As a lemon lover, I couldn’t resist making these Lemon Sponge Cups. They are a little like a soufflé, with a beautiful crust on top and a scrumptious lemony custard beneath. 

These are impressive for sure. They are exquisite treats that taste like you spent hours in the kitchen, when in reality, they are simple and quick. They are light, fluffy, and oh so lemony!

Just to note, I did not pour enough batter into the ramekins. These sponge cups would have looked a lot better if they had spilled a little over the tops of the ramekins. I would suggest you pour the batter to the top of the cups so that the finished result is just puffed over the top. That is how they looked in the lovely picture in the book. Oh well, I wish they had mentioned that; although I am sure mine tasted just as delicious.

This is a perfect dessert to thrill your family or guests. If you are a lemon-lover like me, I dare you to eat just one!

This recipe is courtesy of Food 52 book, Baking. It has so many uncomplicated desserts; I will be baking many of them for future blogs. Who knows? Maybe I will become an accomplished baker sooner than I thought!

Ingredients for Lemon  Sponge Cups

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
3 eggs, separated 
1 1/2 cups milk
Thin slices of lemon, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.

Put the butter, sugar, flour lemon zest and juice, and salt in a large bowl.

Using an electric mixer or creaming vigorously with a wooden spoon, beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks.

Add the milk and whisk until smooth. 

Gradually stir into the butter-sugar mixture, whisking by hand as you pour.

Put the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl.

Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or whisking vigorously by hand, whip until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold egg whites into the sugar mixture. Since the sugar mixture is loose and liquidy, your batter might be a bit lumpy after folding in the egg whites–do not be alarmed.

Pour the mixture into four to six ramekins or individual soufflé dishes.

Put them in baking pan and pour enough hot water to reach about halfway up to the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 45 minutes. When done, the sponge cups will be lightly browned on top, with a layer of lemon custard beneath.

Let cool slightly before serving, either in the ramekins or turned out onto serving plates. 

Garnish with a slice of lemon.

It’s that simple!

Marcy Goldman is one of my favorite baking authors. Any recipe she creates is reliable, easy to follow and just plain delicious. This Banana-Sour Cream Crumb cake did not only look beautiful, it was scrumptious. Finger-licking good!

It is so moist and fluffy, it is hard to stop taking bite after bite. I added the blueberries, and loved the combination of the banana-blueberry flavors. The soft and smooth texture of the cake was a slice of heaven in every bite!

There is one noteworthy addition. The author did not mention how she made the banana puree. I just peeled 2 bananas and placed them in the processor for a minute or two. It came out perfectly.  Now we know how to make banana puree. I bet this is great on vanilla or chocolate ice cream as well!

I also doubled the ingredients for the topping, as there never seems to be enough.

This is a great dessert to bring to any family or friend dinner. It is a “crowd pleaser” for sure. It will serve 12-14 (yes, it is that big), happy crumb cake lovers and may create some new ones too!

Ingredients for Banana-Sour Cream Crumb Cake

For the Cake:

2 cups sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2  1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup banana puree (about 2 very ripe bananas)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)

For the Topping:

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 to 4  tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly coat a 9-x 13-inch rectangular pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

For the cake, combine the sugar, butter, and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream until light and fluffy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl often.

Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together . 

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until blended.

Stir in the sour cream, then the banana puree and blueberries.

Spoon into the prepared pan.

For the topping, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. (I doubled the ingredients for the topping).

Use your fingers to mix until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.

Place the pan on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for about 55-65 minutes, or until firm to the touch.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before unmolding and cutting to serve.

It’s that simple!

My husband  surprised me one day when he brought home the cookbook, “Everyday Cook” by Alton Brown. He loves peanut butter cookies and when he saw the recipe in the cookbook, he couldn’t resist buying it for me. There are several great recipes in the book that I cannot wait to try.

The recipe is easy, and the cookies are scrumptious! It has just the right amount of peanut butter in it, and combined with he sugar and vanilla, they are heavenly! 

I had to make it a few times  before I perfected the size of the cookies. There are just a few tips you should know before you try this recipe. You do not need a standing mixer, you just mix the batter with a wooden spoon. Once you make the balls, press them down with your fingers to the size you like, then pierce them with the tines of a fork. They do not flatten as much as you would think while they are baking, so you have to mold them to the size you like. I love the imperession the tines make on the cookies once they are baked.

It only takes minutes to whip up a batch of these cookies, and only 10 minutes until you get to eat them! How great is that? I made so many and they are a hit with everyone who is lucky enough to try one.

Happy Baking!

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1  tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350.

Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.

Beat together the peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined with a wooden spoon in a large bowl.

Add the egg, baking soda, vanilla and salt and beat until well combined.

Roll the dough into 1-ounce balls, place 8 per prepared sheet pan, then flatten with the tines  of a fork.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies look dry and are just lightly browned.

Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the sheet pans.

It’s that simple!