lemon Archives - Alida's Kitchen

Lemon Coconut Crescent Pinwheels

November 20, 2015 ·

Lemon Coconut Crescent Pinwheels are a flaky, buttery crescent roll filled with lemon curd and coconut. This simple do-it-yourself breakfast pastry takes minutes to make using only three ingredients!

We have been pumpkin everything lately, from pie to cake and beyond! While my family is crazy for pumpkin, by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I have a feeling they will be looking for a change. Instead of our usual Pumpkin Baked French Toast (which is really, really good, by the way!!), I am thinking we will mix things up a bit with a quick and easy do-it-yourself pastry that can be whipped together in minutes. Lemon Coconut Crescent Pinwheels are sweet, refreshing, delicious and far from pumpkin anything….

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, kid-friendly, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: #WarmTraditions, brunch, coconut, crescent, easy, entertaining, holiday, lemon, noads, pastry, pinwheel, quick, snack

Grandma's Lemon Bars | alidaskitchen.com

Grandma’s Lemon Bars #SundaySupper

March 15, 2015 ·

This is my Grandma’s Lemon Bars recipe – a classic made simple, delicious and melt-in-your mouth good!

As a child, whenever we went to visit my grandparents, my grandma always had a spread of several dozens of different varieties of homemade goodies. If it were for a special holiday, like Christmas, there were even more varieties. Her treat platters were impressive to say the least! Each item was unique, a labor of love, and absolutely delicious….

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: bars, easy, holiday, lemon, quick, sundaysupper

Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake | alidaskitchen.com

Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake #SundaySupper

January 18, 2015 ·

This easy recipe for Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake makes a delicious lemony cake that can be enjoyed for breakfast or served with ice cream for a light dessert.

The theme for Sunday Supper this week is Hometown Foods, hosted by Coleen of The Redhead Baker. As I was coming up with my hometown recipe, I had visions of recipes for Juicy Lucys, wild rice or a healthier tater tot casserole dancing in my head. But as I was doing this recipe during my morning commute, I drove past a large sign that inspired me……

Filed Under: dessert, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: bundt, buttermilk, cake, easy, lemon, light, quick, sundaysupper

Lemonade Cake

July 1, 2014 ·

Celebrate the taste of summer with this extra special Lemonade Cake topped with a lemonade marshmallow buttercream frosting!

Lemonade Cake | Made with real lemonade and topped with a lemonade marshmallow buttercream frosting!

One of my favorite sayings is ‘A party is not a party unless there is cake!’ I actually don’t know if that is a real saying or if I just made it up, but they seem like good words to live by. Who doesn’t love a good party and cake!

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Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: buttercream, buttermilk, cake, easy, frosting, holiday, lemon, lemonade, marshmallow

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

April 18, 2014 ·

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Facts Up Front program.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is a lemony buttermilk cake made with whole wheat flour and studded with poppy seeds.

This Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake is made with fresh lemon zest and juice, buttermilk, poppy seeds and whole wheat flour. It is a delicious coffee cake that is great for a special breakfast, snack or light dessert. This cake is so lemony, bright and cheery, it reminds me of spring. Now that we have warmer temperatures and snow melting, spring is finally on its way! One of my favorite things about spring is finally getting outside and being active as a family. We love to run, go on bike rides or just kick around the soccer ball. When kicking our healthy habits into high gear, I also find that we start paying more attention to what we eat. I recently used this Nutrition Calculator to find out my daily caloric needs, as well as fiber, protein and other important nutrients.

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Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: #FactsUpFront, brunch, bundt, cake, easy, lemon, light, poppyseed, quick, snack, whole wheat

Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies | alidaskitchen.com #recipes #lemon #cookies #SundaySupper

Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies #SundaySupper

March 30, 2014 ·

Chewy Lemon Sugar Cookies are the ultimate chewy sugar cookie with a lemon twist. These are a perfect Springtime treat to welcome the season!

