Cuisine Diva

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe

Above: pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting.

Delicious Dessert Recipe

Here is a recipe for a pumpkin spice sponge cake with cream cheese frosting. The recipe can be found on the inside label of most canned pumpkin pie filling. The recipe was originally meant to be made as a pumpkin roll, but I've had problems in the past with the filling oozing out and making a big mess. So I prefer to make the cake as directed, but instead of filling it with the icing and rolling it up, I cut the cake in half to make a double layer cake.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe Variations

You may add 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the cake recipe if desired, before baking. I made mine without nuts. Any pumpkin pie spices can be used in this recipe, choose from allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and even Chinese five spice powder, for a total of 1 teaspoon.

Pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting would make a delightful culinary addition to a tea party or bridal shower.

Above: canned pumpkin. Leftovers can be used to make pumpkin pancakes.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Pumpkin Spice Cake Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease and flour a 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs.
5. Stir the pumpkin into the sugar and egg mixture.
6. Add the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until mixed through.
7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Let the cake cool to room temperature.
9. Cut the cooled cake in half.
10. Add one half of the cake to a large platter and spread with half of the cream cheese frosting mixture.
11. Top with the other half of the cake and spread with the remaining cream cheese frosting.

 

Above: enjoy pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting along with a cup of coffee or hot tea.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 1 eight ounce package cream cheese - room temperature
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine - room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar - sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting Directions

1. Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl.
2. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy.
3. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Coffee House and Tea Party Ideas

Happy party guests at our coffee house fundraiser.

My husband and I do a lot of fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through our local Team in Training chapter. We recently hosted a Coffee House at our house, to help us with our fundraising goals as we train for the 2010 winter season's century bike ride with TNT. My husband is one of the cycle team coaches, and I am training for the Cocoa Beach century ride which takes place on October 31 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

 

Team in Training fundraising table setup at coffee house.
 

Serve Lots of Yummy Food

Here is a list of food which I made to serve at the party. I've posted many of these recipes online, and have included links to those recipes where appropriate. I've also hosted various tea parties at our house throughout the years, and all of these recipes are also perfect for serving at a tea party, luncheon or bridal shower.

Bounty of party food.

Coffee House and Tea Party Recipes

• Deviled eggs
• Egg salad finger sandwiches
• Walnut chicken salad finger sandwiches
• Ham & cheese quiche - with Swiss cheese and green onions
• Bacon & cheese quiche - with cheddar cheese and fresh thyme
• Lemon bars
• Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
• Party cookies with chocolate chips & almonds
• Peanut butter cookies with Hersey's Kisses
• Pecan pie bars
• Pumpkin spice muffins

Even more food.

 

Make Ahead and Freeze

When hosting parties at my house, I like to make as much food ahead of time as possible. Certain recipes, such as cookies with a lot of butter in them, can be made ahead and stored in the freezer for up to two weeks before the party. Simply take them out of the freezer the day of the party, and they will thaw out at room temperature in an hour or two.

In the case of the crab canapes and asparagus roll-ups, leave them in the freezer until you are ready to bake them. The instructions for those two appetizers are for cooking them directly from the freezer. Other foods, such as the quiche, can be made a day or two ahead of time, and stored in the refrigerator until the day of the party.

Fussy Food Handling

More fragile food, such as deviled eggs, egg salad finger sandwiches and walnut chicken salad finger sandwiches are best assembled the day of the party. I cooked the hard boiled eggs the day before the party, so they would have enough time to cool down. But I didn't actually make the deviled eggs, or assemble the egg salad sandwiches until the day of the party. Our party went from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM, which gave me plenty of time to do last minute cooking, assembly and cleaning before the party started.

 

Another group shot.

Party Foods That Freeze Well

• Crab canapes
• Asparagus roll-ups
• Cocoa spice drops
• Pistachio shortbread
• Lemon poppy seed teacakes

A Variety of Beverages

Not everyone likes coffee, and I knew a few children would be attending our coffee house party, so I had a variety of beverages available. I let my husband be in charge of all the coffee making. He is a great fan of coffee and I was quite busy with last minute food prep, and meeting and greeting guests as they arrived, so not having to deal with coffee preparation was a huge weight off my shoulders.

1. Hot coffee - we have a regular coffee pot, cappucinno machine and two French press pots, so we were able to make a variety of coffee throughout the party.
2. Iced coffee - we brewed up an extra strong pot of coffee the night before the party, let it cool to room temperature, then stored it in a coffee carafe.
3. Sweat iced tea
4. Soda - a friend of ours brought a variety of soda to the party for everyone to enjoy; rootbeer, orange, lemon lime and a diet cola.
5. Ice - my husband took one of our coolers in to his office and filled it up with ice. Guests could fill their cups up with ice if they were drinking water, iced tea, iced coffee or soda. His office has a large, hotel sized ice maker in the back, which is convenient anytime we host parties at our house.

