Chocolate Dipped Amaretto Cake Bars

In case you haven't realized, Easter is less than a week away!  It's time to dye some eggs, eat some carrot cake, and make egg salad out of all those Easter eggs.  Whether you are celebrating Easter at home with family or having a party, I am almost 100% certain you will consume some form of carrot cake on Easter, maybe you will even make these carrot cake cupcakes!  Another Easter staple is all that candy found in Easter eggs.  If you are like me and over the age of 21, you may appreciate these super delicious alcohol infused cake like candies, and might actually prefer them over your typical Easter candy.  If you are headed to an Easter party next Sunday or are just going to hang around the house with family, these little bars are the perfect little candy to share with anyone celebrating Easter with you.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup & 1 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
2/3 cup cake flour
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp corn syrup
3 tbsp water
1/2 cup amaretto 
Milk chocolate

Preheat over to 300 degrees.  Butter an 8x8" cake pan.  Cream together butter and 1/2 cup sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually mix in flour.  Finally add lemon zest.  Pour batter into cake pan, spreading evenly into corners.  Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean.  

While the cake is baking, mix together 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium saucepan.  Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts simmering.  Bring mixture to a boil and stop stirring, covering the mixture with a lid.  Let boil undisturbed for 1-2 minutes.  Remove syrup from heat and take the lid off, allowing it to cool.  When syrup has cooled for 10 minutes, stir in amaretto.

When cake is done baking, remove from oven and run a knife around the edge.  Using a toothpick, poke holes all over the top of the cake.  After poling holes in cake, pour syrup mixture over the cake and allow cake to soak up syrup at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).  When you can life the corner of the cake without seeing syrup on the bottom of the pan it is ready for dipping.

Turn cake out of pan onto wax paper and trim edges off.  Cut cake into small pieces about 3/4" x 1.5".  Melt some milk chocolate using a double boiler.  Dip cake pieces in chocolate, coating all sides and place on a sheet of waxed paper to cool and set.