I recently overheard my son tell my Aunt that although I do not believe so, he thinks I am a great baker. He told her that since I started my blog, my baking has improved far beyond what he thought it would. Just being recognized made me feel accomplished and proud.

That same Aunt always says that if you love to do something enough, you will become good at it. It is not a secret that you must have a passion for anything you wish to succeed in. I often admire a good photographer’s pictures because you can see the passion in them, and marvel at people’s artistic creativity, like painters and sculptors. Even a decorator has a picture in their mind, and they are able to flawlessly bring their vision to life.

I believe perseverance has to work in tandem with passion. If you do something long enough, regardless of how many times you fail, you become more skilled at it. The experimenting I do for this blog has left me with better baking skills, for sure. I still wouldn’t call myself a good baker, but rather a more of a skilled baker. Still, hearing my son tell my Aunt that he thought I was a good baker definitely made me feel good. He scored a lot of brownie points (no pun intended) for that, and I have begun baking for him a lot more now that I know how much he appreciates it.

For starters, I made him these cakes, which are so moist and delicious. I love that they are made in mini cake pans! As wonderful as they taste, it makes them so visually appealing as well. The original recipe called for rosemary, but Dorrie suggested switching the rosemary out for thyme or lavender. Since I am not a fan of rosemary, I chose the thyme. The herb contrasts the vanilla extract, adding a savory surprise you normally don’t taste in a cake.The yogurt ensures that these cakes are totally moist and delicious. The lemon zest and orange marmalade provide the yummiest citrus tang imaginable.

This recipe is courtesy of Dorie Greenspan and will serve 12 people who will taste the passion of their baker in every bite.

Ingredients for Lemon-Thyme Mini Loaves

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced thyme
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably Greek
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon or orange marmalade, for the glaze
1 teaspoon water, for the glaze

Center a rack in the oven; preheat oven to 350°F.

Generously butter three 5×3-inch mini loaf pans (or use baker’s spray) and place them on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, rub together the sugar, thyme, and zest until the sugar is moist and aromatic.

Add the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla; whisk vigorously until the mixture is very well blended.

Still whisking, but less vigorously, add the dry ingredients.

Switch to a large spatula and fold in the oil.

You will have a thick smooth batter with a slight sheen.

Turn the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake for 32 to 35 minutes or until the cakes begin to come away from the sides of the pans.

They should be golden brown and a tester inserted into the centers will come out clean.

Transfer the cakes to a rack; cool for 5 minutes, then run a table knife between the cakes and the sides of the pan.

Unmold onto racks; cool to room temperature, right sides up.

To make the glaze:

In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, combine the marmalade and the water and heat until the marmalade is hot and liquefied.

Using a pastry brush, gently brush the glaze over the cakes.

Let stand at room temperature to allow the glaze to set.

Wrapped well, the cakes will keep at room temperature for about 3 days.

Because of the glaze, they are not great candidates for freezing.

It’s that simple!