Gooey Yuzu Slice

This Gooey Yuzu Slice is bursting with citrusy Yuzu flavour from the yuzu curd, which sits on top of a delicious sweet shortcrust base. While these are made with yuzu juice, they can also be made with lemon juice - just a simple swap. They really are very moreish and super easy to make!

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Resting Time: 2 30

Total Time: 3 30

Course: Dessert, Snack, Sweet

Cuisine: Australian

Keyword: bake, baking, citrus, easy, gooey citrus slice, gooey lemon bars, gooey lemon slice, gooey yuzu bars, gooey yuzu slice, lemon, lemon bars, lemon slice, lemon squares, slices, sweet, yuzu, yuzu bars, yuzu slice

Servings:

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Katrina | Katy's Food Finds

Equipment

2 bowls
18cm x 28cm baking tin
food processor
hand held whisk

Ingredients

Sweet Shortcrust Base:

150 g plain flour (1 cup)
75 g caster sugar (1/3 cup)
120 g salted butter cold or room temperature, cut into 1 cm cubes

Curd Layer:

4 eggs large
385 g caster sugar (1 3/4 cups) see notes
finely grated zest of 3 yuzu (zest fruit before juicing)
160 ml yuzu juice (2/3 cup), zest before juicing
50 g plain flour (1/3 cup)
2 tbsp icing sugar (for sprinkling on top) pure

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 28 x 18cm baking tin. Line the tin well with baking paper, making sure baking paper overhangs (so the slice can be lifted out easily once baked).

For the Shortcrust Base:

Place all the base ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until it forms a clumpy crumb (see photos). Pour into the lined baking tin and spread out. Press the mixture down firmly, getting into the corners and making sure the layer is nice and evenly spread.
Bake for 12-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned - see notes and photos. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature (approx 30-40 minutes).

For the Yuzu Curd topping:

Add the eggs and sugar to a large bowl and whisk briefly (10 seconds). Add all the other ingredients and whisk again until everything is combined and there are no lumps.
Pour the filling over the cooled base.
Reduce the oven temperature to 165°C (325°F) and bake the slice for 30-35 minutes (please start checking at 25 minutes) or until the centre is only just set (it no longer jiggles when you move the tin - see notes). I don't mind just the teeniest of movement for mine (no jiggles though) if I'm serving this as a dessert as it will be more gooey, but we don’t want runny curd!
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. I recommend leaving it to cool at room temperature for 1 hour and then refrigerating for at least 2 hours (I often bake this slice the day before I need it and refrigerate it overnight).
Once cooled, slice with a clean, sharp knife and make sure to wipe the blade clean after every cut to achieve nice tidy looking slices. Sift icing sugar over the top.
Storage: This slice keeps well for a week in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator and can be frozen (see notes).

Notes

It's a very simple and easy recipe to follow, but here are a few tips to help you.

Make sure you grease and line the baking tin well with baking paper so the baking paper overhangs on all sides. This stops the gooey slice sticking to the sides and also gives you something to hold onto when removing the slice from the tin once it has cooked.
When making the shortcrust base in the food processor, it will come together as a clumpy crumb rather than a dough 'ball' (see photos). You will be able to press the mixture between your fingers and it will stick and form a dough so you know it will come together when pressed in the baking tin.
Press the pastry down well when forming the base layer. Make sure you take it to the sides and corners of the baking tin and get it as even as you can. I just use clean fingers and knuckles to do this.
Cooking times for the base is 12-18 minutes, however please check from 10 minutes onwards as all ovens vary. The base should be starting to lightly brown on the edges. It will be cooked but still soft to the touch and will firm up when it is resting.
Please rest the base for 20 minutes to allow it to cool before adding the curd layer - this is an important step.
While the base layer is baked at 180°C, the oven temperature is reduced to 165°C to bake the curd layer. This lower oven temperature helps avoid over-baking of the curd. The curd layer can take anywhere from 30-40 minutes depending on the egg size you use and the fact that different ovens vary in temperature. Mine took 35 minutes. If you find the slice is colouring too much, you can cover loosely with foil. Just make sure it doesn’t come into contact with the top of the slice. The slice should be just set and no longer jiggle when you tap or move the tin. Keep an eye on it, as it can change quickly.
Once it has just set, rest the slice! It will be so tempting to want to cut into it right away, but the curd needs time to cool down and continue setting. It will not slice well and still be soft if you cut into it straight away. It will be worth the wait! ☺️ I rest it on the bench for 1 hour and then refrigerate it for another 2 hours. I often leave it overnight in the fridge before slicing.
To slice: use a long, sharp knife and make sure you clean the knife blade after every slice to achieve nice clean edges. Serve the slice dusted with icing sugar. Delicious served as is, or with a dollop of cream or even ice-cream.

Once cooled completely, the slice can be stored in an airtight container and kept refrigerated for up to 1 week. They can also be frozen for 3-4 months (without icing sugar on top). To do this, freeze the whole slice or cut slices in the freezer on a baking sheet in a single layer, uncovered, for an hour. Once frozen, put them into a freezer grade glad bag, in a single layer and freeze.

To Serve: Defrost in the refrigerator (make sure slices aren’t touching each other) until thawed. Dust with icing sugar when ready to serve.

Nutrition

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