Category: Desserts

Lemon Yogurt Cake

We’ve had a few really lovely days of sunshine and warm temperatures up in Pittsburgh these last few weeks, and it really put me in the spring mood. So I decided to spend a random Wednesday afternoon off of work making this lemon cake! I saw this Ina Garten recipe on Twitter forever ago, and it seemed like the perfect treat to get us in even more of the spring spirit.

And it totally did! Super moist, super easy, and delicious. The bulk of the lemon flavor comes from the syrup that you pour over after it bakes, which means the cake itself is very subtle. But I felt like the balance was perfect, and it was enjoyed by me, my roommates, and the boyfriend.

Now that it’s continuing to warm up and Easter is approaching, try this Lemon Yogurt Cake! You won’t regret it.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Time: 1 hour 20 min

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.
  3. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
  5. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
  6. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar syrup over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.
  7. Optional: combine 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and 2 tbs lemon juice to make a glaze, and drizzle on top

Small Batch Cheesecake

Sharing the other half of my Valentine’s Day dinner today! Cheesecake is my boyfriend’s favorite dessert, so I knew I wanted to make us one. But making an entire cheesecake seemed like a lot, plus I don’t own a springform pan. Enter in Sally’s Baking Addiction with her small batch cheesecake! Baked in a loaf pan, it makes 5 hefty slices, which was absolutely perfect for the two of us + my roommates.

Sally’s recipe, and thus the one below, is for a plain cheesecake. But my boyfriend humbly requested chocolate peanut butter, so I improvised a bit. I made the crust with Oreos (just crushing up the same amount as the graham crackers), and then added about 1/4 cup of peanut butter to the filling + 1 tbs of extra sugar to balance the saltiness of the peanut butter (and also left out the lemon juice). And it turned out amazing!

So if you want a surprisingly easy but decadent dessert, try Sally’s small batch cheesecake!

Small Batch Cheesecake

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham cracker sheets)
  • 3 tbs melted butter
  • 1 tbs granulated sugar
  • 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Optional for serving: fruit, caramel, chocolate sauce, etc.

Instructions

  1. Lower the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the slides to remove the cheesecake from the pan (or just grease the pan well)
  2. Mix all the crust ingredients together. Pour into prepared loaf pan and press down the crust so it is super tight and firm in the pan. Use a flat spatula to compact it down. Bake the crust for 22-24 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges and top
  3. While the crust is pre-baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth. Beat in the sugar, egg, vanilla, and lemon juice until completely combined and smooth, about two minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed.
  4. Pour the batter on top of the warm crust and smooth into an even layer. It will look like a lot of cheesecake batter, but it will sink down as it bakes.
  5. Bake the cheesecake for 40-45 minutes, until the entire surface is set. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cheesecake should come out *mostly* clean.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cool, refrigerate the cheesecake for 4 hours up to 1 day.

Homemade “Oreos”

Ready for the easiest, best cookie ever? I saw this recipe on Pinch of Yum a few weeks ago and knew I immediately had to try it. I love Oreos and thought it would be fun to spend a snow day at home baking this super easy version.

As Lindsay says, these are only “Oreos” insofar as that they’re chocolate cookies with frosting sandwiched inside. But they honestly might be better than Oreos: the cookies are soft and super chocolatey, and truly what could be better than a filling of cream cheese frosting (the superior frosting, yes I said it)? These also couldn’t be easier thanks to boxed cake mix!

I made these once, a few days after coming home, and I think they were gone in 2 days. So my brother David humbly requested that I make them again before Christmas, and they were once again demolished by all (including our dog… don’t leave treats within dog distance for any period of time lol). I think I’m gonna make them for a third time with my boyfriend in the next week or so because they’re that easy and delicious. But you’ll just have to try them for yourself to see 😉

Homemade “Oreos”

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup (one stick) butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Beat eggs, butter, vanilla, and cake mix together with an electric mixer until combined.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll into small one or two tablespoon balls. Place on a baking sheet. (Chill the dough for about 30 minutes if it’s too soft to roll)
  3. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
  4. Beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer. Using a plastic bag with the end cut off, or a pastry bag (or spread with a knife because college), pipe a swirl of frosting onto one cookie and gently press a same-size cookie on top.
  5. Store in the fridge and enjoy!

Note: extra cream cheese frosting is delicious spread on graham crackers

Brownie Peppermint Blossoms

I had planned to share this post yesterday, but then accidentally spent the entire day knitting my first pair of socks, oops! So bringing you a last minute Christmas cookie addition that couldn’t be easier! My mom’s brownie peppermint cookies.

These are just like peanut butter blossoms (peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s kisses on top) but festive and perfect for the holidays! A staple of our Christmas cookie line up, and one of my mom’s best inventions. Brownie cookies made with boxed brownie mix, topped with peppermint Hershey’s kisses! It’s also fun to use other festive kisses, like Hot Cocoa or Sugar Cookie, so let your creativity run wild!

Try these super easy cookies if you need a last minute cookie recipe for porch gift drop offs (or just for eating on your own). They’re the best!

Brownie Peppermint Blossoms

Ingredients

  • 1 box fudge brownie mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 1/2 bag Peppermint Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped

Instructions

  1. Mix together brownie mix, egg, oil, and water.
  2. Drop cookies by rounded teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet
  3. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
  4. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes before pressing a kiss into the top of each cookie.
  5. Transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling

Homemade Doughnuts

Like I said on Tuesday, I spent two weeks out at my parents’ house for Thanksgiving. And since classes were basically done, and we’d been watching a lot of Great British Bake Off, we did a LOT of baking with our downtime. I shared the chocolate babka we made already, and today I’m bringing you my Great Grandma Ryder’s homemade deep-fried doughnuts.