I'd love to hear about the types of food and beverages you like to serve at coffee and tea parties. Or have you been to a favorite restaurant or tea house for their tea service? I would love to hear about it!

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Above: Plate full of blueberry muffins.

How to Make Blueberry Muffins

Here's a recipe for an easy to make blueberry muffin, with a streusel topping. I used vanilla soy milk in place of the milk. The oil, egg and milk mixture should equal one cup of liquid. I used a 2 cup glass measuring cup and added the egg and oil, then added enough milk to equal one cup. Then I used a small whisk to mix everything together, before adding the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Above: Stir blueberries into muffin batter.

Blueberry Muffin Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Above: Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with batter.

Blueberry Muffin Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, egg and milk.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir until well blended.
5. Stir in the vanilla extract and blueberries.
6. Spray a 12 compartment muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
7. Fill each muffin compartment approximately 2/3 with batter.
8. Top each muffin with approximately 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping.
9. Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Above: Use pastry knife to blend struesel topping ingredients together.

Streusel Topping For Blueberry Muffins

This topping makes a sweet and nutty crispy topping for the blueberry muffins.

Streusel Topping Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Streusel Topping Directions

1. Sift together the sugar, flour and cinnamon.
2. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife, or a large fork, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in the nuts.

Above: Top each muffin compartment with 1 tablespoon of the streusel topping.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Edible Chocolate Hanukkah Dreidels

The Cuisine Diva just received an email from the PR department of Mindy's Meals on Heels. They wanted to know if I would be interested in posting a Hanukkah recipe from site founder Mindy Korbrin on the Cuisine Diva site.It looked like an interesting idea, so here it is, enjoy!

Here's a new spin on a traditional Hanukkah activity that the whole family can enjoy! Celebrations and entertaining expert; Mindy Kobrin, founder of Mindy’s Meals on Heels (www.mealsonheelsbymindy.com) has created an Incredible Edible Hanukkah Dreidel which will allow kids (and adults) the opportunity to play with their food!

 

Above: Incredible edible Hanukkah dreidels.

 

Ingredients for Edible Hanukkah Dreidel

• 12 thin pretzel sticks
• 12 large marshmallows
• 8 oz dark chocolate, melted
• 2 oz white chocolate, melted or white frosting
• 12 Hershey kisses

Directions for Edible Hanukkah Dreidel

1. Dip bottom of chocolate kiss in melted semisweet chocolate
2. Press onto marshmallow; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet
3. Repeat to make 12 dreidels. Refrigerate for 10 minutes
4. Cut a small slit in bottom of each marshmallow; insert 1 thin pretzel stick
5. Dip dreidels in chocolate, and return to baking sheet
6. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes
7. Fill a resealable plastic bag with melted white chocolate; cut a tiny opening in a corner, and pipe Hebrew letters onto 3 sides of each dreidel
8. Refrigerate at least 5 minutes or up to 8 hours before serving

Homemade Pecan Pie

Above: Homemade pecan pie.

Thanksgiving Desserts

A holiday meal at our house is not complete without one or more types of pie. I usually make a pumpkin and/or a pecan pie as part of our Thanksgiving Day meal. This year I decided to make 2 pecan pies. It's just as easy to make 2 pies, as it is to make 1 pie. I made the pies 2 days before Thanksgiving, so we had an extra pie to snack on. I wouldn't want anyone to starve to death in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Above: A pair of pecan pies, cooling off and waiting to be served on Thanksgiving Day.

Recipe to Make a Single Pecan Pie

I used Pillsbury's ready to bake, pre-made pie crust when making my pecan pies. You could also use a defrosted, frozen, ready to bake pie crust if desired, or make a pie crust from scratch. I used a combination of chopped and whole pecans when making my pies. I added the chopped pecans to the bottom of the pie crust, poured in the filling, then garnished the top of the pie with whole pecans before baking. I couldn't find my pie pans yesterday, so I used two metal cake pans, made the pie kind of look like a deep dish pecan pie.

• 1 ready to bake, pre-made pie crust
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped or whole pecans

Above: Use a ready to bake, pre-made pie crust to save time when making pie.

