Triple Lemon Punch Bars

Our Dad really loves lemon desserts, but his complaint is that it's never lemon-y enough for him. He wants both the lemon flavor from the peel AND something very tart. I don't blame him!

He also complains every time we make up a recipe and don't write it down, or can't repeat it because it used up leftovers. These fly-by-night dishes he calls recipes from the galley of the Flying Dutchman since they appear out of nowhere, never to be seen again.

Well HA HA DAD! I WROTE THIS ONE DOWN! They're really quite tasty, and I've gotten compliments from other lemon lovers that these really hit the spot. Starting with a cake mix helps, and you absolutely must start the cream cheese layer with softened cream cheese. Plus, it's easy to get the top glaze too stiff so it might take a couple tries to perfect this recipe. I don't think you'll mind "disposing" of any mistakes. I never have!

Triple Lemon Punch Cake Squares
Cut these small – each bite packs quite a bit of fresh lemon flavor!

Ingredients:
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1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ packages cream cheese (12 ozs total)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 lemons
½ to 1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tsp. cornstarch
3-4 Tbs water

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Mix cake mix, 1 egg, vegetable oil, and the juice of 1 ½ lemons together until smooth.  Spread evenly in the bottom of a 9x13” glass baking pan. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cream together the cream cheese, remaining egg, sugar, and juice of 1 ½ lemons.  When the cake comes out of the oven, pour cream cheese mix over the hot cake. Bake for another 20 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is set in the middle. On the stovetop in a small saucepot, whisk together the powdered sugar, cornstarch, and juice and zest of the remaining lemon. Bring to a boil to thicken.  If the mixture is too thick to pour, thin it out with a little water. Pour hot glaze over the hot cake. Let the whole cake cool completely on the countertop before cutting into 1 ½ inch squares.

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