Ingredient: lemon juice

Lemon Scones

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Lemon Scones

Yellow is the color of happiness and sunshine. These adorable Lemon Scones will bring you a burst of lemony brightness even on the grayest day. The pretty, vibrant yellow sparkling sugar adds a pleasant crunch to the tops. It’s a nice contrast to the soft, tender interior of the scones. These little gems would shine on any breakfast or brunch table. I served them with blueberry jam and green tea, which was so delightful, I’m still smiling.

 

Lemon Scones

by Mari Vasseur
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 12 scones

Ingredients
  

Lemon Scones

  • 1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • 7 tablespoons (99g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • Zest of 2 medium lemons
  • â…” cup (156ml) cold heavy cream plus more for tops
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
  • Yellow sparkling sugar*

Icing

  • â…“ cup (40g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon heavy cream
  • 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions
 

Lemon Scones

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until well blended
  • Work the butter and lemon zest into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size chunks form.
  • Stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice until a shaggy dough is formed. If your dough seems too dry, you can add 1-2 more teaspoons of heavy cream.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times. Do not overwork the dough.
  • Pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch round, about 3/4-inch thick. Cut out rounds using a 2" or 2 1/4" inch round cutter.**
  • Place the scones about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the scones with heavy cream. Sprinkle generously with sparkling sugar.
  • Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 16-19 minutes.
  • Cool completely on a wire rack. Decorate with icing.

Icing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream and enough lemon juice to form a stiff icing.
  • Transfer the icing to a piping bag or a plastic zip bag. Snip off the tip of the bag. Pipe lines in a spoke pattern onto the scones.

Notes

*To find the sparkling sugar I used, click here.
**To find the cutter I used, click here.
Keyword lemon, scones

Lemon Blueberry Cloud Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Once, some time ago, I made some soft, melt-in-your mouth cookies and posted them on the internet. A viewer got triggered and insisted that cookies must be crunchy. I have to disagree! Cookies can be crunchy, crisp, soft, chewy, sandy or anything your heart desires. These soft, pillowy cookies are light and airy like little clouds. They could almost be called little cakes. The texture is similar to whoopee pies, but not as sticky. They’re delightfully delicious and have been well-loved by my family for two generations. They’re perfect for a spring teatime treat or alongside a glass of lemonade at a picnic.

Lemon Blueberry Cloud Cookies

Soft, pillowy cookies made with ricotta cheese and fresh blueberries, topped with a tangy lemon icing
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients
  

Cookies

  • 2 cups (255g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (240g) ricotta cheese, room temperature
  • Zest of 1 large lemon
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (142g) blueberries plus extra for the tops

Icing

  • 1 ½ cups (181g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 dash fine sea salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) lemon juice

Instructions
 

Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth Add the ricotta cheese, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. On low speed, gradually mix in the flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.
  • Place rounded tablespoon-size portions of dough about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Top the cookies with additional blueberries. (If your cookie dough is sticky and hard to work with, refrigerate it just until it's easier to work with, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.)
  • Bake until the bottom edges of the cookies are lightly browned, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Top the cooled cookies with icing. Best eaten the day they're made.

Icing

  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, salt and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of lemon juice until well combined. Add additional lemon juice as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth.
Keyword cookies, lemon blueberry

Pink Lemonade Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

This cheerful little loaf cake feels like a spring or summer picnic with lemonade and sunshine. It’s similar to a pink lemonade cake that my elderly neighbor used to make when I was growing up. She made it for all the neighborhood kids and we always gobbled it up. When I was about ten years old she taught my friend and me how to make it. She used a yellow cake mix in a large baking pan and poked holes all over the cake, then drenched it in a pink, sugary lemon icing. I transformed that happy pink lemonade memory into a delightful loaf cake made from scratch.

To watch the TikTok video, click here.

Pink Lemonade Cake

A tender, moist loaf cake that tastes just like pink lemonade
Print Recipe
Course Brunch, Dessert
Servings 1 8 x 4-inch loaf

Ingredients
  

Pink Lemonade Cake

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 oz or 142g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 59ml) whole milk
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 59ml) sour cream
  • 1 cup (7 oz or 200g) sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 ½ teaspoons strawberry extract
  • 1-2 drops pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*

Lemon Syrup

  • juice of one lemon
  • ¼ cup (1 3/4 oz or 50g) sugar

Icing

  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz or 28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (4 oz or 113g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2-2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon strawberry extract
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 tiny drop pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*

Instructions
 

Pink Lemonade Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF (163ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 X 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
  • In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest and strawberry extract until smooth.
  • Stir in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk mixture. Stir just until combined. Stir in food color a little at time until your desired shade is achieved.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare lemon syrup.
  • Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Poke holes all over the top of cake with a skewer.
  • Brush the warm cake generously with the lemon syrup. Let the cake cool completely, then top with icing.

