Linda in the Kitchen

seasonal eats & healthy treats, made with Love.
  • Made with Love
  • Meet Linda!
  • Category: Cupcakes/Cake

    • Lemon Yogurt Cake

      Posted at 6:30 pm by lindainthekitchen
      Dec 6th

      Lemon, lemon, lemon…there’s no such thing as too much lemon!  So here we have yet another lemon recipe (I just can’t help myself!).  I’m headed to Santa Cruz today to see the Cockerham-Bauhofer bunch – I CANT WAIT!  I thought lemon yogurt cake with Limoncello would be the perfect treat (my dad makes homemade Limoncello from our Meyer Lemon tree)  to bring.

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      I don’t know about you, but I LOVE Ina Garten.  The Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks are always a go-to!  I was excited to make Barefoot Contessa’s Lemon Yogurt Cake (which is really just a loaf).

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      Lemon Yogurt Cake
      Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

      Ingredients:

      1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
      2 teaspoons baking powder
      1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
      1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Greek Yogurt)
      1 1/3 cups sugar, divided (I used a bit less sugar than called for)
      3 extra-large eggs
      2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (I, of course, doubled the lemon and added 4 teaspoons)
      1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
      1/2 cup vegetable oil
      1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (Again, I used more! About 1/2 cup)

      For the glaze:

      1 cup confectioners’ sugar
      2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

      Directions

      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan. I tried to use oil, but I found that it didn’t work quite as well as butter.

      Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.  In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar (I used a little less), the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.  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.  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.  Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get too brown on top!

      Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

      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 mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

      For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

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      For a less sweet option, you could leave off the glaze for more of a lemon loaf.  Perfect for morning coffee!  Speaking of…while we had the oven on, we decided to continue baking.  We being me and my mom – we had a mother-daughter baking night!  Homemade granola makes the house smell delicious.  We use oats, coconut oil, coconut flakes, honey, pumpkin seeds, pecans, dried cherries…a bunch of good stuff!

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      My parents are going away for the weekend to spend the weekend at a beach house in Bodega Bay with friends.  My mom wanted to make cookies to bring.  Again, Barefoot Contessa is the go-to!  What could possibly be a better combination than peanut butter and chocolate?!  Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies, yes please!

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      Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
      A Barefoot Contessa Recipe
      Ingredients
      1 cup butter
      1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
      3/4 cup light brown sugar
      2 large eggs
      1 cup smooth peanut butter (We used fresh-made peanut butter from the machine at Whole Foods)
      2 teaspoons vanilla extract
      2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
      2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks (We used 1 bag of 60% Cocoa Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips, yum!)
      1 teaspoon baking powder
      1/2 teaspoon salt
      Directions:

      Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.  In a small bow, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet ingredients, just to combine.  Stir in chocolate. Bake at 350 for 17 minutes. Cookies will seem underdone, but do not let brown on top.

      We made the batter and put it in tupperware in the fridge, so she can bake them fresh when she gets to Bodega Bay.  So…I only got to taste the batter, but BOY was it delicious!
      Meanwhile, my dad was cooking up a storm making Minestrone Soup from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  It’s a recipe we’ve made repeatedly over the years, altering it each time depending on what we are in the mood for.  Ingredients that you can add or leave out are beans, pasta, potatoes and meat.   Beans, any beans!  Kidney beans, Great Northern beans, Cannellini beans, etc. are all good choices.  Pasta: any type of pasta you prefer, I’ve even added mini cheese raviolis!  Also, sometimes I leave out the potato for a healthier soup.  Meat: the recipe calls for pork, but we always do vegetarian.  A great option for those that eat meat is to roast some chicken and put it on top.  This time, we left out the beans and added a shell pasta.  Make a fresh mixed greens salad with radicchio and a balsamic vinaigrette and BAM, the perfect dinner, perfect for a cold night!
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      Made with love, Linda
      Posted in Cupcakes/Cake, Muffins/Breads/Scones | Tagged Barefoot Contessa, Chocolate, Ina Garten, Lemon, Meyer Lemon, Peanut Butter, Yogurt Loaf
    • Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

      Posted at 6:26 pm by lindainthekitchen
      Nov 25th

      Congratulations Dan + Lora!

      Although this is a recipe I have already posted, I couldn’t help but share it again!  I made these Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting for Halloween.  They were such a hit, that I was asked to make them again for Lora and Dan’s wedding. 

