Raisin Bundt Cake

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

 

 

There's something about this time of the year that kicks off my need to get in the kitchen and bake. As the summer starts to wind down and autumn produce starts to hit the market, I need to let my inner Martha Stewart shine. Earlier this week I kept thinking that I wanted to make something like a quick bread, but as I scrolled through Golden Blossom Honey looking for a recipe to scratch my itch, I stumbled upon a Raisin Bundt Cake that made me stop and switch course. It's been a long time since I've put my bundt pan to good use, so there really wasn't an excuse not to dust it off and test out a new bundt cake recipe. 

 

This is a pretty straightforward recipe with no complicated steps or prep to get it to come together. Unless your name is Jason and your wife asks you to check it in an hour for doneness. Then instead of checking, you just shut the oven off and go about your business, leaving a slightly gooey center, then it's a pretty simple recipe. Thankfully, said wife was able to put it back in the oven once she realized the mistake and got it to finish baking without issue. So, even if you make a blunder in the recipe, it's one that can more than likely be fixed without distress. The liquid ingredients help the bundt to bake nice and moist, and the spices give it a comforting warmth, which is perfect to serve with a hot cup of tea or apple cider this fall. If you're not quite ready to let your own Martha shine, bookmark this recipe to come back to soon. Because before you know it, the crisp and cool autumn days will be upon us. 

 

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup cold coffee

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup chopped raisins

2 Tablespoons flour

Honey Glaze:

1 1/4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

2 Tablespoons RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE 

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

Have you made any autumn inspired recipes lately? 

Greek Honey Cake

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

 

My daughter and I love to watch baking challenges on television. We're especially into the cake competitions. Nailed It on Netflix is a favorite of ours because it makes us feel pretty good about our own baking shortcomings. But we also love the really creative ones. We're about to finish the second season of Wizards of Baking and boy do those contestants have talent! The bad thing about watching these sweets shows is that we always want cake about halfway through and there is never any in the house. My husband tries to curb our griping about not having cake during our viewing by bringing us an ice cream cone or something else sweet but not as satisfying. So, I decided I was going remedy our issue and make us one to enjoy tonight as we watch the last episode of season 2. I had this Greek Honey Cake from Golden Blossom Honey saved for the last year or two, waiting for a special occasion to try it out. For us, the season finale is special occasion enough, but seeing how it's Mother's Day weekend, it could work for those celebrations as well. 

 

Sticking with my goal of bringing you affordable recipes when I can, I chose to feature this cake this week because it is made entirely with pantry staples. There are no fancy ingredients or extra grocery runs to get it to come together so it's a perfect simple dessert idea. It's a tender, moist, and flavorful cake that's going to hit the spot when the cravings for sweets kick in. I paired it with an orange and cinnamon tea and the combination was divine! I would suggest lining your pan with parchment paper or investing in a silicone cake pan because the syrup is sticky and will make the cake stick to the pan even with the proper prepping ahead of time. I did make this a day ahead of time, then popped it into the refrigerator to let the syrup soak and set over night. Decorate with sliced oranges, whipped cream, or even edible flowers for a lovely finishing touch. While I'll never have the talent to compete on cake competition television, I was pretty impressed with how cute this cake turned out. If you make it for Mother's Day, I'm sure mom will be just as impressed, too! 

 

Ingredients

Syrup:

1 cup SOUTHERN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cake:

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/4 cup milk

1 cup chopped walnuts

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE 

  

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

Happy Mother's Day!   

Gingery Gingerbread with Orange Sauce

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.

 

 

 

Have you started your holiday baking yet? I usually don't make too many holiday goodies until Christmas week. It's been exceptionally cold here these past few weeks, along with massive amounts of snow and ice getting dumped into our area, I haven't ventured outside much lately. When it's too nasty to be out of the house, I turn those into my baking days. I wanted to make some cookies this week and toyed with the idea of trying gingerbread again, but the last few times I made those cookies were massive failures. But I thought I'd check out Golden Blossom Honey's recipes to see if they had a fool-proof recipe for gingerbread cookies. While I didn't find what I was looking for then, I did spot this Gingery Gingerbread with Orange Sauce recipe that piqued my curiosity. 

