America's Test Kitchen

Favorite Citrus Desserts

Join us as we infuse one citrus dessert with bright lemony flavor and make another dessert easier than ever to enjoy. Even after the heartiest meal, we find the bracing bite of a citrus dessert welcome. Lemon Bundt cake, glazed with a snowy white icing, is a simple, elegant dessert. But time and again, we are disappointed in its often elusive lemon flavor. Some recipes soak the cake in a sugar syrup flavored with lemon, but we find this makes the cake soggy, ruining its springy fine crumb. We wanted to find a way to infuse Bundt cake with the assertive tang of lemon without marring its texture. Key lime pie is another favorite citrus dessert, but transporting this pie, which has a delicate, wobbly filling, can be difficult. We wanted to find a way to transform this pie into a bar cookie. Not only would a Key lime bar be more portable, it could also be eaten out of hand, making it a far easier dessert to serve—and eat. Recipes: Lemon Bundt Cake Key Lime Bars Triple Citrus Bars Tasting Lab: Are Key Limes Really Key?—Updated Equipment Center: Are Nonstick Baking Sprays Better Than Butter? Science Desk: The 'Magic' of Sweetened Condensed Milk