the biscuits to be in small-ish chunks.

3. Combine the crushed biscuits, coconut, as well as the butter and condensed milk mixture in a large bowl.

4. Once everything is mixed (ensure that the biscuit crumbs and desiccated coconut are all combined with the wet butter and condensed milk), press the base into a brownie tin lined with baking paper.  It needs to be well compressed for best results - I use a plastic rice scoop for this!

5. Put the base in the fridge to begin firming up, and start making the icing!

Method - icing
1. Using a firm spatula, use wiping motions to incorporate the butter into the icing sugar.  I use a smooth plastic rice scoop for this, and press the butter into the icing sugar as if I was spreading butter on toast.

2. Add the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between.  You want the icing to be spreadable but not sticky - so you can form it into a smooth ball.

3. Press and spread the icing onto the base until it's of an even thickness.

4. Score lines in the top of the icing with a fork or some other spiky implement.  I have a plastic scrapy...thing...that makes it easy to get quick lines.

5. Sprinkle the icing with desiccated coconut and leave in the fridge to set completely.

6. Once the icing has hardened, chop the slice into bars or squares (or little bite sized pieces for easy consumption).

Enjoy!