 

 

Honestly, after looking at the ingredients, I knew this was going to be a hit or miss recipe for me. I love me some gingerbread cookies, but ginger, even candied, is not something that I'd willingly eat on it's own. I really only use ginger in my stir-fry, and even then, sparingly. So, I was a bit nervous when this called for chopped crystalized ginger to go into the cake batter. I thought I'd be biting into chunks of it. But my fears were unfounded because after the cake was done, I realized that the crystalized ginger dissolves into the batter as it bakes and distributes the flavor subtly and evenly. The finished result was a moist, delicious gingerbread cake that rivaled the flavor of its cookie counterpart. Not overpowering, but enough to make you think you're eating the cookie in cake form. It's warm, sweet, and inviting. Such a fabulous dessert for the Christmas holiday. The orange sauce compliments the cake beautifully, and the final touch of the whipped cream ties all of the flavors together perfectly. I am so glad that I found and tried this recipe over the actual gingerbread cookies I had originally planned on making. This was way less messy and even more enjoyable to bake over the cookies, imo. You can garnish with some cute little gingerbread men. I found these holiday edition mini cookies from Pepperidge Farms at my local grocers that helped with the decoration of my cake. But those are optional. I just thought they'd make a fun addition to my desserts this season when I spotted them recently. If you're looking to do things a little different this year, I'd definitely recommend skipping the gingerbread cookies and making this Gingery Gingerbread cake instead. 

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 stick margarine, softened

1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

1/2 cup whipped cream

Orange Sauce:

1 cup orange juice

6 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 cinnamon stick

3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped

3 large oranges, peeled and sectioned

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE 

 

 

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

What holiday desserts will you be baking this year?  

Chocolate Glazed Fruit and Nut Cake

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. 

 

 

Our city is experiencing a fruit fly infestation and I swear I've spent over $100 battling those little demons this month alone, and I fear that even with my efforts, I'm losing the fight. I've sanitized my drains several times, bought the sticky traps, apple cider vinegar in every room of the house, and even bought a bug zapper, yet for every one I kill, it feels like 500 more show up. I even stopped buying fruit this month and went as far as looking up recipes to use up any of our dried fruits (which I've been storing in the fridge to help cut down on attracting even more). I've made a lot of banana and other fruit based quick breads these past few weeks, but I saw this Chocolate Glazed Fruit and Nut Cake on Golden Blossom Honey earlier this year, and while I wanted to save this one for a holiday recipe post, I figured now was going to be a better time to run that to help use up any and all fruits in the house until I know those dang flies have vanished for good. 

 

 

This is a rich and decadent cake that's lovely to make on these chillier days to pair with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. Packed full of different fruits and drizzled with an irresistible chocolate glaze, it's sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. Like most Golden Blossom Honey recipes, this is another easy one that doesn't require a lot of skill, but by using the bundt pan, it comes out looking like it took more effort than it really did. I like to burn food scented candles this time of the year, but with this in the oven, your house is going to smell amazing for hours on end so you can save the candles for another time. This cake would be so perfect to make for your holiday gatherings, used as a hostess gift, or as an excuse to indulge while battling fruit flies. Because this cake can be used for many purposes, it's always a good time to have one baking in the oven. 

 

Ingredients

Cake:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

2/3 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup orange juice

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup dried apples, coarsely chopped in processor

1/3 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped in processor

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Glaze:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/4 cup chocolate chips

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

 

 

 

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

Have you battled the fruit flies this year? 

German Bee-Sting Cake

 

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

Easter this year is going to be rather small. Jason's on his last stretch of out of town trade shows, so it's just going to be 5 of us at my mom's this year. We won't go over the top on fixings. Just a roast, a few sides, and a dessert or two. I usually handle the meat and dessert portion of our holiday meals, and I thought this year I'd do some buckeyes, because homemade Reese's Eggs are way better than store bought, and this German Bee-Sting Cake that came from Golden Blossom Honey's recipe index. 

 

This recipe caught my eye because I love a good layer cake and this one seemed so perfect for Easter dessert. A velvety cake with an indulgently sweet cream center topped with crunchy honey nuts and a raspberry spread offers so many irresistible flavors, it will be sure to delight any sweet tooth. As much as I like the cake as a whole, you could also double up on the cream filling, then use that for a fruit dip or as a filling for stuffed strawberries. Or, have no shame like me and just eat the leftovers straight out of the bowl. It is Easter after all. And holiday calories don't count, right?

Ingredients

Honey Nut Topping:

1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 cup ground almonds

In a small saucepan, combine ingredients and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.

Butter Cream Filling:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 Tablespoon milk

1 Tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

Cream butter and sugar. Add milk and honey. Blend well. Set aside.

Cake Batter:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons milk

1 small jar seedless raspberry jam

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

Happy Easter!

 

 

Honey Orange Valencia Cake

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

There's snow on the ground, we'll be back to pitch black skies at 4pm next week, and Mariah Carey is all thawed out, so I guess that means we are officially in the Christmas season! With the exception of that one week in November that we have to dedicate to Thanksgiving here in the US, I am ready for jingle bells and ho ho ho's and all the baked goodies I can get my greedy little hands on. I haven't done much baking this year myself, but I did owe my father in law a birthday present from all the way back in July, so I thought I'd make good on that over the weekend and whip up a batch of his favorite chocolate chip cookies. And while I was at it, I figured why not make a cake with the abundance of oranges stocked in my kitchen? I needed to use them up anyway before we head off to Colorado next week, so there would be no better time than the present to do so. I've had this Honey Orange Valencia Cake recipe from Golden Blossom Honey saved since last Easter and thought it would be beautiful on any holiday dessert table this year. 

