End of Summer: Lemon Blossoms

A few weeks back some friends and I went to Lake Cumberland for a weekend to squeeze the last out of the summer we could. It is maybe a 4-5 hour drive from Columbus so I made some goodies for the trip. One thing I made were these lemon blossoms. I saw the episode where Paula Deen made them a long time ago and finally got a chance to make them. I enjoyed them and popped more than my share of them in my mouth when nobody was looking :) These were really easy to make. The only thing was the recipe mentions pouring the batter and this batter is definitely not pourable, it's way too thick. No worries though, I changed the recipe accordingly! Oh yeah, and while I'm not a fan of using boxed cake mixes (those of you who feel the same way, look away now!) but it made these a lot easier and quicker which I needed because I made another yummy dessert with them (post coming soon!)

Lemon Blossoms
From foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

Cake:
18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Spoon a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

**On Another note, Saturday (October 9) was my birthday. I turned 23 (yipee...slight sarcasm here). I actually had a good birthday weekend. Friday, me and some of my best girlfriends went to the mall so I could spoil myself a little bit then caught up over dinner where I taught them some fun sign language signs. Saturday I had to work but I walked into the bakery and there was a big cupcake balloon at the cash register for me. We had maybe 4 or 5 weddings and made over 700 cupcakes. It was fun though, good thing I love what I do, even if it isn't always done well (:/) After that I went on a quick run to burn off some of my huge breakfast. My boss brought in pumpkin bagels with pumpkin cream cheese. It was delish! She kind of rocks I know.

 Saturday evening my mom and her boyfriend came up and took me out to dinner in at Easystreet Cafe in German Village with my aunt and uncle. I had the best gyro I have ever had in my life and tried baklava for the first time. I was also fortunate enough to enjoy a chocolate martini (yummmmm). Speaking of German Village eats, I plan to do a post dedicated to all the great spots, I've been to 3 so far and they are all fabulous. Saturday night I went out to the bar in a cute little dress with close friends and enjoyed drinks and dancing.

Sunday, I was in bad half the day nursing my hangover but Shawn was sweet enough to wait it out because I really really wanted to go to a pumpkin patch and get some pumpkins to carve. I was in heaven, being there reminded me of being a kid again.

After that we went out to Thurmans in German Village known for their long waits and gourmet burgers. It was featured on Man vs. Food so you know it's good. I think me and Shawn are going to go there all the time and become big fatties. I don't care, it's so worth it. The wait didn't bother us because we just took Kirby on a walk around Shiller Park which is so beautiful in the fall. Kirby made some new friends. After dinner we headed over to Easystreet to get pumpkin cheesecake to go.

For my birthday Shawn showed me he actually does listen to me! Who would have thought?! I was telling him how I saw the cutest Ohio State hoodie for dogs and how I wanted it for Kirby so bad. I was also bumming about losing one of my pearl earrings and have mentioned more than once how I need a trip to Victorias Secret. He covered all those and even spent the whole day yesterday with me taking me to the pumpkin patch and taking Kirby on a walk with me. I'm a lucky girl, don't I know it :)

THE BUCKEYES BECAME THE #1 TEAM ON MY BIRTHDAY! GO BUCKS!

Lemon Icebox Bars

I have been on a bar kick, I think you all may be seeing a plethora of bars coming up. I can't quite put my finger on why I love not only making but eating them as well. I was browsing Ellie Kriegers healthy dessert recipes and came across these. I love anything lemon...always have. I also love anything with cream cheese so these guys right here were a done deal.

There was one problem I had and that was that the graham crust was more like a graham dust, I would add more butter or less graham cracker next time (I changed the recipe here to accomodate that). Other than that, I loved them. I found them refreshing and addicting. They are not exactly low-calorie but they have a lot less fat than many other bar desserts out there. So if you are aching for some sweet lemony treat but am like me and have too much guilt because of how bad you've been (story of my life) try these out and cut them into small bite-size bars. I froze half of them so that I didn't devour them all at once and I could grab a little bite whenever an urge for lemon overtakes me :)

Lemon Icebox Bars
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

Crust:
12 whole-grain graham cracker squares (6 full sheets)
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup pasteurized egg product (such as egg beaters)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
3 tablespoons boiling water

Directions:

Make Crust:

Place graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until crumbs are formed. Add butter, brown sugar and salt and pulse to incorporate, until crumbs resemble wet sand. Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and pack crumbs firmly into the bottom of it. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the filling:

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, condensed milk and pasteurized egg product and beat on high with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice and beat until fully incorporated, another 30 seconds. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and boiling water and whisk until gelatin is entirely dissolved; let cool 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the gelatin into the cream cheese-lemon mixture until well incorporated. Pour the filling over the crust. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, until filling is firm. Slice into 2-inch squares using a chilled knife coated with cooking spray.

