lemon Bars! - The Ultimate Lemon Butter Bar

Oh i could not wait to make these! I love almost anything that has lemons in it, these were no exception. If i had to choose between a lemon dessert and a chocolate one, i will always lean towards the lemon.

These lemon bars are delicious. Sweet, tart lemon curd on top of a lovely crunchy shortbread, heaven! In England i always loved having lemon drizzle cake with a cup of tea, these bars were equally as good with my cuppa :)

This recipe is particularly good. It does take a little effort, but it is well worth it.
You can find the recipe here.

Lemon Bread with Pecans

I have not been active on my blog and I apologise. I have had to back out out the two groups that i love participating in, Tuesdays With Dorie and Craving Ellie in my Belly. We are still living in Malaysia and loving it. I grew up here in KL (Kuala Lumpur) and it has been fantastic being able to reconnect with family and friends. My husband is enjoying his sabbatical and is just starting to look at rejoining the rat race. Most of our belonging are still packed away in storage, including my beloved cookbooks and baking equipment, boohoo!!! Don't feel too sorry for me though as I have been able to do some baking, just not as much as i'd like to. I've been pretty lazy at posting but i'll try and post my backlog over the next week.

First up..... this gorgeous Lemon Bread. This recipe is courtesy of Williams Sonoma and you can find the recipe here.

Yummy Lemon Bundt Cake

I had to give in to my lemon cake craving! When i used to live in Brighton, England, every so often my lemon cake craving led me to a cafe called Mock Turtle. This is an old victorian tea room hidden down an alley that locals flock to for the best cakes and afternoon tea in town. I cannot emphasise how delicious their lemon cake is, ahh the best :)
Moist and delicate crumb with a crunchy topping, bliss!



So..... now living on the other side of the world and desperate for lemon cake, what is a girl to do? I searched the internet for lemon cake recipes and just couldn't find one that i thought would fit the bill, until i founf this one.



This cake was delicious and very easy to make. I made double the amount so that i could give some away to family. I made one large bundt and also mini bundts stuffed with dates. My family loved this cake!




Much as i love this cake, it was not quite the same as the one at Mock Turtle. This cake was a little more dense. Alas i think its not just the cake i miss, the atmosphere of the cosy tea room and cool sea breeze is missed too. Nevermind, its a good reason to go back and visit.

You can find the recipe here or below:

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Glaze:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts.

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, alternating with milk, starting and ending with the flour. Stir in lemon zest. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes longer. Place rack on waxed paper. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over the warm cake. Cool completely before serving.

Delicious!