Clad in her lemon sweater, Stefin asks Andrea if she’s heard the latest citrus news: Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have announced their choice of wedding cake, and it’s Lemon-Elderflower. Zestfully, the hosts discuss Clair Ptak, the California baker (now London resident, and owner of Violet Cakes) who was selected to bake the cake, and Stefin answers Andrea’s questions about one of Britain’s favourite flavours, the elderflower. (For listeners who want more info on the baker behind the royal cake, Andrea recommends Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street podcast, episode 102.) And stay tuned listeners, because all May we’ll be doing a roundup of royal desserts!

Coming back down to earth, the duo jump into their review of Sunny Lemon Bars from Stella Parks. Stefin gives the taste and color a solid A+, but found the texture too loose, despite cooking it for a longer time than recommended. Was it down to her shelf-stable, room temperature eggs? Andrea thought the texture was also a little gelatinous, but her custard firmed up nicely and sliced cleanly. However, no matter how hard she tried, her powdered sugar kept disappearing into the top layer! Despite these setbacks, both hosts think it’s a recipe to play around with, because the taste was phenomenal.

Doing a little independent lemon-bar research in Eugene, OR, Andrea decides she’s going to try a bar that’s sliced bigger (4×2, as opposed to the standard 2×2) and layered with a different custard-to-crust ratio, like a delicious version she had at the Sweet Life Patisserie.

Listeners: Do you have a favorite lemon bar recipe? We’d love to know!

This week’s bake along is the Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango & Lime from Kay Chun at Food & Wine. Both hosts have a soft spot for this sweet, old-fashioned pudding, and are excited to try this coconut-citrus variation. First, though, Stefin needs to track down tapioca in London!

Finally, your hosts discuss some tools and hacks you can use to make juicing citrus fruits easy and seed-free. Have you tried a citrus reamer? What about using BBQ tongs? Andrea admits to wanting a zester, and a misguided Internet search for a “citrus bag” leads Stefin to a new fashion accessory that will go perfectly with her sweater.

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