Angel Food Cake with a Honey Lemon Yogurt Sauce

I've always loved angel food cake. Growing up I remember my great grandma made it every year and its was the best angel food cake I've ever had. I've always been reluctant to try it from scratch because let's admit, its intimidating to try to make something with such a specific texture. As it turns out, I messed this up...but I quickly figured out what I did wrong and made it again and it turned out beautifully.

 It just so happens that I didn't whip it up enough. I was so afraid of overwhipping it that it just fell flat. But if you whip it to medium peaks it will be perfect. In my experience medium peaks are when you pull the beater out and turn it upside down, the batter peaks a little and then falls slightly at the end. You don't want  it to peak straight up or it will be dry. Another thing that helps is cracking your egg white to a small glass dish and then into another dish so that if you end up with any yolk at all you can discard it. Just one drop of yolk will screw up the whole cake because that is where the fat is and any fat will compromise your cakes airy, light fluffyness and thats what angel food cakes all about. There's really nothing to be afraid of if you keep these things in mind.

I loved this sauce, it makes a great fruit dip as well. I origionally made this for Shawn because he had been requesting it but the cake was for him and the sauce was for me. For his birthday last week I made a strawberry cream angel food cake that was just divine, so keep your eyes peeled for that post.

PS: the cake featured in the photos is the one that fell flat, when I remade it for Shawns birthday it was lovely...so photos of that to come soon :)

Angel Food Cake with a Honey Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Cake from foodnetwork.com
Sauce from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
12 large egg whites (egg whites from large eggs, no yolks in the whites!)
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested

For the sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Sift the flour together with 1/2 cup of the sugar and set aside.

Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Be sure that the bowl is clean and dry, any fat in the bowl can prevent the egg whites from whipping up fluffy. Add the salt and the cream of tartar to the egg whites. Beat the egg whites on a medium-high speed until they reach soft peaks, about 5 minutes.

While the mixer is running, gradually add the remaining sugar. Dont plop the sugar in all at once or it will push the air out of the whites that we are trying to beat in. Add in the vanilla and zests and then stop the mixer. Add 1/3 of the flour/sugar mixture and fold gently fold, do this quickly but gently. Repeat the process 2 more times until all of the flour/sugar mixture is incorporated.

Transfer the cake batter into an ungreased tube pan.

Bake the cake on a sheet tray in the preheated oven until it is light and springy, about 1 1/4 hours. Cool the cake for at least 1 hour before unmolding.

For the sauce:

In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, honey, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour into a serving pitcher.

Using a spatula, loosen the cake around the sides and middle. Release the cake and place on a serving plate. Cut into slices and drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with lemon zest.

Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes

A friend of mine has been requesting for me to make him muffins. I knew his birthday was coming up so I was waiting. While I do like muffins and will bake them from time to time, cupcakes are much more birthday-appropriate! So I searched for a happy medium and found one. These lemon poppyseed cupcakes are amazing. The glaze itself I think makes it. I found the recipe from my book "Cupcakes" by Shelly Kaldunski. I replaced the sour cream with greek yogurt because it was all I had and just crossed my fingers, they turned out beautifully!

Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons poppyseeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup sour cream (or nonfat greek yogurt)
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F. Lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, poppyseeds, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on high-speed, beat the sugar and the butter together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, lemon zest and lemon extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream (or yogurt) and beat until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until golden-brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth; the glaze should be spreadable. If it seems too thick, whisk in additional lemon juice a few drops at a time; if it seems too thin, whisk in additional sugar one teaspoon at a time. Use right away.

Spoon the glaze over cupcakes (I dipped them) and serve.

