Lemon Bars with Saffron Cream Frosting

Flaky lemon bars with a creamy saffron frosting.

Ingredients

• Saffron Cream:
• 5 threads of saffron
• 1 cup (240g) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (38g) powdered sugar
• Crust:
• 1 cup (120g) flour
• 1/3 cup (38g) powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons (84g) butter
• Filling:
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups (354g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons (33g) cornstarch
• ¼ cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon (1g) zest
• ¼ cup Canada Dry Ginger Ale or 7up

Instructions

1. Heat the cream with ground saffron until it starts to bubble, but not boiling, whisk continuous. Chill until cream is very cold, about 2 hours.
2. In a food processor add the flour, powdered sugar, butter and salt. Process until well combined. If you don't want to use a food processor, use a fork to mix the ingredients and then whisk to fluff the mixture.
3. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Press crust into the bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to about room temperature, for 15 minutes.
5. In a saucepan, with the heat off, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch. Then whisk in the lemon juice, zest and ginger ale. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. This should take about 10 minutes.
6. Pour the filling over the cold crust. Bake until the center is slightly wobbly but not liquid, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and then refrigerating for 3 hours.
7. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to combine the cold saffron cream and powdered sugar. Beat until light, fluffy and medium peaks form, this should take 5 minutes.
8. Spread the saffron cream over the bars and store under refrigeration.

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