Lemon Syrup

  • In a small saucepan, combine the juice of one lemon with enough water to equal 1/4 cup. Add sugar and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Icing

  • In a medium bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the strawberry extract and a pinch of salt, until smooth. Add more lemon juice until your desired consistency is reached. Mix in gel food color.

Notes

*To find the gel food color I used, click here.
Keyword cake, pink lemonade

Strawberries & Cream Profiteroles

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Strawberries & Cream Profiteroles

Imagine you’re in a beautiful room, reclining on a plush velvet chaise lounge. There’s a dainty table nearby. On the table is a cake pedestal with a little pyramid of small, perfectly plump, pink pastries. They’re filled with sweet, luscious strawberry cream. And they’re all yours. This Strawberries & Cream Profiteroles recipe can make that dream come true. Maybe not the velvet chaise lounge, but really any comfortable chair will do while you indulge in these delicious little gems. Profiteroles have a way of making you feel regal and majestic. I think princesses and princes snack on them. Most of us don’t have a personal pastry chef or the budget to order from a French bakery every day, but we can certainly follow a recipe and make one of the easiest pastry doughs there is. Choux pastry or pate à choux is used to make profiteroles, cream puffs, eclairs, churros and other pastries. Once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.

This recipe features fresh strawberries, but frozen strawberries will work too. You can also substitute raspberries or peaches. To find the recipe for Peaches & Cream Profiteroles, click here. The strawberry purée can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator. To make it easy on myself, I like to make the strawberry purée on day one, the pastry cream on day two, then make the profiteroles and strawberry icing and assemble on day three. It’s also helpful to practice the French culinary style of prep, mise en place, which means to have all of your ingredients and equipment in place before you begin. Everything will go much smoother and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.

 

Strawberries & Cream Profiteroles

Mari Vasseur
Bite sized choux pastry puffs filled with fresh strawberries and cream filling and topped with fresh strawberry icing
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 18 profiteroles

Ingredients
  

Strawberry Pureé

  • 12 ounces (340g) strawberries, hulled and sliced About 2 1/2 cups after hulling and slicing
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon strawberry extract

Strawberries and Cream Filling

  • 1 cup (237ml) whole milk
  • â…“ cup (66g) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (17g) cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Strawberry puree recipe above
  • â…” cup (156ml) heavy whipping cream

Profiteroles

  • ½ cup (118ml) water
  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (64g) all purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs room temperature

Strawberry Icing

  • ¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) reserved strawberry purée
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ teaspoon strawberry extract

Instructions
 

Strawberry Purée

  • Purée the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Strain the puréed strawberries through a sieve into a small saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice.
  • Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the strawberry purée is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Stir in the strawberry extract. Set aside to cool completely

Strawberries and Cream Filling

  • Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  • Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the egg and whisk until smooth.
  • When the milk starts to boil, remove from heat and pour 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
  • Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture through a sieve placed over a bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and let cool completely.
  • Set aside 2 tablespoons (30ml) of strawberry purée. Add the remaining strawberry purée to the cooled pastry cream and stir until well combined. Cover strawberry pastry cream and chill in refrigerator.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whip the heavy cream, with an electric mixer at high speed, until stiff peaks begin to form. Fold the whipped cream into cooled strawberry pastry cream. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Profiteroles

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF (205ºC). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Combine the water, butter and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat. Add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball.
  • Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed until steam dissipates and mixture cools to lukewarm. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl.
  • Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. (I used Ateco tip 808.*) Pipe 1 1/4-inch mounds, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Smooth the tops lightly with a wet finger.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven heat to 350ºF (180ºC) and continue baking until golden brown, about 8-10 more minutes. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick a small hole in each profiterole to allow steam to escape. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Use the tip of a paring knife to make a pilot hole in the bottom of each profiterole.
  • Place strawberries and cream filling into a piping bag fitted with a medium round piping tip. (I used Wilton tip 12**) Place the tip into the pilot holes and fill each profiterole with filling.

Strawberry Icing

  • In a medium -sized bowl, whisk all of the icing ingredients together until smooth. Spoon over the filled profiteroles. Refrigerate profiteroles until ready to serve.

Notes

*To find Ateco tip 808 click here.
**To find Wilton tip 12 click here.
Keyword profiteroles, strawberry

Blueberry Earl Grey Tarts

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Blueberry Earl Grey Tarts

These Blueberry Earl Grey Tarts have three individual components, which, when combined together, are absolutely delicious. I experimented with each separate component of this recipe until I perfected them individually. The tart crust is flaky and tender, yet sturdy enough to hold the filling. The filling is just sweet enough for my sweet tooth and the whipped cream has just enough Earl Grey flavor.

