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Lemon and spinach bars recipe plus review of Veggie Desserts and Cakes

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A recipe for delicious lemon and spinach bars and a review of the Veggie Desserts and Cakes recipe book. Vegetables in cakes? Sounds good to me.

Lemon and spinach bars recipe and Veggie Desserts book review

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Adding extra portions of vegetables to my food is nothing new to me. With a seven year old who eats no fresh fruit and vegetables I’d say that hidden vegetable recipes are pretty essential around here. Hey, I started a whole blog around the idea after all.

So when I saw that Kate Hackworthy had published a cookbook based around the idea of baking with vegetables I knew I had to try it. Read on for my review of Veggie Desserts and Cakes. Kate has also let me share her recipe for lemon and spinach bars.

What is the Veggie Desserts book like?

Veggie Desserts has taken the concept of using vegetables as an ingredient to a whole new level. Her recipes, both on her blog and now on her brand new cookbook, use all manner of vegetables to add vitamins, goodness and nutrients.

Veggie Desserts + Cakes*, which was published earlier this summer, isn’t a book about hiding vegetables into cake for kids. Nor is it a healthy baking book. The recipes use butter and sugar. You’ll find cheesecakes, cup cakes, muffins and layer cakes inside. What it is is a celebration of vegetables and proof that they can be used to add colour, flavour and taste to your baking.

Veggie Desserts cookbook review

The book isn’t just carrot cake. You’ll find peas, sweetcorn, kale, parsnip and courgettes used in the bakes and desserts in the book. There’s even a rainbow layer cake which would be perfect for a kids birthday party. And why wouldn’t you want to add a little bit of extra goodness to your bakes?

I love this book. I literally want to bake everything in it and struggled big time to choose a recipe to make to share here. However, every time I opened the book it fell open on the lemon and spinach bars page so it felt like I should start with that. Next on my list is mascarpone tart with beetroot pastry. I’m so intrigued by the idea of the beetroot pastry that I wouldn’t be surprised if a savoury version appeared on Sneaky Veg soon.

Lemon and spinach bars recipe and Veggie Desserts book review

Kate and her publishers, Pavilion Books, have kindly agreed to let me share the recipe for the spinach and lemon bars here with you.

My kids (and the grown ups) absolutely loved these bars. R, 7, was suspicious because they were green. I told a tiny white lie – that they were made from green biscuits – as I didn’t want him to run away without even trying them.

However, I was honest afterwards and told him they were made with spinach. He’s already asked me to make them again and I think next time I’ll get him to help me.

Pin lemon and spinach bars for later

Spinach and lemon bars recipe and Veggie Desserts book review

How to make the Veggie Desserts lemon and spinach bars:

Lemon and spinach bars recipe and Veggie Desserts book review
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Lemon and spinach bars

A recipe for delicious lemon and spinach bars and a review of the Veggie Desserts and Cakes recipe book. Vegetables in cakes? Sounds good to me.
Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword lemon and spinach bars
Servings 16

Ingredients

For the base

  • 75 g spinach leaves
  • 75 g unsalted butter softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 115 g plain flour

For the lemon filling

  • 4 large free-range eggs
  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 150 ml lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp lemon zest
  • 40 g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp butter

To finish

  • 1 tbsp icing sugar
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin.

  2. Wilt 75g spinach in a pan with a small amount of boiling water, then run under cold water to refresh, then squeeze out the moisture. Purée with a hand blender until smooth.

  3. In a large bowl, beat 75g unsalted butter and 2 tbsp caster sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth, but not too fluffy and aerated. Add the spinach purée and beat well. Sift in 115g plain flour and mix gently.

  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spread to the edges and press down firmly with the back of a damp spoon. Be sure that the mixture goes right into all the edges and there aren't any holes. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden.

To make the lemon filling

  1. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, whisk 4 large eggs and 200g granulated sugar until well combined, then add the 150ml lemon juice and 3 tbsp lemon zest and gently whisk until completely combined. Gradually sift in 40g plain flour, whisking gently to combine, and add 1 tbsp butter. Heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until thick and the butter has melted.

  2. Spoon the mixture over the warm crust, spread evenly to the edges and bake for 25 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden. The filling will firm up as it cools. Leave to cool completely in the pan, then dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar and cut into squares to serve.

 

Want to read more reviews of Veggie Desserts and Cakes? Here’s a few:

Foodie Quine

Baking Queen 74

HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?

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*Disclaimer: this is an affiliate link meaning that if you buy something after clicking on it I’ll receive a small commission, which I will probably spend on buying more ingredients for Sneaky Veg recipes! The price to you remains the same. Thanks for supporting Sneaky Veg. Read my full disclosure.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  11. Chris Fletcher

    I’d like to try baking with courgettes – we always have a summer glut so it would be good to know of some ways of eating them all!

    Reply

  13. Christina Palmer

    I have only ever baked with carrot so would love to try something different. Beetroot woul be something I would like to try in a recipe

    Reply

  38. Emma Smith

    I’ve used courgettes a couple of times in cakes and they work great. I would love to find some more recipes using these too

    Reply

  39. Laura Muir

    My friend makes a gorgeous beetroot and chocolate cake – so moist! I’d love to try making little cupcakes with the same recipe 🙂

    Reply

  56. Victoria Prince

    I’d love to try baking with sweet potato 🙂

    These bars sound soo delicious, I’ve added them to my list of recipes I want to try!

    Reply

  60. Sally angel

    I would love to learn to bake with butternut squash, it seems like such a versatile vegetable, but I just have no idea what to do with it! 🙂

    Reply

  83. Caroline H

    Loving the look of these spinach and lemon bars. I’d love to try sweetcorn, I can see it working really well in bakes with the right recipe.

    Reply

  116. Ruth Harwood

    Cucumber, it can be grated and the juice squeezed out to add to a cinnamon ans apple cake adding a little difference xx

    Reply

  118. Lindsey C

    I’ve never been brave enough to try beetroot (fear of it being plastered across my kitchen) but would love to give it a go – got to be better than shots of beetroot juice to provide a nitrate boost for my running!

    Reply

  122. Margaret gallagher

    Beetroot the colour would CERTAINLY entice the little ones -they are not keen in fresh beets -a sneeky little recipe would be perfect

    Reply

  133. A S,Edinburgh

    I think courgette. They’re quite a standard vegetable to bake with, but I haven’t got round to trying them yet; I think I’ve only baked with carrot so far. Thanks for the review and giveaway!

    Reply

  137. Max

    There is so much I love about this book. Love that you
    Use butter and sugar. Love that it’s not about
    demonising any particular ingredient but rather
    being playful about the stuff that our bodies want
    more of. Looking forward to trying the recipe x

    Reply

  139. Aileen Russell

    Sounds a really nice recipe I have made a chocolate cake with tomato soup in the past my family never knew until after they finished the cake then I told them.

    Reply

  142. Bev B

    That’s a lovely recipe! I’d like to try using spinach in baking. It’s about the only vegetable our family unanimously dislikes!

    Reply

  150. Rebecca Brown

    I’d love to try making a courgette chocolate cake – I’ve tried beetroot cakes and truffles and they were really yummy, I think courgettes are my next experiment!

    Reply

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