While it may technically be spring, Minnesota temperatures remain chilly (think single digits, brr!) It is this time of year, the transition from winter to spring, that lemon desserts are wonderful. Berries are not quite in season, and lemon is like a bite of sunshine, all bright and cheery. Add lemon to the ultimate chewy sugar cookie, and it’s Springtime perfection in cookie form….

Filed Under: dessert, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: cookies, cream cheese, easy, lemon, spring, sundaysupper

Lighter Lemon Cake

April 19, 2013 ·

Right now, I am listening to the sounds of our snowplow service plowing our driveway. Again. We got 5 inches of snow yesterday and are projected to get at least another inch today. It’s mid-late April. Yikes! So while I had a different recipe to share with you today, I thought we all could use a little sunshine, well…for a variety of reasons these days. Nothing says sunshine quite like a lemon dessert, and this Lighter Lemon Cake will definitely brighten any day.

Back in February, I shared Adam’s Baseball Birthday cake, and the flavor of that cake was this Lighter Lemon Cake. Lighter Lemon Cake has become my ‘go-to’ lemon cake. It has a generous amount of lemon zest and juice, yielding a vibrant lemon flavor, and the buttermilk helps yield a nice, moist crumb. The lemon zest and juice in the frosting gives an extra lemon boost, which is bright and delicious. If you like lemon, you’ll love this cake!

This cake is made on the lighter side, which means less frosting than a typical cake, or a typical layer cake anyway. While I stretched it to cover the sides of a layer cake for purposes of making a last minute baseball cake, I recommend just spreading frosting between the layers and on top of the cake, leaving the sides exposed OR make 1 1/2 times the frosting amount to have enough to fully cover the cake.

And while we are all a little snowed out after this winter, I can tell you one little boy who is elated. Here is a picture of Adam after the snowstorm we had last week. He’s loving every minute of it,…which is a different kind of sunshine that is sure to brighten any day.

Lighter Lemon Cake

Yields: 12-16 servings

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons finely granted lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼/ cup fresh lemon juice, add as needed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 9-inch (or 8-inch) cake pans with cooking spray, line the bottoms with waxed paper and coat the waxed paper with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter at medium speed with a hand (or stand) mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beating on low after each addition until just combined. Last, beat in the lemon zest, juice and vanilla.
Pour equal amounts of batter in prepared pans and sharply tap on counter to remove any bubbles.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pans to cool completely. Remove waxed paper.
To make icing: In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, lemon zest and juice until combined and smooth. Frost cake as desired.

Source: Cooking Light, May 2008

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: buttermilk, cake, cooking light, easy, lemon, light

Oatmeal Fig Bars | Homemade Fig Newtons

April 15, 2013 ·

Oatmeal Fig Bars are a chewy, fig-filled bar made on the lighter side. They taste pretty close to a Fig Newton, but homemade is always better, right? When I was researching for a healthy fig bar recipe made with oatmeal, I was surprised to find there weren’t many (or rather any that were suitable). So I decided to take the dough of a oatmeal date bar recipe and replace the date filling with a fig filling. Because I wanted these to be healthier, I reduced the amount of sugar in the dough and eliminated added sugar from the filling. In lieu of sugar, I added lemon juice and zest to the filling to brighten the flavor and also act as a thickener. The result was just what I had in mind for a healthy fig bar, and they were also really simple to make.

When I was making these Oatmeal Fig Bars, I couldn’t help but think about my grandma and grandpa and chuckle. I’ve talked many times about my grandma and what a wonderful baker she was. While I’m sure my grandpa loved all of her (delicious!) baked goodies, he always had a stash of Fig Newtons in their pantry. I really can’t blame him. Not much beats a Fig Newton (except for these bars of course!.. but I digress). I don’t think my grandma ever attempted to make a homemade variety of his beloved fig bars, but I’m sure they would have been similar to these…and my grandpa would have stashed these instead!

