Lemon is one of my favorite flavors. I love them all. Lemon meringue pie. Nom. Lemon tartlets and lemon buttermilk pie. And I love lemon bars, especially these lemon and blueberry cheesecake bars. I also enjoy some lemon infused savory dishes like this lemony macaroni salad, lemon orzo with chives, and Moroccan lemon chicken. I even sneak a little lemon into my pancakes. While I do like traditional lemon bars with the shortbread, my newest lemon bar obsession is made much simpler and combines strawberry flavors. These creamy lemon strawberry bars have a killer flavor combination.
Don’t let the name lemon bars fool you. These are quite different than what you think of when you hear lemon bars. It isn’t just the addition of strawberries. The entire dessert is different, including the addition of cream cheese. The only thing that these lemon strawberry bars have in common with traditional lemon bars is the lemon and the name.
Lemon Strawberry Bars
Ingredients:
1 box strawberry cake mix
1 1/2 sticks butter- softened at room temperature
3 eggs
3 cups powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
8 oz. brick of cream cheese- softened at room temperature
3-5 drops yellow food coloring
Garnish – Lemon and strawberry slices
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray a 9 x 9 baking pan with a vegetable spray like Pam. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, add the cake mix, 1 stick butter and 1 egg. Stir until well incorporated.
4. Transfer the cake mix dough to the bottom of the 9×9 pan.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, 1/2 stick of butter and juice of one lemon. With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix until the icing develops a thick consistency- about 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Add the cream cheese to the icing and mix on medium speed until light and creamy.
7. Add the yellow food coloring and mix until fully incorporated.
8. Measure out 1 cup of the icing and set aside for later.
9. Add 2 eggs to the remaining icing and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
10. Using a metal spatula, spread the icing on top of the cake. (This will make the second cake layer).
11. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
12. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
13. Once cooled, use the reserved icing to frost the top of the cake.
14. Garnish with lemon and strawberry slices.
15. ENJOY!!
Lemon Strawberry Bars
Ingredients
- 1 box strawberry cake mix 1 1/2 sticks butter- softened at room temperature 3 eggs 3 cups powdered sugar Juice from 1 lemon 8 oz. brick of cream cheese- softened at room temperature 3-5 drops yellow food coloring Garnish - Lemon and strawberry slices
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. Spray a 9 x 9 baking pan with a vegetable spray like Pam. Set aside. 3. In a medium mixing bowl, add the cake mix, 1 stick butter and 1 egg. Stir until well incorporated. 4. Transfer the cake mix dough to the bottom of the 9x9 pan. 5. In a large mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, 1/2 stick of butter and juice of one lemon. With an electric mixer on medium speed, mix until the icing develops a thick consistency- about 3 to 4 minutes. 6. Add the cream cheese to the icing and mix on medium speed until light and creamy. 7. Add the yellow food coloring and mix until fully incorporated. 8. Measure out 1 cup of the icing and set aside for later. 9. Add 2 eggs to the remaining icing and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy. 10. Using a metal spatula, spread the icing on top of the cake. (This will make the second cake layer). 11. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 12. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 13. Once cooled, use the reserved icing to frost the top of the cake. 14. Garnish with lemon and strawberry slices. 15. ENJOY!!
The Lemon Strawberry Bars look very delightful. I copied the recipe down in order to make this on the coming weekend. I thank you for sharing this today.
Oh my, these treats sound amazing. I love those summery flavors!
These look so delicious and easy to make. I will have to try this recipe on the weekend.
Those look delish! I’ll have to try them out when our strawberry season returns!
Wow, yummmmm! It looks like it would be perfect for this warm weather,
Wow.. This looks so amazing. Makes my mouth water looking at it. I will be making this tomorrow..
These look amazing, and the kind of recipe I like to bring to a get together, a big hit for sure.