Lemon Pound Cake

 This is a great recipe I got from Taste of Home. I added extra lemon juice and lemon zest. 

Also I did not feel the icing had a strong enough lemon flavor so I mixed Lemon juice with puwder sugar and added it on top of the cake also. 

I also made a few lemon loaves with the recipe.

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

6 tablespoons lemon juice

1.5 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1teaspoon lemon extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups sour cream

ICING:

1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

• 1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice, zest and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined.
• 2. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• 3. For icing, in a small bowl, beat the sour cream and butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners' sugar. Beat in lemon juice and zest. Drizzle over the cake.

Irish Soda Bread

 

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for raisins
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch diced
• 1¾ cups cold buttermilk, shaken
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1.5 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup chopped golden raisins
  
  
  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture.  Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough.  It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf.  Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.  When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature

Lemon Bars

I made these lemon bars to bring into work Monday, they were a huge hit. I cannot believe I forgot to take a photo.

I hope you give them a try and let me know what you think.

This recipe is from Natasha's kitchen with a few changes of my own.

For the Shortbread Crust:

• 3 cubes unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1.5 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp butter extract
• 3 cups all- purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the Lemon Filling:

• 7 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 2.5 Tbsp lemon zest, from 
• 1 cup lemon freshly squeezed
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 1 cup all- purpose flour
• Confectioners sugar, to dust
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 13x9x2” baking pan with parchment paper (it should go most of the way up the sides so filling doesn’t spill over.

CRUST: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together softened butter, sugars. Add vanilla and butter extract, 3cups flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Continue mixing until mixture is crumbly and no dry flour remains. Spread the dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Press it with your fingertips to flatten and even out the dough. Bake crust at 350˚F for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.

FILLING: While the crust is baking, zest then squeeze the lemons and prepare your filling. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until blended. Add Lemon juice, lemon extract and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Add 1 cup flour and whisk until smooth and very well blended and no traces of flour remain.

BAKING: Pour filling over the warm crust and bake in the center of a preheated oven at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes or until the filling is set. As soon as the filling is no longer wobbly in the center, remove from the oven so you don’t over-bake. Cool in the pan at room temperature for at least 1 hour then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Banana Bread

 This is Martha Stewart recipe with a little twist from me. I always add cinnamon to my banana bread. This bread was so good. Because it takes awhile to bake it gave the butter abrown butter flavor. I don't think it needs cream cheese frosting, I think that would make it too sweet.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• **I toasted my pecans and cooled them before chopping and adding to the batter.

Instructions Chec

• 
  

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat to incorporate.

• 
  

  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts and pour into prepared pan.

• 
  

  Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Variations

To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 6 ounces cream cheese, 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until smooth. Frost top of cooled bread.

To make the cream cheese frosting-filled banana bread as featured on "The Martha Stewart Show," once the loaf is baked and cooled, halve horizontally. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting evenly over bottom half. Top with remaining half; slice and serve.