 

Oranges in stockings at Christmas seems to be a thing of the past. It's not something my family ever did in their celebrations, but since mandarins and oranges are a winter fruit, we do tend to consume them more here when the weather gets nippy. I usually find some way to incorporate them into my holiday baking, and since we'll be home for Christmas and not traveling this year, I am thinking that I'll be making this orange cake to take to the in-laws as my dinner contribution. It's one of the simpler cakes I've ever made, but oh so flavorful! Pair it with a hot cup of coffee at dessert time and I can't think of a better way to end the holiday than with this scrumptious delight. If you want to make it a little fancier than the standard recipe, toss in some chopped walnuts and dust with a bit of confectioner's sugar, but honestly, I love the recipe as written, so I'll be making it as is this year. But if you want to go all out and add your own touch, it will be amazing all the same! 

Ingredients

3 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup margarine, softened

1 3/4 cup sugar

6 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 teaspoon vanilla

grated rind of one orange

Glaze:

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/3 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

1 Tablespoon orange liqueur or orange juice

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

   

Do you put oranges in your family stockings at Christmas?

Spiced Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

 

 

Next week is my oldest daughter's birthday. This one will be a bit bittersweet for me since it's the last one she's going to have in this state for the foreseeable future. I mentioned before that she's moving out to Colorado in July, so gone will be the days of reaching her by a 2 hour car ride. I wanted to do something a little special for her day this year, so I booked us a wine tasting tour at the Oliver Winery in Bloomington. I'd normally make her a cheesecake as well, but since this is going to be an all day outing for us, I don't feel comfortable leaving a cream cheese based dessert in the car unrefrigerated for an entire day. But she still needs a cake, right? So I thought about making her a Spiced Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting, a recipe I grabbed recently from Golden Blossom Honey. Since it's not dairy based, other than the little bit of heavy cream in the frosting, I figured this one would be fine for a day in the car packed in a cooler filled with ice. 

If you have a sweet tooth for chocolate, then this is the cake for you! You've got your chocolate cake base, your chocolate ganache frosting, then I went a little extra and tossed some extra chocolate chips on the top for good measure. You could also do chocolate shaving ribbon curls for a finishing touch to make it a little more elegant. I'll admit, I doubled (maybe even tripled) the chocolate chips that the recipe called for in the cake batter because that's just how I roll. I missed the boat on getting my summer body in shape, so I'm just gonna enjoy all the treats and try again next year LOL. I did waffle on using a bundt pan here for more dimension to the cake shape, but ultimately went with the tube pan that was stated in the recipe. You could use either, but the more I look at this cake, I think you could pull it off as a giant doughnut and celebrate National Doughnut Day with this recipe next Friday. I mean, who's going to correct you if you offer everyone a slice?

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup strongly brewed coffee, cooled
1 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

 Ganache

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/3 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey, and be sure to Pin It on Pinterest! 

  

Do you like cake for your birthday, or do you prefer a less traditional birthday dessert like cheesecake, brownies or pie? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Ricotta Cake

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


I don't like to bring up politics on the blog here, but is anyone else scratching their heads over President Trump's optimism that we'll be out of quarantine by Easter? I, for one, will not be doing our normal Easter routine of visiting extended family this year. I'll still be tucked away safely behind the walls of my home, enjoying the company of my immediate family. But, that doesn't mean that I have to skip out on sending a tasty treat to my in-laws to let them know that I'm thinking of them during these difficult times. A little drive-by care package because sweets always lift the spirits, right? I had this Easter Ricotta Cake (a Golden Blossom Honey recipe) saved to try last year, but couldn't find the Stella D'Oro cookies in any of my supermarkets. Little did I know, they had been discontinued. But fear not! You can easily find a copy cat recipe on Google or Pinterest for cream puffs that make a great substitute. 

First, I want to say that I am not encouraging any of you to head to the grocery store to purchase any ingredients that you do not already have on hand for this recipe. As one who is immunocompromised, I fully support everyone staying home to flatten the curve. This recipe will still be here when we get through this mess, and if that happens to be after Easter (which I truly think it will), it will also make for an amazing summer dessert.

This is made quite similar to a cheesecake, but by using ricotta, you get a slightly different texture than you would if you used cream cheese. There's a combination of warm and sweet flavors in this cake that are so inviting, almost reminding me of a fruit filled snickerdoodle. To make the sauce, I just simmered a package of frozen strawberries with the tablespoon of honey until most of the liquid evaporated and it reached a jelly-like consistency. But, if you like a thinner glaze, that's okay, too! Just remove the pan from the heat once the sauce is to your liking.

