Sour & Sweet: Lemon Tea Bread

Posted by Johana

One of the good things about this bread is the glaze, which leaves the top part incredibly moist and sweet. Yum!


Last month was the final goodbye for my internship at Good Housekeeping Institute. Feeling nostalgic, I flipped open the Good Housekeeping Cookbook and naturally went over to the back where the desserts, fruits, and quick breads were listed. Thumbing through the pages, I was looking for a quick and simple recipe to try. I adore cookbooks, and before allowing it to grace my bookshelf, I have to make something from it. I just can't help it, I get so excited! People read comics, I read cookbooks for fun. Scanning the pages, I immediately picked the lemon tea bread. After my initial success with lemon bars (recipe and post coming soon!), I have been searching for the next lemon recipe to satisfy my mouth with some sour pucker-punch.







Lemon Tea Bread

Bread
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
8 ounces (1 container) of sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, melted
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Glaze
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 metal loaf pan and dust with flour.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk sugar and eggs until blended. Add to this mixture sour cream, butter, lemon peel, and lemon juice and stir until incorporated. Combine the wet ingredients to flour mixture and fold until blended and no streaks of flour remain.
3. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for approximately 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack.
4. For the glaze: Stir together sugar and lemon juice. Using a skewer, poke holes in the hot bread and brush bread with glaze. Cool bread completely in pan.


This bread is just honest, simple and good. As the name implies, it goes great with tea.


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Death By Nutella: Nutella Fudge Crumble

Posted by Johana





First, I would like to thank my friend Fanny for getting me an industrial sized Nutella tub. That is true friendship. Lugging it back home, I mused on what I could possibly do with all 26.5 ounces of nutty chocolate love. My solution was bookmarked on my computer, a recipe for Nutella fudge crumble. If you intend to make this, it is a serious commitment to Nutella. This thick, fudgy, crunchy topped oatmeal treat can only be washed down with a cold glass of milk. I suggest small servings to refrain from drowning in a Nutella overload (not like it would be such a bad thing...).



Nutella Fudge Crumble
adapted from eatmycakenow

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter
10-13 ounces Nutella (approximately one tub)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8x8 baking pan.
2. Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add melted butter to the mixture. Divide the dough in half.
3. Taking one half of the dough, gently press dough to the bottom of the baking pan, making the first layer.
4. Pour Nutella over the first layer of dough. While I wrote one tub of Nutella, it depends on how thick of a Nutella layer you prefer. This is a very sweet dessert so I would recommend around 8 ounces, which would make it more of a bar cookie instead. Add more or less if you wish.
5. Gently crumble the remaining dough over Nutella.
6. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the oatmeal topping is golden. Do not overbake unless you like a crunchy crust and topping. I must admit, it tastes much better when it isn't so granola-esque. Cool for approximately one hour before cutting.




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Apple Cake

Posted by Johana

cinnamon + sugar + apple = yummy comfort




caramelized sides with an almost delicate, custard top



A simple name for a traditional cake. Not so fast there. This cake is amazing. After coming across the recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I felt compelled to make it. After my initial success with bananas, tackling apples seemed like the next logical choice. Being an avid fan of apple and cinnamon, this cake sounded pretty good. I was shocked at how much I adored it. I kept sneaking bites from the kitchen, until suddenly, all that was left in my pan were crumbs. Consider yourself warned.



Apple Cake
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 medium sized apples ( I used cortland apples)
1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 cups of sugar
1/8 cup of orange juice
1 teaspoons of vanilla
2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter/grease a 8x8 baking pan. I baked this in a dark glass pan which resulted in a crispy, almost caramelized sides.
2. Peel, core, and dice apples into pieces. Combine with cinnamon and the tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.
3. In one bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine oil, orange juice, sugar, and vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. After, incorporate eggs one at a time.
4. Pour half of the batter into the pan and top with half of the apple-cinnamon mixture. Pour the rest of the batter on top, and scatter the remaining apple pieces over it. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.


apple chunks embedded in the delicate crumb cake interior


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Banana Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted by Johana

Why hello there...





I love baking with bananas, no ingredient is so versatile and forgiving at the same time. For a new baker, this is godsend. Before I started baking, I believed an exceptional dessert had to contain chocolate as an ingredient. This recipe will change your opinion. The cake is light, fluffy, and full of genuine banana flavor. The cream cheese frosting (my favorite!) is tangy, sweet, and silky smooth. Together, divine.

These cupcakes are also great on their own.


Banana Cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of white granulated sugar
1/2 cup of (lightly packed) brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (approximately 4 medium sized) mashed bananas
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla until combined. Combine with mashed bananas.
3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and stir.
4. Pour banana mixture into the flour mixture slowly. Mix until all ingredients are combined.
5. This mixture makes around 12 cupcakes, but can also be baked in a 9x13 pan. Pour into pan or cupcake liners and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.






Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Southern Living

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
3 tablespoons of butter
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add salt and vanilla extract. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar until combined. Use more or less the amount of powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you prefer your frosting.


3 layers of goodness...
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Copycat Levain's Cookie

Posted by Johana



Can this pass for a Levain cookie?



It's that time of the year. Papers, presentations, and finals. Summer is SO CLOSE but still so far away. When stress hits, the procrastinator in me runs towards the kitchen and starts whipping something to loosen up. With the impending doom of three papers coming up, what did I end up making? I attempted a Levain cookie. I know, seriously, is that even possible?! I came close, but really, I would pay $4 in a heartbeat for one of their hefty mounds of cookie dough and chocolate goodness. I found this popular copycat recipe online and started preheating my oven.

What is a Levain cookie you ask? Please Google it! To make a long story short, the Levain Bakery is synonymous for their 1+ lb. chocolate chip cookie goodness. My favorite being their dark chocolate chocolate chip, but that's a whole other story. To me their cookies signify giddy afternoon sessions of Central Park picnics, voraciously gobbling them down, and wondering how I managed to eat it all in one sitting. If you can get to Levain's, go now. If not, give these a try.

Copycat Levain Bakery Cookies
adapted from lisamichele

2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 package (12 oz.) of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Arrange walnuts on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly toasted.
3. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Incorporate eggs one at a time.
4. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until combined. Add chocolate chips and toasted walnuts.
5. Transfer dough to a flat surface and combine chocolate chips and toasted walnuts by hand.
6. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
7. Depending on how "done" you would like your cookies, bake for 25 minutes for a well done cookie, less time for a more raw cookie. Personally, i like them slightly raw and gooey in the middle. :)




One last bite...

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