lemon Archives - The Midnight Baker

“Cheats” Lemon Meringue Pie

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 23:00:57 +0000

Craving lemon meringue pie but not the work? Try this “cheats” lemon meringue pie.

Cheats Lemon Meringue Pie: Easy!

Here’s another one of Mary Berry’s special puddings. In case you don’t know, any dessert is referred to as “pudding” by the British. That’s a weird thing for Americans to hear because pudding to us is that creamy custardy stuff. I guess the British just call dessert that because of that famous Christmas pudding. But enough of that.

Since the filling of a proper lemon meringue pie is tricky and fails for a lot of people, this filling is so easy and only uses three ingredients. Plus, it never fails.

The Filling

The filling consists of condensed milk lemon juice and zest and egg yolks.

Now, since it does contain raw eggs, I strongly suggest you either use organic free-range eggs, cage-free eggs or pasteurized eggs. That way the risk is minimal. If you have friends who keep chickens, get the eggs from them because fresh is best.

The lemon juice is what actually “sets” the filling. When stirred, it’s liquidy but once in the crust, it will set–although it will be soft.

This pie is meant to be served slightly warm so your slices won’t have sharp edges. Chilling does help there but the meringue will suffer from refrigeration.

Speaking Of Meringue…

You may think that there’s way too much sugar called for in the recipe. I know I did and had my doubts about this being overly sweet. I was surprised that it really wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be. The meringue is actually marshmallowy and it’s lovely.

For the crust, I used digestive biscuits. Digestives are the most popular cookie in the UK. If you haven’t tried them, once you taste them you’ll see why. They are readily available in most grocery stores. If my stores have them, I bet yours does too but if not, digestives are available online. If all else fails, graham crackers are a great substitute. They’re actually a lot like digestives but have a different texture.

The Recipe

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Cheats Lemon Meringue Pie

Quick and never fails

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: no-fail lemon meringue pie, quick lemon meringue pie

Servings: 8

Calories: 435kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Crust:

5 tbs butter melted
1 tbs demerara or brown sugar
6 oz digestive biscuits crumbs or graham cracker crumbs about 1.5 cups

Filling:

14 oz can condensed milk
3 egg yolks
2 large lemons juice and zest

Meringue:

3 egg whites
6 oz superfine sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix all crust ingredients well then press into a 9-inch/23 cm tart dish or quiche pan (I used one with a removable bottom) bringing crumbs up the sides on the pan.
Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.
Place condensed milk in a bowl, then whisk in the egg yolks and lemon juice and zest. Pour into the tart pan on top of the crust.
To make the meringue--make sure your bowl is free of any grease--don't use a plastic bowl. Glass or stainless is best. I usually re-wash the bowl and rinse it well then swish some white vinegar around in the bowl then rinse again and dry with a clean paper towel.
If using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment.
Place the egg whites in the bowl and beat at very high speed until the whites look like clouds, then slowly add the sugar about a tablespoon at a time, until the whites form stiff peaks.
Place the meringue in dollops on top of the filling--this makes it easier to spread (trust me on this). Using the back of a spoon, gently cover the filling and up and over the crust top. Use the spoon to make gentle swirls
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until meringue starts to get golden on the swirls.
Let stand for about 30 minutes, then serve when warm

Video

Nutrition

The post “Cheats” Lemon Meringue Pie appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 23:00:46 +0000

Lemon cookie cheesecake is a no-bake delight that will wow anyone who eats it.

Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

Since I love lemon anything, of course I just had to make this no-bake cheesecake.

It uses lemon sandwich cookies which I also love–but saved enough to make this!!!! I don’t buy the expensive kind either. I actually prefer the ones packed under the store brand. You know, the ones that are 2 pounds and CHEAP. If you prefer the brand name, then by all means. However I’ve actually found the inexpensive ones taste better.

Where I’m usually into quick and easy these days, I won’t lie to you; this particular cheesecake does take a bit of time to make. It uses more than one bowl too. But seriously, trust me on this one. It’s so good it’s worth the effort. I’ll give a hint about eliminating one step where you use a convenience ingredient, but it will lack a bit of rich taste.

