Cherry bars

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 cup premium flour
• 0.5 cup dark brown sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 0.5 cup lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 cup frozen pitted cherries, thawed and drained thoroughly, chopped
• 1/4 cup berry jam
• Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer until fluffy. Sift in half the flour, then add, in this order, the brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg. To the remaining flour, add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix the two mixtures until smooth. Place the cherries in an ungreased 20x20 cm baking dish. Spoon the jam evenly over the dough and use a toothpick or skewer to swirl the jam.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake feels moist to the touch. Once cooled, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.