Directions to Make a Single Pecan Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Let the ready to bake pie crust come to room temperature.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir in the corn syrup, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
4. Whisk the eggs into the sugar mixture.
5. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla extract.
6. Spray a metal pie pan or cake pan with non stick cooking spray.
7. Place the pie crust in the bottom of the pan.
8. Spread the chopped or whole pecans evenly over the bottom of the pie crust.
9. Pour the pie batter into the pan.
10. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden brown on top.
11. Let cool slightly before serving. Fresh baked pecan pie comes out of the oven resembling molten lava, please let it cool down before trying to eat a piece, or you could end up burning yourself!

Above: A single serving of homemade pecan pie. Where's the vanilla ice cream?

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

 

Homemade Cranberry Pear Sauce

Above: Homemade cranberry pear sauce

Delicious Holiday Side Dish

Here is a recipe for an easy to prepare cranberry sauce, which can be made in a slow cooker. It will keep in the refrigerator, for up to one week, and can be prepared a day or two before Thanksgiving Day.

I got the idea for this recipe in the Slow Cooker Ready & Waiting Cookbook, written by Rick Rodgers. On page 185 of that cookbook, there is a recipe for a Cranberry Pear Walnut Sauce. I've modified the recipe slightly.

Above: Use the slow cooker to make cranberry pear sauce.

Cuisine Diva's Cranberry Pear Sauce

Bosc pears have brown skins. When I went to the store to purchase pears, there were 3 varieties to choose from. I was going to buy the green skin variety, then saw the sign on the brown skin variety that said Bosc pears. Bosc pears cook up a bit like an apple, and retain their shape/texture in this recipe. The orange, dried apricot and cranberries all cook down into a delightful sweet and tangy sauce.

The original recipe called for 1 cup of dark raisins. I am not a fan of raisins, so decided to substitute 3/4 cup chopped, dried apricots. The original recipe also called for only the zest of 1 orange, but I added the juice along with the zest. The original recipe also called for 1 cup of toasted, chopped walnuts but I decided to omit the nuts.

Above: Serve cranberry pear sauce as part of your Thanksgiving meal.

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce

• One 12 ounce bag cranberries - rinsed
• 3 Bosc pears - peel, core and chopped
• Zest from 1 orange
• Flesh and/or juice from 1 orange
• 3/4 cup dried apricots - chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Directions for Cranberry Sauce

Place all the ingredients into a crock pot, or slow cooker. Cook on high heat for 2 hours, or until most of the cranberries have popped. Add the sauce to a storage container and let cool slightly. Place the lid on the storage container and let the sauce cool over night in the refrigerator.

The hot, freshly made sauce would taste great on top of vanilla bean ice cream. Serve the cool sauce, in a decorative serving dish on Thanksgiving Day, to accompany the rest of your holiday meal. Leftover cranberry sauce can be served as a type of homemade jam, along with freshly baked muffins, the day after Thanksgiving.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

 

Healthier Alternative to Nutella

Above: Nutella hazel nut spread and Mara Natural all natural dark chocolate almond spread.

Yesterday, my daughter and I made a trip to our local Super Walmart. While she was picking out art supplies, I decided to pick up a few groceries. I was looking for a jar of Mara Natha's all natural, no stir almond butter but I could only find the crunchy variety, not the smooth. Much to my delight, I spotted a jar of their all natural dark chocolate almond spread. OMG alert!

It looked like it might be similar to Nutella, so I scooped up a jar and added it to my shopping cart. Nutella is a hazelnut spread mixed with skim milk and cocoa powder. We had a jar of Nutella in the pantry, for our daughter, and I tried a bit to see what it tasted like. It was WAY too sweet for my taste, too much sugar and not enough hazelnut flavor.

The Mara Natha spread on the other hand, had a rich almond butter taste enhanced by dark chocolate. I decided to read the nutritional labels to see why they are so different. Dry roasted almonds are the first ingredient listed in the dark chocolate almond spread whereas sugar is the first ingredient listed in Nutella. That would explain why Nutella has a much sweeter taste, than the almond spread, which had a much richer, nuttier taste.

Above: Jar of Nutella

Nutella Nutritional Facts

Nutella is a very creamy, smooth and very sweet tasting spread. It has the consistency of soft frosting, and is almost runny enough to be used as a dessert topping.

• serving size - 2 tablespoons
• calories per serving - 200
• fat calories per serving - 100
• total fat - 11 g
• saturated fat - 3.5 g
• sodium - 15 mg
• carbs - 22 g
• fiber - 1 g
• sugars - 21 g
• protein - 3 g

 

Nutella Ingredients

• sugar
• palm oil
• hazelnuts
• cocoa
• skim milk
• reduced minerals whey
• lecithin
• vanillin

Above: Mara Natha all natural dark chocolate almond spread.