Ingredients

10 Stella D'Oro Anginetti cookies (available in most supermarkets) *Again, these are discontinued, but you can easily replace this with homemade cream puffs*
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup slivered almond
1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 egg plus 2 yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Garnish:
1 pint blueberries, coated with
1 Tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

Sauce:
2 pints fresh strawberries or 1 package frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed
1 Tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Have you had to change your Easter plans because of the virus this year?

 
 

Cinnamon Poppy Coffee Cake Fit For A Bakery

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Back in January we found out that one of our neighborhood bakeries was up for sale. I made an off-the-wall remark to Jason that we should buy it, seeing how it is a beloved community staple. Maybe it was because I had mentioned not too long before that I needed a change in my life, a new project to focus on that led us to start researching that night if it was even a possibility. You all know that I am food driven, dabbling with it on the blog for the past 10 years. My niece is a cake decorator, my brother-in-law a baker, and my best friend is pursuing a culinary degree, so really with those connections, why couldn't we? The next thing I knew, we had the financing approved and an offer submitted. Long story made short, there was a lot of touring, researching, meetings and planning. And, for a bit, we thought the bakery was ours. Unfortunately, we ended up retracting our offer last week because the sellers were being difficult and we would have lost quite a bit of money right off the top had we gone through with the sale. While I wanted to be sad about a short-lived dream, I couldn't bring myself to shed tears over the loss. We learned a lot, about business and ourselves, that made the stress of the past 2 months worth it. While I won't be owning that neighborhood bakery, it did open up some doors and got the conversation started  to go halves on a start-up down the line once my bestie finishes her degree. We've since been approached about buying a local pizzeria, but honestly, baked goods is where my heart is at. If and when I do open my own storefront, it's going to have the tastiest baked goods and tea in the area and you will all be invited to swing by for a visit. I can see a display case filled with cakes, similar to this Cinnamon Poppy Coffee Cake (a Golden Blossom Honey recipe), beckoning my customers for a bite.

Sometimes accidents happen in baking, which this recipe proved to me. Y'all, make sure you grease your pan extra good before pouring in the batter. Some of the top portion of my cake ended up sticking to the pan, leaving some tears and holes that needed filled in. Luckily, I had some confectioner's sugar on hand, which I dusted over the top so the mistake wasn't noticeable. If this were to happen to you too, just pour some homemade glaze, sliced almonds, or berries over the goof and nobody will ever notice you botched it. Easter is right around the corner and this Cinnamon Poppy Coffee Cake would make a great addition to your brunch menu. Or, save it for May to share with mom over tea.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
3 Tablespoons poppy seeds

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

If you could own your own dream business, what would it be?

Too Easy Glazed Lemon Loaf

Can we just say "Yay!" for bright, sunny days? Even though it's been on the colder side, spring brought a ton of sunshine when it can barreling in earlier this month, and this girl couldn't be happier. I noticed that the tulips I planted last year are starting to peek through the ground, which really excites me because I have such a black thumb when it comes to flower gardening. Since it will probably be a few more weeks before we see the actual tulips flower, the first day of spring had me feeling some kind of way, so I ran over to the flower market and picked up a few bunches of ready to go tulips to give my kitchen a touch of that springtime glow. Then, I was feeling pretty inspired, so I grabbed my baking supplies and tossed together this super easy Glazed Lemon Loaf.

I love lemon loafs but have never actually made one myself. They look so pretty and taste so good, I just assumed they were going to be a lot of work and always passed them up for what I thought would be easier baked goodies. It turns out, I was wrong!

I think making a lemon loaf was one of the easier recipes I've ever tried, which really delights me since it turned out so dang good. Rarely does a recipe make it into my permanent recipe box, but this lemon loaf is going to the front of the catalog so I can make it time and time again.

With Easter right around the corner and Mother's Day trailing close behind, this would be a perfect recipe to celebrate either day, or both! Serve with a cup of tea or a hot cup of coffee, and your day will be complete.

Author: Theresa M

Too Easy Glazed Lemon Loaf

*original recipe published in Sally's Baking Addiction*

 

INGREDIENTS:

Loaf

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• juice of 1 large lemon
• zest of 2 large lemons
• ½ cup milk

Lemon Glaze

• juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 cup powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Adjust the oven racks to the lower 1/3 position in the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream the softened butter in a medium bowl at medium speed for 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until light in color. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl down as needed. Add the lemon juice and zest and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk and beating well after each addition. Take care to not over beat the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. To prevent over browning on the top of the loaf, loosely cover the top of the loaf with aluminum foil 1/2 way through baking. Allow the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Make the glaze: Stir the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the loaf before slicing. Additionally, I grazed a little lemon zest over the top of the glaze, but this is totally optional! Keep loaf stored in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

Have you done any spring baking yet? 


If you liked this recipe, be sure to Pin It on Pinterest!