lemonade Archives - The Midnight Baker

Lemonade Cream Poke Cake

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:00:01 +0000

Here’s a poke cake for lemon lovers! Delicious lemon cake infused with a bright and tart lemonade cream pudding.

Poke Cake For Lemon Lovers

Do you love lemon? This one’s for you!

It’s the “filling” that makes this poke cake special and so intensely lemony.

Lemon Pudding Intensified

With a few simple additions, instant lemon pudding can become fabulous!

Cream cheese and half-and-half cream make it creamy and frozen lemonade concentrate brings it all together.

After it sits chilling for an hour or two, the flavor infuses throughout the entire cake.

A Freezer Staple

Ever since I made these delicious Lemonade Squares that I found on Terri’s site, Great Grub Delicious Treats, I make sure to keep at least one can of frozen lemonade concentrate in my freezer.

I do this not only so I can make that delicious dessert I mentioned, but also if want a pitcher of refreshing lemonade (when I don’t have real lemons in the fridge). I’ve also discovered that lemonade concentrate has other uses.

I’ve marinated chicken in it and have even made salad dressing using it.

The concentrate is relatively inexpensive and it doesn’t take up too much room in the freezer either.

The Recipe

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Lemonade Cream Poke Cake

Here’s a poke cake for lemon lovers! Delicious lemon cake infused with a bright and tart lemonade cream pudding.

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: cakes, desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemonade, lemonade cream poke cake, poke cake

Servings: 12

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 box lemon cake mix plus ingredients listed on the box
3/4 cup frozen lemonade mix undiluted
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 cup half-and-half cream -OR- whole milk
1 package lemon instant pudding mix 4-serving size
8 oz tub of whipped topping

Instructions

Prepare cake as per box instructions using a 13 x 9-inch pan.
Cool cake on a rack. Once cool, poke holes about 1-inch apart in the cake.
Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Slowly beat in the half-and-half.
Blend in the lemonade mix. Add the pudding mix and beat for 1 minute.
Pour pudding mixture on top of cake. Refrigerate until well chilled and pudding is set.
Frost with whipped topping.

Nutrition

The post Lemonade Cream Poke Cake appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Lemonade Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 23:00:06 +0000

The secret to this delicious chicken is the marinade.

Lemonade You Say

I’ve been finding so many great and unusual uses for lemonade concentrate. Ever since I discovered it when I made my Lemonade Squares, I just keep finding more ways to use it.

I’ve also made Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing with it. I used that on my Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad to make the salad more interesting.

So I decided to find more uses for it!

Perfect For Marinades

Most marinades contain some type of acid to tenderize meat, so what better way to use lemonade!

The fact that it’s sweet also is a plus, and to me, that makes it perfect for use with chicken. This marinade is pretty simple because it uses only three main ingredients–lemonade concentrate, oil and bruised herbs.

I used fresh oregano because I’m growing it this season. It also seems to be the only herb I’m growing this year that’s growing like wildfire. I trim it back frequently and there’s no better way to use those cuttings than in this marinade.

Glaze It Up

There’s even more lemony flavor in the glaze. A little goes a long way here because of the intense flavor. And it’s easy too. All you do is make a reduction of the lemonade concentrate.

The glaze is great plain, but you can add flavors you like to it. Some thyme perhaps or even garlic. I left mine natural and it was wonderful.

The Recipe

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Lemonade Chicken

The secret to this delicious chicken is the marinade.

Prep Time8

Cook Time1

Total Time9

Course: Chicken, GRILLING

Cuisine: American

Keyword: grilled chicken, lemonade

Servings: 4

Calories: 675kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

12 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, defrosted, divided
5 or 6 sprigs fresh oregano -OR- 1 tsp dried see NOTES
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 whole chicken about 3 lbs cut into parts -OR- equivalent amount of parts

Instructions

Make marinade: In a small bowl, mix 1/2 the can of lemonade concentrate, the oregano, the oil and salt and pepper. Mix well.
Place the chicken in a zipper freezer or storage bag. Pour marinade over chicken, turning the bag a few times to coat chicken.
Place chicken in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours; overnight is better.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (see NOTES)
Drain chicken and discard marinade.
Place chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes (time depends on size of parts)
While chicken is baking, prepare glaze by placing the remaining half of the lemonade concentrate in a small saucepan and reduce by 50% over medium heat--about 5-8 minutes.
About 5 minutes before chicken is done, glaze each piece with the prepared glaze.

Notes

Use any herb you like. I just had a lot of fresh oregano.

The chicken can be made on the outside BBQ grill too.

Nutrition

The post Lemonade Chicken appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Lemonade Squares

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 23:00:47 +0000

Lemonade squares are bursting with bright and refreshing lemon flavor. Easy-to-make dessert that’ll have them coming back for seconds!

I’m a big fan of anything lemon flavored, so when I saw these posted on Facebook by a friend, I knew I had to have them.

The original recipe comes from Great Grub, Delicious Treats and she said she came by the recipe from a co-worker. My hat’s off to both of these ladies because this is an awesome dessert!

One thing I changed was to add a teaspoon of grated lemon zest for a more intense flavor. When it comes to lemon, I like the flavor intense and very natural. Now it does contain instant lemon pudding–which can taste somewhat artificial, unlike it’s cook-before-eating cousin, but funny enough, it does not impart any artificial flavor in this. I think it’s in there more as a binding agent than anything else.

This dessert is surprisingly tart–and I like that. The flavor and tartness comes from the lemonade concentrate used in the filling. If you like a sweeter flavor, then add maybe 2 tablespoons of sugar to the mix. Since there’s no raw egg in this cheesecake-like filling, it’s fine to taste it once you’ve made it as per the recipe to see if the sweetness is right for you. If not, then beat in some sugar–but beat it well so it dissolves, otherwise the filling may be a bit grainy.

The filling has a dense and creamy texture, which is velvety and lovely. But I did read in the comments of the original post that one person folded in a cup or so of whipped topping to lighten the texture. That would work well and make it a bit sweeter to boot. I, however, love the texture of the original.

While this can be entirely no bake because graham cracker crumbs don’t really require any cooking, I highly recommend that you bake the crust for about 10-15 minutes. That makes it taste toasty and that flavor really complements the bright lemony flavor. You can make it as a pie, too, just like the original and can save some time by using a store-bought graham crust.

This recipe for me is a keeper!

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The Recipe

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Lemonade Squares

Lemonade squares are bursting with bright and refreshing lemon flavor. Easy-to-make dessert that’ll have them coming back for seconds!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon bars

Servings: 9

Calories: 308kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

CRUST

2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs see NOTES
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar

FILLING

2 bars 8 oz each cream cheese at room temperature
5 oz evaporated milk
1 pkg 4 serving size instant lemon pudding mix
3/4 cup thawed and undiluted lemonade concentrate
1 tsp grated lemon zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix all crust ingredients in a small bowl; press into a 9 x 9-inch pan.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust begins to brown.
Remove from oven and cool completely.
In a small bowl, whisk pudding mix and evaporated milk for 2 minutes; let stand 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in the lemonade concentrate; stir in the lemon zest.
Gradually beat in the pudding mixture, beating well.
Pour into pan with cooled crust.
Cover and chill at least 4 hours--overnight is best.
Makes 9 servings.

Notes

A store-bought graham crust may be substituted for the home-made crust.

Nutrition

The post Lemonade Squares appeared first on The Midnight Baker.