Dark Chocolate Almond Spread Nutritional Facts

The dark chocolate almond spread has a rich nutty flavor, with a hint of chocolate. It has the consistency of a very thick peanut butter, or very thick frosting. It is not as smooth as the Nutella, due to it's higher nut content.

• serving size - 2 tablespoons
• calories per serving - 180
• fat calories per serving - 130
• total fat - 14 g
• saturated fat - 3 g
• sodium - 15 mg
• carbohydrate - 12 g
• dietary fiber - 2 g
• sugars - 9 g
• protein - 4 g

Dark Chocolate Almond Spread Ingredients

• dry roasted almonds
• evaporated cane juice
• palm oil
• cocoa powder
• non-fat dry milk
• canola oil
• soy lecithin
• natural vanilla flavor
• salt

Above: dark chocolate almond spread on the left, Nutella on the right.

Cuisine Diva Conclusion

I prefer richer tasting food over sweet food any day of the week. So my vote goes for Mara Natha All Natural Dark Chocolate Almond Spread.The almond spread has a bit more fiber and protein per serving compared to Nutella. And the almond spread has only 9 grams of sugar per serving compared to Nutella's 21 grams of sugar per serving. Yes, I think I got a sugar shocker headache eating the Nutella, kind of like getting a brain freeze when you eat something too cold, but in this case it was from eating something too sweet.

The Nutella has almost double the amount of carbohydrates per serving compared to the almond spread. Nutella also has higher total calories than the almond spread. But due to it's higher nut content, the almond spread has a slightly higher fat content. But nut butters are a healthy type of fat, and can be part of a balanced diet that contains up to 30% of it's calories from good fats.

See my Sports Nutrition Diva blog post on good vs bad fats: Fat is Not Your Enemy.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

 

Thanksgiving Menu Plan & Meal Preparation

I looked through a couple of my cookbooks to find some unique dishes to serve at our house on Thanksgiving Day. I found 2 recipes from my slow cooker cookbook, and 4 recipes from The Culinary Institute of America cookbook, that I will prepare as part of our Thanksgiving meal. I also will add a couple of family favorites, which I have made so many times, I no longer need an exact recipe to follow.

Smythe Family Thanksgiving Menu

Here's what I plan to serve on Thanksgiving Day. I will provide recipes and photos for some of these menu items next week.

• Chicken saltimbocca with sage, prosciutto and provolone
• Brown onion gravy
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Roasted sweet potatoes with pecan molasses butter
• Potato gratin
• Sauteed Brussels sprouts
• Cornbread stuffing with carrots, onions and celery
• Baby glazed carrots
• Cranberry pear sauce
• Cheddar thyme muffins
• Pecan pie

Menu Preparation Game Plan

Slow cooker

1. cranberry pear sauce - prepare the day before Thanksgiving
2. baby glazed carrots - Thanksgiving day

Oven

Most of these items will be prepared and cooked on Thanksgiving Day. The stuffing could be prepared the day before, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to heat through in the oven at 350 degrees Farenheit for 30 minutes. I will probably make the pecan pie the day before Thanksgiving, to free up the oven for the rest of the meal. This will also allow ample time for the pie to cool off before serving, pecan pie hot out of the oven usually has the consistency of moletn lava - HOT!

1. Roasted sweet potatoes
2. Potato gratin
3. Cornbread stuffing
4. Cheddar thyme muffins
5. Pecan pie

Stove top

1. Chicken saltimbocca
2. Brown onion gravy
3. Sauteed Brussels sprouts
4. Sauteed mushrooms

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

 

Spice It Up at Dunkin Donuts

PRESS RELEASE

Fall Flavors Spice Up the Season at Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts brings back seasonal pumpkin favorites and introduces new apple flavors to keep people running with the tastes of fall

CANTON, Mass., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- With Labor Day now behind us and summer nearing its end, Dunkin' Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, gives people a delicious reason to look towards the start of autumn, today unveiling a harvest of fall-inspired menu items available for a limited time at participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants. Leading Dunkin' Donuts' autumn array is the return of pumpkin beverages and baked goods, along with seasonal donut treats. For guests in New England and upstate New York, Dunkin' Donuts has also introduced new apple specialties, including Apple Pie and Apple Cider.