Real Whipped Cream

Let’s say I prefer it. Even though it adds another bowl to wash and an extra step, it’s one I feel is worth it. Nothing beats the taste and the texture. Here, the cream doesn’t need to be stabilized because there’s going to be both cream cheese and gelatin folded in. Those are a couple of ways to stabilize whipped cream, but I’ve come to prefer instant clear jel for that purpose. Here, it’s not necessary.

If you’re pressed for time you can eliminate that step. Just use frozen whipped topping as a substitute. As the 2 cups of heavy cream yield approximately double the amount, you’ll need a large tub of the topping, so buy the large one, which I think is 16 ounces.

Pan Size

For this cake, I used a 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan. I like a nice high cheesecake so I filled it almost to the rim. I had filling left over but it was really easy to eat so…

But if you don’t mind a a less-thick cake with no leftover filling, you’d probably want to use the 9-inch (23 cm) pan.

The choice is yours.

The Recipe

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Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

An awesome no-bake cheesecake

Prep Time1

Cook Time0

Chill Time4

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon cheesecake, lemon sandwich cookie crust, no-bake lemon cheesecake

Servings: 12

Calories: 535kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Lemon Cookie Crust:

15 oz lemon sandwich cookies reserve 8 for topping
3 tbs melted butter
1 tbs sugar

Lemon Cheesecake Filling:

16 oz softened cream cheese
1 tbs lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 small box lemon gelatin about 3 oz
16 oz heavy cream
¼ cup confectioner's icing sugar

Topping

reserved lemon cookies

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cookie Crust

Pulse the lemon cookies in food processor, until crushed. Add melted butter and sugar. Pulse to mix. Press the crushed cookie mixture into the bottom of a 8 or 9-inch (see post body) springform pan and and partway up the sides. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes until crust is firm.

Lemon Cheesecake Filling

Beat cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar until well mixed. Set aside.
In another bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water to gelatin and stir to dissolve, then set aside to cool.
Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Take care not to go to far, to a butter stage.
Once gelatin has cooled and begun to thicken, fold it into the whipped cream and mix gently.
Then, fold in the cream cheese mixture until evenly blended. Fill crust with the cheesecake mixture, spreading to even out if necessary. Top with crumbled reserved cookies & dollops of lemon curd, freshly grated lemon zest or lemon slices. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until firm.

Video

Nutrition

The post Lemon Cookie Cheesecake appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 01 May 2021 23:00:23 +0000

Everyone will love this lemon ricotta cake since it’s easy to make and even better to eat.

Italy’s Favorite Flavor

Southern Italy loves it’s lemons whether in decor or in food. Some of the best tasting lemon cakes or cookies I’ve eaten come from Italy. They know how to do lemon!

I’m a lemon freak. As a result, I love this lemon ricotta cake because its intensely lemon. It is right up there with Britain’s favorite–lemon drizzle cake. I think it’s the bright tart/sweet flavor that I find so intoxicating.

The ingredients are fairly common and you might have most of them on hand.

Use Up That Ricotta

Did you recently make a lasagna and have ricotta left over? I never use the whole container when I make it so I always have leftover. This is a great place to use it up.

The only caveat here is you have to use the whole milk variety. Apparently you need the full whack of fat for the cake to work. I always buy that variety so I’ve got that covered. However, if you don’t have any on hand and need to buy it, get the whole milk one.

Just an aside–even though Italian cheesecake is made with ricotta, this is not a cheesecake. It’s texture is more like that of a torte. It doesn’t rise much and it’s a bit dense. It’s supposed to be so don’t think that you did something wrong if you make it. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Lemons

You’ll need three of these for this cake. It takes the zest of all of them and the juice of one.

What I do here with the bald lemons is I juice them and freeze the juice for future use. Lemon lovers will always find a use for this!