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      Lora and Dan tied the knot on Saturday at the Marin Art & Garden Center.  Hors d’ouevres, appetizers and drinks were followed by a red velvet cake, a chocolate cake AND these cupcakes.  Mmm, dessert!

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      Frosting the cupcakes the morning of the wedding while packing up our apartment and moving from San Jose to San Francisco was quite a task!  Somehow this was all completed successfully (although I’m not sure how!). 

       

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      Transporting the cupcakes was not easy…a couple cupcakes were compromised en route (darn, we had to eat them!).  Somehow the rest made it!

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      It was a BEAUTIFUL day in Marin and the weather was absolutely perfect.  The ceremony was held at the Redwood Amphitheater.  Their dogs Boo and Bella were part of the ceremony with little doggy neck ties – too cute!

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      Congrats Lora + Dan!

       

       

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      Cheers!

       

      Posted in Cupcakes/Cake | Tagged cinnamon, cream cheese frosting, Cupcake, fall, icing, Pumpkin, wedding
    • Happy Birthday Vince!

      Posted at 10:52 pm by lindainthekitchen
      Nov 20th

      For Vince’s birthday this past Sunday, I decided to surprise him with a special cake…a T-Rex cake!  T-Rex is college nickname that has stuck with him post-college…and it’s not going away anytime soon!

      For this cake, I ordered the mold online.  I bought the frosting and a yellow cake mix (yes, store bought cake mix…but that’s what the mold called for!).  Since it was a box cake, there isn’t a fun baking story behind this one, except for the fact that frosting the darn cake took about 3-4 hours to complete.

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      Et voila, a T-Rex cake!  He was more than surprised, and it was a big hit at the party, so I can definitely call this cake a success.

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      No…we did not ONLY eat cake…there were some finger foods also…not as fun as the T-Rex cake, though!  I picked a French Brie Cheese, a Spanish cheese called Drunken Goat (a favorite of mine that Vince now loves also), and some cheddar and salami.  Homemade hummus, pita chips, breadsticks and some grapes also made an appearance…yum!

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      I also made a Whipped Ricotta with Lemon & Olive Oil from Joy the Baker, one of my favorite easy appetizers. It was perfect on toasted sliced Baguettes from The Model Bakery.

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      Toppings included heirloom tomatoes, sliced cucumber, peppadews (my new obsession), marinated artichoke hearts, fresh green olives and marcona almonds.

      Oh, and I forgot to mention, I also made LOTS of Lemon Crinkle Cookies – my favorite!

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      I made them for the first time a year ago for Vince’s birthday and have made them more times than I can count.  They seem to be requested for every occasion now!

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      It was a beautiful day in Napa, so we had the party in the backyard and made a fire in the fire pit once the sun started to disappear.  Overall, it was a great day with great friends and a VERY GREAT guy!

      Happy Birthday Vince!

      xoxo

      Posted in Cupcakes/Cake, Parties, Snacks/Sides | Tagged Baking and Confections, Birthday, Cake, Cooking, Finger food, Home, Olive, Sunday
    • HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

      Posted at 4:11 pm by lindainthekitchen
      Oct 31st

      HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

      HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

      During the holidays, I tend to overindulge in the baking category.  This is a recipe from Damn Delicious that I was really excited to try.  These Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting turned out so moist and, quite frankly, DAMN DELICIOUS!

      Halloween is a pretty big deal in the Ciatti Company office.  We take Halloween very seriously…costumes  are a must!

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      I was a cupcake…”you are what you eat” never had so much truth to it!

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      On that note…I think it’s time to go snatch another cupcake before they’re all gone!

      This recipe definitely falls under the “seasonal eats” and not the “healthy treats” category. There really isn’t anything “healthy” about these cupcakes…I mean, come on, they’re cupcakes and it’s Halloween… so INDULGE! For the holidays, we all must indulge a little…plus, they are just too good to pass up!

      Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

      Recipe posted by:  Damn Delicious

      Ingredients

      1 cup all-purpose flour
      1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
      1 teaspoon baking powder
      1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
      1/2 teaspoon baking soda
      1/2 teaspoon salt
      1 cup pumpkin puree
      1/2 cup sugar
      1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
      1/2 cup vegetable oil
      2 large eggs

      For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting

      12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
      1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
      3 cups confectioners’ sugar
      1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
      1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

      Yield 9 (Note:  I was able to make 12 cupcakes!)

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      ENJOY!

      Posted in Cupcakes/Cake | Tagged cream cheese frosting, Cupcakes/Cake, halloween, Pumpkin
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