 (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080513/NYTU022LOGO)
 (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080513/NYTU022LOGO)

 Dunkin's Donuts' complete fall lineup includes:
 -- Pumpkin Coffee and Lattes: Pumpkin flavoring adds a seasonal touch to
   Dunkin' Donuts' coffee and lattes. Served hot or iced, they are the
   perfect way to keep yourself running with a taste of fall. Pumpkin
   coffee is available for the suggested retail price of $1.39 for a
   small 10 oz. hot beverage. The Pumpkin Latte features a caramel
   drizzle and is available at the suggested retail price of $1.99 for a
   10 oz. hot beverage.
 -- Pumpkin Muffin: Topped with white icing and streusel crumbs, Dunkin'
   Donuts' Pumpkin Muffin is a seasonal favorite and is available for the
   suggested retail price of $1.39.
 -- Pumpkin Donut: Back by popular demand, Dunkin' Donuts' glazed pumpkin
   cake donut is available for the suggested retail price of $.89 cents.
 -- Fall Harvest Donut: The Fall Harvest Donut is a yeast ring donut
   topped with orange icing and a festive pumpkin sprinkle mix, available
   at the suggested retail price of $.89 cents.
 -- New Apple Cider (Available in New England and Upstate New York only):
   Seeking traditional autumn refreshments? Dunkin' Donuts' new Apple
   Cider, steamed via an espresso machine, is available hot or iced for
   the suggested retail price of $1.59 for a small 10 oz. hot beverage.
 -- New Apple Pie (Available in New England and Upstate New York only):
   Served warm, the handheld-sized baked Apple Pie features a flaky crust
   topped with cinnamon sugar. This new bakery treat is available for the
   suggested retail price of $1.29.

According to Dunkin' Donuts' Executive Chef Stan Frankenthaler, each year Dunkin' Donuts' fall menu items create a unique passion and emotional response amongst guests. "When the temperatures begin to drop and the days shorten, people naturally begin to crave comforting foods and the familiar, traditional tastes and scents we grow up associating with the season, such as pumpkin and apple," he said. "We are excited to help people celebrate fall to the fullest any time of day by bringing back our beloved fall menu items along with innovative new seasonal treats."

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite every day, all-day stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories, and the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for four years running. The company has more than 9,000 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2009, Dunkin' Donuts' global system-wide sales were $5.7 billion. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

 Contact:
 McCall Gosselin
 781-737-5200
 McCall.Gosselin@dunkinbrands.com

 Jessica Rosen
 RF Binder
 212-994-7522
 Jessica.Rosen@rfbinder.com

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080513/NYTU022LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080513/NYTU022LOGO

Source: Dunkin' Donuts

CONTACT: McCall Gosselin, +1-781-737-5200,
McCall.Gosselin@dunkinbrands.com; or Jessica Rosen, RF Binder,
+1-212-994-7522, Jessica.Rosen@rfbinder.com

Web Site: http://www.dunkindonuts.com/

Lemon Bar Recipe

Close up of a delicious lemon bar.

Lemon bars are a delicious and easy to make bakery treat. Serve lemon bars at your next luncheon, tea party or bridal shower. To make lemon bars, first make the shortbread crust, and pre-bake it in the oven before adding the lemon bar filling and returning to the oven.

Fresh lemon juice tastes best, but in a pinch bottled lemon juice can be substituted. This recipe makes 20 lemon bars. For an interesting flavor variation, try substituting another citrus juice, such as orange or lime, to make orange bars or lime bars.

Making lemon bars.

Lemon Bar Shortbread Crust Ingredients

• 1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks unsalted butter - room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preparing shortbread crust.

Lemon Bar Shortbread Crust Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, add the softened butter and sugar, then cream together with a large spoon until smooth and creamy.
3. Sift in the flour and mix until well blended.
4. Add the shortbread crust to a greased 9 x 11 inch rectangular glass pan.
5. Smooth and press the crust evenly across the bottom of the pan.
6. Place the pan in the oven and bake until light brown, approximately 18 to 20 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a heat proof surface.
8. Continue following the recipe to prepare the lemon bar filling.

Preparing lemon bar filling.

Lemon Bar Filling Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

Dust completed lemon bars with powdered sugar.

Lemon Bar Filling Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs.
2. Stir in the baking powder and flour.
3. Add the lemon juice to the bowl, and mix until well blended.
4. Pour the lemon bar filling into the pan with the prepared shortbread crust.
5. Place the pan back in the oven and cook for 17 to 20 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a heatproof surface.
7. Let the lemon bars cool slightly, then dust them with the confectioner's sugar.
8. Once the lemon bars are completely cooled, cut them into 20 pieces.

Cut cooled lemon bars into squares.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva