Baked Lemon Slice | Classic Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does lemon do in baking? ›

To balance flavors: Lemon juice can play a great balancing role in baked goods. We sometimes use it in our cookies to balance out a sweet flavor profile. For instance, our CAVA Apricot Cookies contain a small amount of lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the honey-flavored cookie dough.

Lemon juice is deceptively simple in composition, comprising water, sugars, organic acids (principally citric acid) and small amounts of amino acids, vitamins and phenolic compounds. Sundry plant compounds that provide various health benefits include citric acid, hesperidin, diosmin, eriocitrin, and d-limonene.

One of the easiest ways to cut the lemon taste is to balance it with sweetness. Adding a touch of sugar or sweetener can help neutralize the acidity and bring out the natural flavors of lemon. You can try adding a teaspoon of honey, agave syrup, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar to your lemon-infused dishes or drinks.

Because of this, Meyer lemons are perfect for baked goods and savory recipes that could use some brightening.

While the oven works to reach the desired temperature, fill an oven-safe bowl with tap water. Chop one lemon into thirds and squeeze the juice into the water mixture, placing the lemon pieces directly into the bowl afterwards. Place the bowl on the oven rack and let the concoction bake for 30 minutes.

Promote Digestive Health

This is stellar news if you're prone to constipation, but keep in mind that this gut-friendly nutrient is found in the pulp, rather than the juice itself. Meaning, you have to eat the whole lemon — almost as if you'd eat an orange — to really reap the gut-helping nutrients in the pulp.

However, if you've ever tasted bottled lemon juice, you'll notice that the flavour is a little off – not bright and lemony like the real stuff. This is because bottled lemon juice usually contains additives and preservatives such as Sodium Metabisulphite (E223) or Potassium Metabisulphite (E224).

To use: Shake well before use, and use the same amount of bottled lemon juice in a recipe as you would fresh juice. If a recipe specifies the juice of 1 lemon, replace it with 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice.

The last bit of advice with cooking with lemon is true for both zest and juice. Don't add it too early to a dish — when it's still cooking and very hot. When introduced to too much heat for too long, lemon can easily turn bitter and even discolor other ingredients being cooked with it.

As with all citrus fruits, the pith is one of the bane of annoyance. It is the bitter part that makes eating citrus fruits troublesome because of the need to scrape it off.

Why are my lemons so bitter? ›

Bitterness is mainly caused by the accumulation of two different chemical compounds: limonin from the limonoid terpine group and naringin from the flavonoid phenolic group in the fruit tissues. The highest concentrations of the bitter compounds are generally found in immature fruits.

When baking powder is mixed with lemon juice, bubbles formed because of evolution of carbon dioxide gas. This is a chemical change, because in this reaction new substances are formed.

Consuming lemon with food can offer several health benefits. Lemons are a good source of vitamin C, which helps boost your immune system and supports healthy skin. The citric acid in lemons may aid in digestion by promoting the production of digestive enzymes.

You can add lemon or lime juice while food is cooking, and it will mellow out as it cooks. Using some fresh juice to boost the flavor adds a bright hit of acid that wakes up your taste buds. You can do this with herbs too.

Lemon has the power to lift all the flavors in a dish. As an acidic ingredient, it brings flavors to life—through tangy contrast, it highlights the sweet, salty or savory elements in a dish. So when you add lemon, you aren't just adding lemon flavor, you're developing flavor in the entire dish.