Strawberry, Rhubarb and Custard Blondies Recipe from Postal Bakes by Lucy Burton
Baking someone a special treat is one of my favourite ways to show friendship and affection, and from my early teenage years I have prepared tins of brownies, sausage rolls or chocolate chip biscuits to bring to friends’ parties. I’ve carted a surprise birthday cake (chocolate sponge, with peanut butter icing) around North London for my best friend, balancing it carefully on my knee in the bus, and I’ve introduced the delights of Nigella Lawson’s dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate and olive oil cake at a few pot-lucks. Since moving to Yorkshire, I’ve often thought about sending baked goods in the post to friends left in London, but I’ve been unsure how to pack them properly and have been worried about the potential damage inflicted in transit. I was delighted, then, to receive a (gifted) copy of Postal Bakes* by Lucy Burton, which is a brilliant guide to baking delicious treats that stand up well to being sent by mail.
During the 2020 lockdown, Lucy Burton pivoted her sideline business making wedding cakes to sending boxes filled with treats in the post, figuring that ‘if people couldn’t go out to eat cake, I needed to get the cake to them.’ The demand was overwhelming, and Lucy perfected a number of recipes, including many different variations on classic brownies and blondies, as well as other ‘traybake’ cakes, biscuits and treats that were easy to post in a rectangular box. In her new cookbook, Postal Bakes, Lucy shares over 60 of these staple recipes, as well as new flavour combinations and fun variations. Simple, yet decadent and enticing, Lucy’s recipes can all be made in the same tin and are sure to impress even the most hardened foodie.
In her book, Lucy shares excellent tips on how to package your baked treats to be sent in the post, or of course you can simply enjoy them at home. I think her recipes offer the best of both worlds: generally half the recipe fits into her suggested box size for posting, so you can send half to a loved one, and keep the other half yourself! Very kindly, Lucy and the Welbeck Publishing team have allowed me to choose one recipe from Postal Bakes to share with you all, and I settled on Strawberry, Rhubarb and Custard Blondies, which I think are the perfect choice for late spring / early summer eating (scroll to bottom for recipe), with the combination of rhubarb and strawberries. This was the first time I’d used freeze-dried strawberries in a recipe, and although I had to order them specially, they were worth the extra effort! Quite a few of Lucy’s recipes call for freeze-dried fruits, and I can see they add terrific colour and flavour.
I baked the blondies earlier in the week, posting half of them to my BFF in London and keeping the other half for Mum and me to enjoy. They were an enormous success! These blondies are melt-in-the-mouth delicious, and I love the caramel notes from the browned butter. Rhubarb and custard is a classic combination, which pairs very well with white chocolate (I used a mix of white chocolate and ruby), and the strawberries added an equally delicious touch. They’re the perfect treat to enjoy over a cup of tea and a good book (in my case, Jane Austen’s Emma), or to serve friends who pop by for cake and tea in the garden.
Knowing that I was likely to regularly send treats in the post, I’d ordered a stack of boxes in the size Lucy recommends for sending half the recipe portion (8½ x 6 x 2 inch), as well as some tissue paper, food-safe cellophane, ribbon and washi tape (Lucy lists her preferred stockists for all packaging in the back of the book, which I found useful). I was inspired by Lucy’s tips on creating a beautiful looking parcel, and I thoroughly enjoyed making mine look as pretty as possible. I even followed Lucy’s suggestion to add a few pressed flowers and pressed some pansies in advance.
The resulting parcel looked fabulous (if I do say so myself!), and I think anyone would be delighted to receive such a thoughtful gift in the post, either for a special occasion or ‘just because.’ It really added to my pleasure in baking these blondies to wrap them up so prettily afterwards and to take the time to add in a handwritten card for my friend. I found the whole process immensely enjoyable, not least getting to eat a delicious blondie as a treat to myself at the end! My friend texted me photos on receiving the blondies, showing they’d arrived in perfect condition (even the pressed flowers had remained in-place and intact!), and pronouncing them delicious. I’m already planning what to bake next (I think I’ve decided on White Chocolate, Ginger and Sour Cherry Biscuit Cake), and I know I’ll be working my way steadily through this cookbook.
Strawberry, Rhubarb and Custard Blondies Recipe
Prep: 20 minutes, plus cooling
Cook: 35-40 minutes
Makes: 16 bars or 24 smaller squares
Ingredients:
For the blondie batter:
300 g (10½ oz) unsalted butter, cubed
3 eggs (I used large)
175 g (6 oz / ¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
200 g (7 oz / 1 cup) light brown soft sugar
350 g (12 oz / scant 3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1½ tsp fine sea salt
For the topping:
100 g (3½ oz / scant ½ cup) good-quality custard
50 g (2 oz) rhubarb jam
50 g (2 oz) ruby (or white) chocolate, roughly chopped
10 g (½ oz) freeze-dried strawberries
Notes:
Shelf life: Blondies will keep well for two weeks when wrapped in airtight packaging.
How to post: Wrap tightly in food-safe cellophane and tissue paper. These can be sent as part of a mixed box or in a well-fitted box.
Method:
1/ Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F / gas mark 4) and line the bottom and sides of a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) tin with baking parchment (or greaseproof paper).
2/ To make the blondie batter, melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat, then turn up the heat to medium-high and leave to bubble and foam until the milk solids turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
3/ Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add both types of sugar. Using an electric whisk or the whisk attachment of the stand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar for 4-5 minutes until fluffy, light and airy. With the whisk still running, slowly pour in the brown butter, continuing to whisk until well incorporated and glossy. Add the flour and salt to the bowl and gently fold into the mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture into your lined tin, gently tilting the tin to encourage the mixture to fill the edges in an even layer.
4/ To top the blondie, use two teaspoons to dot the custard over the surface, followed by the rhubarb jam, then use a toothpick to ripple them through the batter. Scatter the chopped ruby or white chocolate evenly over the top, then transfer to the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes, until the surface is golden and no longer wobbles when gently shaken.
5/ As soon as the blondie is removed from the oven, scatter over the freeze-dried strawberries, then use the back of a spoon to gently press them down into the surface.
6/ Allow the blondie to cool to room temperature, then remove from the tin and slice into 16 bars or 24 smaller squares, if you prefer.
7/ Enjoy!
If you’re keen for recipes that are easily sent by post, or just for some excellent cakes to bake and serve at home, then I highly recommend Postal Bakes, which you may order here. The book is available to pre-order in the USA, under the title ‘Sweet Deliveries,’ and will be published on 14th June.
To keep up with Lucy Burton’s news, check out her website and follow Lucy on Instagram.
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