Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Now that all the holiday goodies have been consumed, I’m finally feeling in the mood to bake again. I decided to start off 2013 with this delicious Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.

If you haven’t paired Lemon and chocolate together in a baked good such as this, you’re really missing out. Lemon and chocolate are a great flavor combination. The tartness of the lemon balances the sweetness of the chocolate beautifully, as demonstrated in this moist and very yummy cake.

I love the convenience of the True Lemon products, and I always keep some in my pantry, so I used some in this recipe. If you don’t have True Lemon however, you can substitute 3 tablespoons of lemon juice for the 1 1/2 teaspoons of True Lemon and the 6 tablespoons of water listed in the ingredients.

~Enjoy~




Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons True Lemon
6 tablespoons water
1/4 cup milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and blend until well combined. Add True Lemon and water; mix well. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour. Mix until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and let cool completely.

Lemon Poppy Seed Monkey Bread

Lemon Poppy Seed Monkey Bread

Looking for a quick and easy treat to whip up during this busy Easter holiday weekend? Well, this Lemon Poppy Seed Monkey Bread should do the trick.

This light, fluffy bread glazed with lemon and poppy seeds is extremely easy to make and tastes delicious. You don’t even need to make dough, as long as you have a loaf of frozen bread dough already in your freezer. Just take the dough out of the freezer, thaw, and your ready to proceed. I try to keep a loaf of frozen bread in my freezer at all times, because it stores well and can be used in place of freshly prepared dough in so many recipes.

I think this monkey bread would make a wonderful addition to an Easter brunch menu, but given that it’s so easy to prepare, you can whip it up in no time and enjoy it any day of the week.

Happy Easter everyone!! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

~Enjoy~




Lemon Poppy Seed Monkey Bread

1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 packets True Lemon
1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 loaf (1 lb.) frozen bread dough, thawed

Directions:
Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted pan or a 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan.

In small shallow bowl, combine sugar, True Lemon and poppy seeds; mix well.

Separate dough into 1-inch pieces and roll into balls. Dip each ball into melted butter; roll in sugar-lemon-poppy seed mixture. Arrange in prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 22-26 minutes or until golden brown. (Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly)

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen edges; remove from pan and place on serving plate. Serve warm.

Lemon Chocolate Chip Muffins

Lemon Chocolate Chip Muffins

I’m so glad it’s finally March. To me it means that we’re one step closer to Spring! After receiving 119.9 inches of snow here this season, I’m really looking forward to seeing green grass and flowers again. A lot of folks around here are really hoping we break the snowfall record of 132.8 inches. Since we only need 12.9 inches of snow to tie the record, and we average 13.9 inches of snow from March 1 to April 30, I guess it’s possible… but I’d really rather not.

I find that one thing that really helps me get over the gloom of Winter and puts me in the mood for Spring, is baking citrus treats. I decided today to make some Lemon Chocolate Chip Muffins. I don’t know if any of my readers use any of the True Citrus products, but I absolutely love them. They’re so convenient, and they keep very well in a cabinet or pantry. Whenever I decide to make anything that calls for lemon, lime, or orange juice, I only need to go to my pantry and grab a few packets of whichever flavor I need, and I’m good to go.

For this recipe, I only used 1/2 tablespoon of True Lemon, and these muffins came out bursting with lemon flavor. The muffins are moist and light, and the chocolate flavor from the chocolate chips really pairs well with the lemon. The sprinkling of granulated sugar on top also adds a wonderful crispy texture to the muffins that I really love.

~Enjoy~




Lemon Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon True Lemon
1/4 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan or line with paper liners.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve True Lemon in the 1/4 cup water. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, eggs, and milk together. Stir in lemon water. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling three-fourths full. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar evenly over tops.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.

Makes 12 muffins.