Decadent Lemon Cupcakes

I have been and always will be a cupcake girl.  I love any flavor, frosted or plain, filled with ganache or just dusted with icing sugar.  It all works for me.  Is chocolate at the top of my list? Second. The top is lemon. Nothing quite beats the taste of a fresh, citrus dessert where I am concerned. I love pies, puddings, cookies and squares but most of all I love sweet cupcakes infused with the gorgeous flavors of lemon.

And this cupcake does it for me:  moist, cakey, sweet and gently scented with the zest of a lemon.  The frosting is smooth, creamy and , you guessed it,  lemony.  Pair this with a cup of tea and all your worries will melt away.  Perfection.

Banana Yogurt Bread

Yes, me again with another quick bread. So simple to throw together and oh so good! If you haven't guessed it already by the title, I was again faced with more ripe bananas. In fact, 1/2 a dozen. I ended up using 2 in this recipe and another 3 in an upcoming post for Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Cupcakes (be sure to stay tuned for that recipe too!).

The original recipe, as posted on the English Kitchen, called for sour cream. I went with Greek yogurt instead. Same consistency but with a healthy edge.

This loaf is very moist, rises up perfectly, and is phenomenal plain, with butter or even Nutella!

As I do with all banana breads, I also added nutmeg and cinnamon for added flavor. These spices really bring out the banana flavor and work wonderfully in this bread.

So let's get at it !

RECIPE:
*altered source recipe Sour Cream Banana Loaf, The English Kitchen

WHAT YOU NEED

4 ounces butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
7 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 medium bananas, peeled and mashed
125ml of greek yogurt (or full fat sour cream) (1/2 cup)

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
SPRAY 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray
IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar MED speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy
ADD in vanilla and 1 egg.
BLEND until combined and add remaining egg
IN SEPARATE BOWL, whisk together remaining dry ingredient
FOLD into wet ingredients until just combined
STIR IN bananas and yogurt
SPOON batter into prepared loaf pan and level the top

BAKE 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

ENJOY !

Strawberry Chocolate Yogurt Pops

In anticipation of summer and Popsicle season: Yogurt pops made with fresh strawberries and rich dark chocolate chunks. A cinch to make and wonderful to enjoy on a warm day.

These won't last long so you may want to consider picking up 2 sets of pop molds the next time you are out!

I have never made my own yogurt pops before and didn't even own molds until 3 weeks ago when my daughter spotted some on a shopping excursion. She felt they were a "must-have" so home they came.

I had intended to make shortcake with my sweet, red, strawberries but alas, the pops won! Shortcake will wait for another day.

LET'S MAKE IT !

These little molds are wonderful but of course use whatever molds you have on hand.


You will need about a pound
of strawberries for this recipe.




As you can see, 1 pound of berries boils down quite a bit

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

Popsicle molds

3 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt, regular yogurt or strawberry flavored yogurt
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate

MAKE IT

IN SAUCEPAN, combine sugar and strawberries.
BRING to a simmer over MED heat
REDUCE heat to LOW and let simmer and thicken for 25-30 minutes
WITH HAND HELD BLENDER, puree strawberry mixture until smooth. If you prefer seedless pops, then run mix through a sieve to remove seeds
POUR mixture into a bowl and let sit in refrigerator for 1 hour or until completely cooled
WITH SPATULA fold in yogurt and chocolate bits
POUR mixture into pop molds
PLACE in freezer fro 1/2 hr until somewhat set.
REMOVE and push pop handles into semi-frozen strawberry pops.
FREEZE 6 hours

The number of pops this recipe makes truly depends on the size of your molds.

ENJOY !