The Recipe

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Lemon Ricotta Cake

Wonderful lemony dessert

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: easy lemon desserts, Italian lemon desserts, ricotta cake

Servings: 8

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 lemons zest only
1 lemon juice only
1 cup full-fat ricotta
2 tbs full-fat sour cream
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a 10-inch/25 cm springform pan with non-stick spray and wrap the outside of the pan in a double thickness of aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and set aside..
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.
Place oil, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Now mix in the ricotta and sour cream, blending well.
Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely and dust top with confectioner's (icing) sugar.

Nutrition

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Lemon Chex Mix

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 00:00:39 +0000

Lemon chex mix is the perfect snack for lemon and white chocolate lovers.

A Different Chex Mix

I love the original Chex mix–and who doesn’t? It hits the spot for fans of savory snacks. But what about when you want something sweet?

Here’s the answer! This is sweet and lemony with a hint of tartness because of the lemon. This way, you can satisfy your sweet and savory fans!

This would be a perfect snack to serve at New Years get-togethers or for you football watching guests at Super Bowl parties.

I find this satisfies my sweet tooth and at the same time, it’s very refreshing because of the lemony flavor.

White Chocolate

I won’t lie here; white chocolate is a bit of a pain to melt as it has a tendency to seize.

Your best bet here is to use a high-quality white chocolate or white chocolate morsels. That kind of leaves out the store or generic brand. And still it can be troublesome. The microwave is not a good choice for melting it. If you have no other choice, then add a tablespoon of vegetable shortening (the plain kind) or a tablespoon of coconut oil to the chocolate. And do it in very short, 15 second bursts.

The best way to melt white chocolate is in a double boiler or in a good heat-conducting metal bowl, over hot water. Here’s a good video.

As I said, it’s sometimes a laborious process. However, it’s worth it.

Fresh Lemon Is Best

I always prefer fresh, but in this lemon chex mix, I think it’s very important.

Fresh lemon zest has the most powerful taste because the oils are fresh and very potent. When it’s dehydrated, it loses some of that quality.

Since you have to use some juice in the recipe, there’s no better than freshly squeezed.

I would advise letting this mix sit for a day before serving so the delicious lemony flavor has a chance to fully infuse.

The Recipe

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Lemon Chex Mix

Tangy lemon & white chocolate make this snack special

Prep Time10

Cook Time0

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon chex snack mix, new years party snacks, snacks using cereal, super bowl party snacks

Servings: 10

Calories: 210kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

5 cups Rice Chex
4 cups Corn Chex
1-1/2 cups white baking chips
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup butter softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place cereals in a large bowl. In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over hot water, melt baking chips with lemon zest and juice; stir until smooth. Stir in butter until blended.
Pour over cereal; toss to coat. Add confectioners' sugar and, if desired, coarse sugar; toss to coat. Spread onto waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

You will get the best results using premium baking chips, i.e. Nestle's or Ghiradelli
If chocolate is still too thick, add a tablespoon or 2 of vegetable shortening or coconut oil

Nutrition

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Lemon Drizzle Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 07 Sep 2019 23:00:24 +0000

Lemon drizzle cake is intensely lemony. It’s one of Britain’s most popular cakes.

Lemon Drizzle Cake: A Food Of My People

Lately I’ve been hearing my ancestral voices. Britain and my relatives have been on my mind for a while so I guess that’s the reason. I really wanted to be there in late August for my youngest nephew’s 40th birthday (I still can’t believe it), but it just didn’t work out.

Naturally, lots of foods I grew up with were constantly in my head too. Since I love the taste of lemon to excess, the first entry just had to be lemon drizzle cake. I joked around with people I gave some to by saying it was a “food of my people.” The joke is that no one actually considers Britons as “ethnic” in any way, but I guess we are to some degree. Anyway, the joke fit and the cake is scrummy!!!

Weigh Weigh Weigh

That bears repeating; loudly–WEIGH INGREDIENTS.

Before I started weighing ingredients when I baked, I didn’t get consistent results. The major reason is flour. A “cup” of flour can vary wildly by how it’s measured. Unless a recipe is specific and tells you to “lightly spoon into the cup,” it’s sort of up to you. If you dip-and-sweep, that weighs a heck of a lot more than lightly-spooned flour. This produces very inconsistent results.

However when you weigh your ingredients, 8 ounces of flour is always 8 ounces of flour so you get the same results every time. Another added benefit is that weighing is much less labor intensive; it goes very quickly. And there’s less cleanup too.

So do yourself (and your baking) a big favor and buy a digital kitchen scale, Many are under $10 and once you start weighing and seeing the results, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

A Nice Extra Touch

If you grow lemon verbena or lemon balm, add a tablespoon to the cake batter. That idea is not mine; it comes from Britain’s goddess of baking Mary Berry.

The added herb also adds a small pop of color to the cake and will make it even more lemony.

The Recipe

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Lemon Drizzle Cake

This cake is a British favorite!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: british cake recipe, easy dessert recipes, lemon cake recipe

Servings: 12

Calories: 384kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz butter at room temperature plus extra for greasing
8 oz sugar
10 oz self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
4 tbs milk
2 lemons finely grated zest only

For the glaze:

6 oz sugar
2 lemons juice only

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 13 x 9-inch pan with butter and line the pan (up the sides too) with parchment and grease that with butter too.
Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl and beat for 2 minutes, or until well blended. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and level the top.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the cake has shrunk a little from the sides of the pan and springs back when lightly touched with a fingertip in the centre of the cake.
To make the glaze. Mix the sugar with the lemon juice and stir to a runny consistency.
Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then lift out, with the lining paper still attached, and place on wire rack set over a tray.
Brush the glaze all over the surface of the warm cake and leave to set. Remove the lining paper and cut into slices to serve

Notes

*Post contains affiliate link(s)

Video

Nutrition

The post Lemon Drizzle Cake appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

No-Bake Lemon Coconut Pie

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 23:00:33 +0000

A light and tart no-bake lemon pie with a coconut crust that’s perfect for summer–or any time.

Easy As Lemon Pie

Lemon is one of my favorite flavors especially when the bright citrusy taste remains a bit tart. I’m not talking pucker-up sour, just a hint of tangy tartness. This recipe delivers that taste and then some.

The good news with this lemon pie is that it can be made super rich, lower calorie or somewhere in the middle. I’m pretty much a middle-of-the-road type of character, so I opted for the middling version.

The rich version requires an additional step, but if you’re into “from scratch” you may prefer to take that extra step.

Pie Simplified

This lemon pie has only 4 main ingredients. The original recipe called for a commercially prepared crust. If time is of the essence, then it’s fine to go with that.

However, I chose to make my own crust because I wanted a more interesting flavor–coconut. So I used some coconut cookies and I used the cheap kind you can buy in the dollar stores. You could also use a variety higher up the quality chain although the dollar store variety tasted pretty good. I also substituted part of the butter called for in cookie crusts with unrefined coconut oil–that’s the one that smells like coconut–because it added a bit more coconut flavor. I love coconut to excess, but if you don’t and want to make your own crust, you can use graham crackers, vanilla wafers or shortbread cookies in place of the coconut ones.

Tailor To Your Taste

As I mentioned before, this pie can be tailored to your taste and dietary needs. I don’t think a diabetic version could be done since you cannot escape the sugar in one ingredient: the condensed milk. So there can’t be a sugar-free way to do this.

If you prefer to make a from-scratch filling or a richer version, just substitute real sweetened whipped cream.

A reduced-calorie version may be made with lower-fat versions of some ingredients. Personally, I don’t think the caloric savings would be that significant, but that’s not my call.

The Recipe

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No-Bake Lemon Coconut Pie

And easy and elegant no-bake dessert

Prep Time30

Cook Time0

Chilling4

Total Time4 30

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: coconut pie, lemon pie, lemon pie recipe, no-bake desserts, no-bake pies

Servings: 12

Calories: 279kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Crust:

2 1/2 cups coconut cookie crumbs
4 oz butter melted

FILLING

14 oz can condensed milk .
1/2 cup (about 3 medium lemons) fresh lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 cups frozen whipped topping thawed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For crust, mix ingredients together in a small bowl until all the cookie crumbs are coated with butter. Press into a 9-inch deep pie dish.
Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and peel in small mixer bowl until combined. Fold in whipped topping; pour into crust. Cover; refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Garnish with lemon peel

Notes

Real sweetened whipped cream may be substituted for the whipped topping.

Melted unrefined coconut oil may be substituted for part (not all) of the butter--about 2 tbs maximum.

A graham cracker, or any cookie crust may be substituted for the coconut-flavored crust.

Video

Nutrition

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Lemon Pepper Wings

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 13 Jan 2019 00:00:03 +0000

Get these lemon pepper wings on the schedule for your Super Sunday snacking!

Wings Are A Classic Snack

I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t like wings! Any way you make them, I’ll be first in line eat them! And what is better for a Super Bowl party than some delicious wings?

Lemon pepper is a classic chicken wing flavoring. It may not be the number one choice, but it’s certainly in the top 10.

There’s a couple of ways to prepare the chicken wings. I chose to use my air fryer because it’s quick, easy and efficient. They can be made in the oven too. Either way you make them you will get great results.

Lemon Seasoning Blend

There’s lots of lemon pepper seasoning blends on the market. If you have a favorite one, by all means substitute it for my homemade one.

I make my own because I really haven’t found a commercial variety that I liked all that much. Most are OK but lack the taste I actually want. Being a lover of garlic, I want that flavor in the seasoning. None I’ve tried had any hint of garlic. It’s true I haven’t tried every lemon pepper seasoning blend out there, so there could be a brand that I’d fall in love with. So far there hasn’t been so I make my own.

You can start with fresh lemon zest and dry it out in a low oven, but I don’t want to make that investment in time nor labor. Therefore, I buy dehydrated lemon zest. If you want to buy it, you can find it in the “gourmet” spice section–those varieties that come in the glass bottles. It’s not cheap but a little goes a long way and you will always have it on hand when you need lemon zest. The way I look at it, it pays for itself after a while.

Use Your Air Fryer

This is an excellent way to use that air fryer you may have gotten recently as a gift.

The air fryer cooks things pretty quickly so it’s a fast way to prepare any wings you want to make. They will also come out really crispy which adds to the wonderful flavor.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have an air fryer–I definitely think you should by one because you won’t be sorry–you can do them in a regular oven.

Directions for both methods are in the recipe.

The Recipe

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Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings (Air Fryer or Oven Baked)

Get these lemon pepper chicken wings on the schedule for your Super Sunday snacking! You can make them in 24 minutes in an air fryer, or just over 30 minutes in the oven!

Prep Time10

Cook Time24

Total Time34

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken wings

Servings: 6

Calories: 486kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken wings whole or thawed frozen drummies and flats
3 tbs olive oil
Lemon Pepper Seasoning:
2 tbs dehydrated lemon zest
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp kosher salt

Lemon Butter Sauce

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 clove garlic crushed
Reserved lemon pepper seasoning
1 tbs honey
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

Instructions

If using whole chicken wings, remove wing tip then separate the flat from the drummie at the joint. Pat dry.
Mix together all of the lemon pepper seasoning ingredients in a small bowl. Reserve 1 tsp for the lemon butter.
Place wings in a large bowl, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning over the wings and toss to coat well.
AIR FRYER METHOD: Air fry at 350 degrees f for 24 minutes, turning half way through the cook time.
OVEN METHOD: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. Lay wings in a single layer on prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning half way through the cook time.
For the lemon butter sauce, melt butter with crushed garlic clove in a small saucepan over medium heat. When garlic becomes fragrant, remove from the pan and discard. Add remaining ingredients and cook until mixture begins to bubble. Pour over hot wings and toss to coat.

Nutrition

*Post contains affiliate links

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Lemon Cream Cheese Dessert Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 23:00:18 +0000

Lemon cream cheese dessert cake is very easy to make since it’s basically a dump cake. Lemon lover’s will flip!

Do You Love Lemon?

If you do, you’re sure to love this dessert.

This is essentially a dump cake with one addition–the cream cheese. This addition takes the taste to a higher level. You get the tartness of the lemon and the creaminess of the cream cheese.

One caveat though. Cream cheese does not melt. It just gets very soft. Because of this, I recommend that this dessert be eaten warm. If it’s refrigerated, the cream cheese will get hard and it won’t taste as good. I know; I refrigerated it and had to warm it up in the microwave.

Want A More Intense Flavor?

If you really want a burst of flavor, use the lemon cake mix option. The best one I’ve found is Duncan Hines. In fact, any mix I use is that brand 99 percent of the time. Otherwise you can use yellow cake mix if you want a milder lemon flavor. The original recipe called for yellow cake mix but I used the lemon.

The original recipe also calls for a 16 ounce can of pie filling. Most pie fillings come in 22 ounce cans. I was able to find the 16 ounce cans and the brand again is Duncan Hines. However, I really don’t see the difference the additional amount would make if you used the larger and more widely available can size. It’s not like this cake is a precise chemical formula. It would only make it more intensely flavored. So I wouldn’t sweat that small detail.

Just Four Ingredients

But the best thing about this cake? It’s stated in the heading. And I’ll bet you have most, if not all, ingredients in your fridge and pantry!

The Recipe

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Lemon Cream Cheese Dessert Cake

Lemon cream cheese dessert cake is very easy to make since it’s basically a dump cake. Lemon lover’s will flip!

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cream cheese, lemon cake, lemons, pie filling

Servings: 9

Calories: 375kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz lemon pie filling
15 oz yellow cake mix OR lemon cake mix
4 oz cream cheese cubed
4 oz unsalted butter thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly grease a square baking dish with butter or non-stick spray.
Pour lemon pie filling into the bottom of greased baking dish, making sure to spread it into the corners.
Top with 1/2 cake mix, place cubed cream cheese evenly on top, then sprinkle remaining cake mix.
Take butter pats (as thinly sliced as possible) and place them in a single layer on top of the cake mix, trying to cover as much of the surface of the cake as possible.
Place baking dish in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool 15-20 minutes before serving. Leftovers may be reheated in the microwave.

Nutrition

*Adapted from 12Tomatoes

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Sour Cream Lemon Poppy Muffins

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 00:00:59 +0000

These lemon poppy muffins get their incredible texture from sour cream.

Lemon Poppy Muffins A Better Way

I love lemon poppy muffins, especially ones I get from the bakery.

However, any recipes I’ve ever made came up very short, either on flavor or texture. Many lacked a depth of lemon flavor, but worse yet, most were dry even on the first day and inedible on the second.

I was searching for yet another recipe to try when I came across one I found on Google. I thought this one had possibilities because it included sour cream as an ingredient. Any cakes I’d made with sour cream had incredible texture, so this was worth a try.

Improvements But Made Even Better

The first batch of muffins I made from this recipe were an improvement over all the others, but it was still not quite right. Again, it was the texture.

These had a slightly less dry texture, yet they were dense and I could tell that the next day, they’d be dry. Then it dawned on me why every single recipe had the dryish texture–it was the butter.

Now, you’d think butter would make them soft, but it doesn’t. Then I remembered one of the nicest textured muffins I make is made with oil, and quite a bit of it too. Those are my Pumpkin Oat Muffins.

What I did was replace the melted butter with oil and also replace the vanilla with real lemon extract. I got the results I was after for years. Light, soft and very lemony!

Why Next Day Is Important

My reason for wanting these to be just as good texture-wise the next day is because lemon needs time to infuse for full flavor. Anything with lemon zest should sit a while to “mellow.”

And if you use the glaze instead of the sanding sugar, you’ll have a more intense lemon flavor, and especially after they’ve sat overnight.

I’ve made them with both toppings since and both are very good. The sanding sugar gives you a crunchy top. The glaze gives you another burst of bright lemon offset by sweetness. Try them both!

