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!

 

Pucker Up For This Lemon Drop Martini

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.

If you are hosting any parties over the long weekend, you may be thinking about what eats you are going to serve to your guests. I always stress over the food, but my husband likes to take a more laid back approach to party hosting by planning out the drink menu. He figures as long as you have a good drink menu planned, who really cares what's on the dinner menu? In a way, he is a bit right. I noticed our party guests had a lot more fun whipping up margaritas at our Cinco de Mayo party last month than they did stuffing their tacos. This Memorial Day weekend is shaping up to a beautiful one for us, with nice warm temperatures and lots of sunshine, so Jason's already looking forward to sharing eats and a few good drinks with friends. Nothing says summertime and sunshine quite like the citrus goodness found in lemons, so I found the perfect drink recipe to serve at our gathering this weekend in this Lemon Drop Martini from Golden Blossom Honey.

Lining the rim of the glass with honey gives it a perfect combination of sweet and sour. A lemon drop martini is a great drink to serve while soaking up the sun, but carries well into the night served around a bonfire too. 

Ingredients

Fill martini shaker with ice
1 lemon wedge squeezed and dropped in shaker
Add 3 ounces (2 shots) vodka or 1 1/2 ounces vodka and 2 ounces lemonade concentrate
Add 3/4 ounce Cointreau

RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY for garnishing around the rim of the martini glass

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!

 What are your Memorial Day weekend plans?

 

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make A Lemon Blueberry 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.


So, a few weeks ago I was editing my photos when all of a sudden my computer starts making an awful screeching noise. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought a pterodactyl was about to come crashing into my living room. My screen locked up, I did a reboot on my computer, then... nothing. After a lot of attempts at fixing it, and a lot more cussing, I did eventually get it to run again, but needless to say, that was the beginning of the end of my old laptop. Jason bought me a new computer and we have been very slowly getting everything transferred over. I am one who hates change, so getting used to a whole new computer has been frustrating to say the least. I found out Microsoft stopped supporting my old email platform 3 months ago, so the email I've used for 15 years is no more, and now I have to adjust to a new email setup. When it rains it pours, people. It does feel like life has thrown a lot of lemons my way this month, so I decided to take the high road and turn those lemons into a tasty treat. I found this Lemon Blueberry Cake on Golden Blossom Honey last week and knew that it would be the ticket to adding a little ray of sweet sunshine to my rainy days. 
 

I sprinkled a little powdered sugar over the top, but you could also add a good lemon glaze over it as well. You could even substitute the dried blueberries for dried cranberries or cherries if that's more of your flavor preference. This cake would be perfect for Easter brunch, or to serve on a warm spring day while enjoying a cup of tea with friends.  

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
4 eggs, beaten well
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon rind, grated
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped

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!

What are your favorite fruits to add to springtime cakes?

 

Lemon Raisin Muffins

*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.

Do you ever just get in a food rut? Sometimes it feels like we are having the same things over and over and over again. An endless loop that makes our favorites seem not so exciting when they pop back up on the menu. Blueberry muffins are one of those foods that we love, but after a while you just have to say, "Again?" I did a search on Golden Blossom Honey last week to see if they had anything that looked interesting. I wanted to make some muffins that we've never had before, and this Lemon Raisin Muffin recipe caught my eye. Normally, I'm not an overly huge fan of most things lemon flavored, but my family is, so on the menu it went. Bonus points because I already had all the ingredients on hand, so no extra trips to the grocers. Schwing!

After filling the muffin tins, I'm guilty of eating some of the leftover raw batter out of the bowl. Most of you probably do it to, so don't judge me ;) It's just my way of giving it a little taste test to make sure everything's on the up and up before popping the pan in the oven. If I don't like the batter, I don't bother eating the muffins. I'll let my family be the guinea pigs when they are done. The lemon raisin muffin batter did impress, so I happily indulged in my fair share of the baked muffins fresh out of the oven. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon zest
3/4 cup raisins

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!

 Are there foods you seem to have more often than others?

 

Nothing Says Summer Like Honey Lemon Iced Tea

*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.

Most of you may not know this, but a lot of my childhood was spent growing up in the south. Texas and South Carolina are both states I have called home, and we spent many summers on my grandma's farm in Tennessee. I've long since lost my accent, but sometimes when I am angry or really excited, that southern twang comes back, giving me a reminder of my days spent living the good southern life. Anyone who is anyone from the south will tell you that sweet tea is a staple in southern cuisine, and sadly it's just not something you really get here in the north. A few years back I started cutting cane sugar from my diet, and now drink unsweetened tea all day long. My mom won't touch my tea, as she is a firm believer that tea should be sweetened, even if it doesn't turn out like a good pitcher of the tea we had down south. When I found this Honey Lemon Ice Tea on Golden Blossom Honey, I thought it would be a good compromise.

Sweetened with honey and frozen lemonade, it has a sweet, tangy taste. Best of all, mom approves! 

Ingredients

8 tea bags
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 cup frozen canned lemonade concentrate
2 quarts cold water
lemon slices and mint leaves, if desired

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!

Do you like your tea sweetened or sugar-free?