Oatmeal Fig Bars | Homemade Fig Newtons

Yields: 16 bars

Ingredients

1 cup chopped dried figs, stems removed (8 ounces)
½ cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1½ cups rolled oats (I used quick oats)
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup butter, melted (I used light butter)
1 egg white
Cooking spray

Instructions

In a small sauce pan, put figs, water, lemon juice and zest, and bring to a boil. Simmer until mixture starts to thicken (about 3 minutes). Let cool for about 5 minutes.
Put filling in food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together oats, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
Add butter and egg white to oat mixture and stir until combined.
Press half of the oat mixture into the prepared baking pan. [Note: I used waxed paper to press and spread the mixture into the pan]. Next, carefully spread with fig mixture. Last, drop pieces of remaining oat mixture over the fig mixture so it appears crumbly and then gently pat it down [Note: I used waxed paper for this step].
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

This marks the third installment of the Eating the Alphabet Challenge, hosted by Brenda of Meal Planning Magic. This month we’re featuring healthy recipes using fruits, vegetables, grains or legumes that start with letters E or F. This was a no-brainer for me. I’ve been wanting to come up with a healthy Fig Bar recipe, so this was just the incentive I needed!

Filed Under: dessert, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: bars, brown sugar, fig, lemon, oatmeal, snack

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

January 31, 2013 ·

easy lemon buttermilk breakfast pound cake

We had a special surprise arrive last Friday ~ our baby decided to arrive a little early! Naturally, when there is a birthday, there must be a birthday cake. This Lemon Buttermilk Cake is quick and easy enough for a sleepy mama to whip together in minutes. It’s not only simple to make, but the lemon cake is perfectly lemon-y, refreshing and delicious. To dress it up, I added a simple lemon buttermilk glaze to drizzle over the loaf, with some extra to drizzle on the slices. This cake is so good as-is, but the glaze adds a little something that makes it feel extra special. Adam could not get enough of the baby’s birthday cake, and I discovered that despite not being a frosting person, he loves glaze. Who can blame him!

Now to the baby details! We had a baby girl named Greta Rose. She is an easy baby so far and super sweet. Seems fitting I guess, because the same could be said about Lemon Buttermilk Cake! 🙂

easy lemon buttermilk breakfast pound cake with lemon glaze

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

Yields: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
¾ cup buttermilk, well-shaken
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest (finely grated, approx 2 lemons)
¼ cup lemon juice (approx 1½ lemons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
GLAZE:
1 cup powdered sugar
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoon(s) buttermilk, well-shaken

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8"x4" loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, add the sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, zest, juice and vanilla and whisk to combine.
Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To prepare glaze, in a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until well-blended. Drizzle over cooled cake, as desired.

Sources: Real Simple for the cake, Cooking Light for the glaze

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: brunch, buttermilk, cake, easy, lemon, quick

Cream Cheese Meltaways

December 18, 2012 ·

Cream Cheese Meltaways with Lemon Glaze are little bite-sized cookies that are a light and delicious addition to any holiday cookie platter. These cookies were a new addition this year, and they were an instant favorite! The lemon glaze gives just a hint of lemony sweetness to the cream cheesy butter cookies. The recipe for glaze makes plenty. You could probably get by with using half the glaze recipe, or better yet – double the cookie recipe…these will go fast!

Cream Cheese Meltaways

Yields: 36 cookies

Ingredients

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened (I used light butter)
2 ounces block-style Neufachtel cream cheese (1/3 less fat/light)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze:
1¾ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
assorted sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch and salt until combined.
In a large bowl, add powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese and vanilla and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until combined. (Note: dough will be dry and crumbly).
Shape dough into 1-inch balls (be careful not to overwork dough) and place on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes of pan and then move to wire rack to cool completely.
GLAZE: In a medium bowl, whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Dip the tops of cooled cookies into glaze and place on wire rack. Decorate with sprinkles, as desired. Let cookies stand until glaze is set.

Source: Cooking Light