The Recipe

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Sour Cream Lemon Poppy Muffins

These lemon poppy muffins get their incredible texture from sour cream.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: breads, Breakfast, Brunch, desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemons, muffins, poppy seeds

Servings: 6

Calories: 590kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tbs[ poppy seeds

GLAZE

1 cup confectioner’s star
2-3 tbsp lemon juice

OPTIONAL

Sanding sugar if you don’t want the glaze

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray or line a Texas-sized (jumbo) muffin tin.
Place sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Rub the zest in the sugar until you can smell a strong lemony scent.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the bowl with the sugar mixture. Blend well.
In a separate bowl, beat together the sour cream eggs, lemon extract and oil.
Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture and mix until just moistened. Do not overtax! Stir in the poppy sees.
Divide batter evenly in prepared pan. If you are NOT using the glaze, top each muffin with about 1 tsp of sanding sugar (they can be left plain too).
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove to a rack to cool completely.
IF USING GLAZE:
Mix the confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Nutrition

The post Sour Cream Lemon Poppy Muffins appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Garlic Shrimp with Lemon Lime Honey Glaze

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 23:00:32 +0000

Garlic flavored shrimp with a sweet yet tangy lemon lime glaze.

Shrimp On The Barbie

Shrimp cooked on the bbq is absolutely delicious!

I can’t say I cook shrimp too often on the grill, but when I do, it’s a special treat.

Shrimp cooked by any method needs a little dressing up and the best way to dress them up for grilling is marinating them.

Marinating Shrimp–It’s Different Than Meat

Marinating shrimp is very different from meat in most cases. Meat is a lot more forgiving than seafood.

If a marinade contains anything acidic, that marinating time must be kept to under 30 minutes. The reason for this is the acid will “cook” the shrimp and make it very rubbery. Therefore, you must keep a careful watch to make sure the shrimp is drained and cooked within that 30 minute timeframe.

This shrimp marinade doesn’t have any acid. It’s merely garlic-infused olive oil, so they can be marinated overnight. It’s the glaze that contains the citrus juices and that’s applied at the end of the cook time.

Infused Oil Done Quickly

You can make flavor-infused oils in a jiffy.

All you have to do is gently heat the oil with whatever herb you choose. The key is not overheating the oil; you just gently warm it.

To make the garlic oil I used for these shrimp, I placed 2 large well-crushed garlic cloves in 1/2 cup of olive oil and microwaved it on high for 15 seconds. Then I let the oil cool.

You can use this method with any herb when you need a quickie flavored oil.

Soak Those Skewers

If you use bamboo or any wooden skewer, make sure to soak them in warm water for at least 30 minutes. This stops them from burning too much. Keep in mind they will burn slightly on heat-exposed areas.

To keep the bottoms from burning and/or getting too hot, I place aluminum foil under the tips. Here’s a link to a photo of how I do this: Making Kabobs/Skewers.

The Recipe

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Garlic Shrimp with Lemon Lime Honey Glaze

Garlic flavored shrimp with a sweet yet tangy lemon lime glaze.

Prep Time8

Cook Time10

Total Time8 10

Course: GRILLING, Seafood

Cuisine: American

Keyword: garlic, lemon lime, shrimp

Servings: 4

Calories: 433kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb raw large shrimp cleaned and deveined
skewers

MARINADE

1/2 cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves crushed

GLAZE

1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp melted butter

Instructions

Place oil and garlic in a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Place shrimp in a plastic zipper bag. Add the cooled oil (and the garlic). Seal bag and mush it up to distribute the oil. Refrigerate overnight.
Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
Place shrimp on skewers. The amount of shrimp to each skewer is up to you. I generally do 4 or 5 per skewer.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F if you have a grill thermometer)
Grill shrimp about 3 minutes each side.
Brush with glaze and grill an additional 2-3 minutes each side. Be careful shrimp do not burn.
Brush again with glaze before serving.

Notes

You can double the amount of the glaze and serve it as a dipping sauce.

Nutrition

The post Garlic Shrimp with Lemon Lime Honey Glaze appeared first on The Midnight Baker.