I haven’t made homemade doughnuts since the last time my family made them, which was when I was maybe 5 or 6? Picture evidence below lol. So I was excited to make them again as a grownup! They were actually way easier than I was expecting, and it was super fun to spend a morning making doughnuts for my fam for breakfast.

While this does require a significant amount of oil for deep frying, and a candy thermometer is particularly helpful for monitoring the temp, past that these are quite easy! Just mix up the dough, roll them out, cut them (tip, if you don’t have a doughnut cutter just use a glass or mug!), and fry! We tossed some in cinnamon sugar, some in powdered sugar, and also dipped a few in melted chocolate.

Another more time consuming recipe, but a super fun way to pass some time over break!

Great Grandma Ryder’s Homemade Doughnuts

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tbs melted shortening
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 1/2-5 cups flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • Confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon sugar, melted chocolate for topping

Instructions

  1. Beat the eggs; add sugar and melted shortening; add milk. Sift dry ingredients and add to liquid mixture to make a soft dough
  2. Roll dough out to 12 inch thickness on floured surface. Cut with small doughnut cutter (or whatever you have!)
  3. Head lard or vegetable oil in deep pot until 375°F (or hot enough to brown a 1 inch cube of bread in 60 seconds, otherwise doughnuts will absorb grease)
  4. Fry doughnuts until golden brown. You will have to turn doughnuts, but holes will flip on their own.
  5. Drain on unglazed paper (like parchment paper or paper towel) and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, toss in cinnamon sugar, or dip in chocolate sauce while still warm.

Chocolate Almond Babka

Long time no chat! After isolating and getting tested, my boyfriend and I went to my parents house in Montana for two weeks to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was a nice relaxing trip, and now I’m back!

During the two weeks we were in Montana, we watched a LOT of Great British Bake Off. Which inspired a lot of baking. One of the “Technical Challenges” on the show was a chocolate babka, and it looked so good that we knew we had to try it.

I found the recipe they used on the show, but since the show is British all the measurements were by weight (in grams). Since we didn’t have a scale, I had to do the most math I’ve done in a long time. But don’t fear! I will handle the conversions for you so you can try this with a bit less stress.

We couldn’t find hazelnuts, which the OG recipe used, so we used almonds instead and it was delicious. This babka is definitely a decent bit of work and hands-on time, but it was a super fun way to spend a few hours, and turned out delicious! Definitely recommend trying this decadent chocolate babka with all your downtime at home! Makes a great breakfast or dessert with some coffee 🙂

Chocolate Almond Babka

Ingredients

  • 65 g (about 2.5 oz) blanched almonds
  • 100 g (about 7 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 150 g (about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
  • 80 g (about 3 oz) 70% dark chocolate
  • 40 g (about 3 tablespoons) cocoa powder
  • 275 g (about 1 1/4 cups) flour
  • 5 g (about 1 tsp) fast-action dried yeast
  • 25 g (about 1 3/4 tbs) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 50 ml (about 1/4 cup) whole milk
  • 80 g (about 1/3 cup) butter, cubed and softened
  • 100 g (about 7 tbs) granulated sugar
  • Water

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F
  2. Make the filling: tip the almonds onto a baking sheet and roast in the bottom of the oven about 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally until golden. Let cool, then roughly chop half the nuts, and finely chop the other half. Set aside.
  3. Place the butter, sugar, and chocolate in a pan and melt slowly over low heat, stirring until smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool and thicken slightly.
  4. Meanwhile, make the dough. Tip the flour into a bowl. Add the yeast to one side, and the sugar and salt on the other.
  5. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs and milk. Mix by hand (or in a stand mixer with dough hook on low) for 2-3 minutes until firm.
  6. Increase the speed to medium and add in the butter a little at a time. Mix well between each addition, allowing the butter to incorporate completely before adding more.
  7. Once all the butter is added, continue kneading until the dough is smooth, sticky, and shiny.
  8. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the door to a 40 x 30 cm rectangle with a long edge toward you.
  9. Spread the cooled chocolate mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 cm border around the edge. Sprinkle the almonds on top.
  10. Starting from the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight spiral with the seam underneath.
  11. Trim about 2 cm off each end to neaten, and turn the roll 90° so that a short end is closest to you. Using a large sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice down the middle of the roll lengthwise, cutting into 2 long pieces.
  12. Turn each piece so the cut sides are facing upwards. Gently press the top of each piece together to seal, then lift the right half over the left half, followed by the left half over the right half. Repeat, twisting the dough to make a two-stranded loaf, then press the bottom edges together.
  13. Lift the loaf into a lined or sprayed loaf pan, cover with a clean tea towel, and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
  14. Heat the oven to 375°. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake for 25-30 minutes longer, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  15. While the babka is baking, make the syrup. Add the 100 g of sugar to 100 ml (about 1/2 cup) of water in a small pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and let simmer without stirring for about 5 minutes until syrupy. Let cool.
  16. When the babka is ready, brush the cooled syrup over the hot babka. Leave in the pan until cool enough to handle, then remove from the an and let cool completely.
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