My Dainty Lil' Lemony Leftovers

I had a few mini-cupcakes leftover from my buttered popcorn cupcakes and decided to make them super girly and super elegant. I topped each with leftover lemon frosting and sprinkled them with clear sprinkles and sugar. They are so tiny and they just sparkle! These would be lovely for a baby shower or something of the like. They are perfect little bites of vanilla and lemon. Its hard to stop popping them in your mouth. Needless to say, there are none left :) For a touch of Spring or even more feminine flare you could even use some leftover marshmallows and make little flowers out of them and put those on top of these; you could just flatten a few for petals and use a normal one for the center.

Lights, Camera, Action! It's The Oscars!: Buttered Popcorn Cupcakes

So tonight is the Oscars and I for one like to take advantage of any opportunity to do something "special". Let's face it, my inner theater-girl would appreciate this and I need an excuse to practice and experiment with the artistic side of baking.

I can rarely sit through a movie without munching on some buttery movie-theatre popcorn so when I came across the idea to make little mini-cupcakes look like popcorn I jumped on it. I got this idea and the recipes from a book a friend let me borrow called "Hello, Cupcake!" It's a book devoted entirely to cupcakes and all the crazy creations you can come up with them. I didn't follow the directions and recipes exactly but here goes...

Buttered Popcorn Cupcakes

Ingredients:
36 mini vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners (I made my own and didn't have liners so I just greased my mini-muffin pan; recipe follows)
1 Can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting (I chose lemon for a more buttery look)
3 Cups white mini marshmallows (from a 10.5 ounce bag)
1 Cup yellow mini marshmallows (from a 10.5 ounce multicolored bag)(My store did not have multicolored bags which is also why I chose lemon frosting instead of vanilla, to make up for not having these)
3 popcorn boxes half filled with crumpled tissue paper (I just did the 1)

Directions:
1. Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper. Spoon 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting into a ziplock bag. Press out the excess air and close the bag.
2. For each piece of popcorn, use 2 marshmallows of the same color. Using clean scissors, cut 1 marshmallow into thirds, crosswise. Arrange the pieces on the cookie sheet in the shape of a three-leaf clover, pressing gently with your fingertips to flatten slightly. Snip a 1/8-inch corner from the bag and pipe a dot of frosting on one end of the second marshmallow. Press the other marshmallow into the center of the cloverleag arrangement; the frosting will hold the 4 pieces together. Repeat with the remaining white and yellow marshmallows until you have 225 to 250 pieces of popcorn (I just did this until I couldn't take it anymore...this can get tedious and as I only did 1 box of popcorn, I most definitely did not need 225-250 pieces)
3. Spread the tops of the mini cupcakes with the remaining vanilla frosting. Press 6 or 7 popcorn pieces onto the top of each cupcake. Any loose pieces can be secured with a dot of frosting from the ziplock bag.
4. Let the cupcakes sit for about 30 minutes before stacking them in the popcorn boxes or a bowl. (Disclaimer: Patience is not a strength of mine...I purposely ignored this and I shouldn't have as I smudged half of my cupcakes...oh well)
(OPTIONAL)5. (I decided to sprinkle the cupcakes with clear sprinkles to give them some sparkle and make them look "salted". I think it worked)

Mini Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
This is actually a recipe for normal vanilla cupcakes. It makes about 24. I cut down the recipe by 2/3rds; which as you can imagine, was not easy. Stupid math.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half cake flour and half wheat, next time I will use less wheat as this was just too much)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (I use skim)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened (I find that with cakes, its relatively easy to find butter substitutes...cookies? not so much. Instead of the butter I replaced it with an equal amount of non-fat greek yogurt. It has protein, no fat and still retains the cakes moisture)
1 cup sugar (as always I used my sugar-splenda blend;LOVE IT!)
3 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a 2-cup measuring cup or a small bowl.
3. In another medium bowl, with an electric mixer (or arms of steel) on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar unil light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating until just blended.
5. Spoon half of the batter into a ziplock bag. Snip a 1/4-inch corner from the bag and fill the liners two-thirds full. Repeat with the remaining batter. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the baking pan, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool completely.

Now it is time for me and my roomate Miss. Amy to enjoy these while judging the fashion on red carpet. Cupcakes and fashion?! YES PLEASE..boy I love the Oscars :)