This recipe makes enough whipped cream to cover the entire tops of the tarts or you can be like me and try to be artistic and avant-garde with your whipped cream. To make the Earl Grey infused whipped cream, use your favorite Earl Grey tea, whether it’s loose leaf tea or a teabag. We don’t discriminate here. All forms of tea are welcome! I do have a favorite Earl Grey tea. If you want to check it out, click here. The tea will make your whipped cream a dull pale yellow. This issue is purely aesthetic. I added a tiny bit of violet gel food color which brightens the whipped cream. You can add more if you want a lavender shade.

 

Blueberry Earl Grey Tarts

Mari Vasseur
Personal-sized tarts with sweet blueberry filling, topped with Earl Grey whipped cream
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 6 4-inch tarts

Ingredients
  

Tart Crust

  • 1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) ice water

Blueberry Filling

  • 4 cups (about 565-600g) blueberries
  • â…” cup (132g) sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons (12g) corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice

Earl Grey Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup (237ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons Earl Grey tea leaves or 1 tea bag
  • 2 tablespoons (15g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 small drop violet gel food coloring

Instructions
 

Tart Crust

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and salt until well blended. Work in the butter and egg yolk, with a pastry blender or with your fingertips, until pea sized pieces are formed. Add ice water one tablespoon (15ml) at a time until the dough comes together.
  • Form the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to overnight.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough into six 5-inch rounds.
  • Press the rounds into six 4-inch or 4 1/4-inch tart pans. Dock the bottoms of the tart crusts with a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Place the tart pans on a large baking sheet. Line the tart shells with 6-inch parchment rounds. Fill with pie weights. (You can use dried beans or rice if you don't have pie weights.)
  • Bake the tart shells for 12 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Continue baking until the tart shells are light golden brown, about 4-6 more minutes.

Blueberry Filling

  • Set aside 1 cup (155g) blueberries. Combine the remaining 3 cups blueberries, sugar, corn starch and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan.
  • Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until blueberries are softened and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved 1 cup of blueberries during the last minute of cooking. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Earl Grey Whipped Cream

  • Combine the heavy cream and tea leaves or tea bag in a small saucepan. Heat just until bubbles form around the edges.
  • Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Pass the cream through a sieve to strain the out tea leaves or remove the tea bag. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill.
  • Transfer the chilled cream to a large bowl. Whip with an electric mixer until thickened. Add the powdered sugar and food color in separate additions and continue whipping at high speed just until stiff peaks begin to form.
Keyword blueberries, tarts

Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
mini orange olive oil cakes

Ever since a certain celebrity cut a hole from the middle of her favorite olive oil cake back in 2020, the internet has been obsessed with olive oil cakes. I must confess that I was a fan of olive oil cakes long before that. I first tasted one at a restaurant years ago and fell in love. The flavor and texture was so delightful, that all it needed was a dusting of powdered sugar on top. Now that the dust has settled, I’m sharing my favorite orange olive oil cake recipe. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s a really delicious recipe that tastes like spring.

I made cute little orange scented, personal cakes that are really just elegant cupcakes. The recipe is easily adapted to your tastes. You can switch up the orange flavor and substitute with lemon or any citrus of your choice. Even if you don’t like olive oil, you’ll still like these little cakes. I used light olive oil, rather than extra virgin olive oil, for a more subtle olive oil flavor. It’s also able to withstand higher temperatures. Feel free to use your favorite olive oil or replace it with the oil you prefer. Grape seed, avocado, canola and vegetable oil are some examples of oils you can use as a replacement.

This recipe contains almond flour. It helps with texture and flavor, so it’s a necessary ingredient. Almond flour can be pricey, but it’s good to have on hand. Adding it to your baked goods will make them more moist and tender. To find almond flour click here,

 

Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes

Mari Vasseur
Soft, tender mini orange cakes brushed with orange syrup & dusted with powdered sugar
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 12 mini cakes

Ingredients
  

Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes

  • 1 cup (113g) cake flour, sifted
  • ¼ cup (28g) almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…” cup (133g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (115ml) light olive oil
  • ¼ cup (59ml) whole milk
  • ¼ cup (59ml orange juice

Orange Simple Syrup

  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • Powdered sugar for dusting the tops

Instructions
 

Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes

  • Heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 12 serving muffin pan.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, orange zest and vanilla extract together until smooth. Gradually mix in the olive oil and beat until creamy and well blended.
  • Stir in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the milk and orange juice. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
  • Fill the prepared muffin pan cups 2/3 full with batter. Do not overfill or cakes will be more difficult to remove.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops look light golden, but still moist and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. They bake very quickly, so check them a few minutes early to avoid over baking.
  • Cool the cakes in pan for 5 minutes. Remove them from pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Brush the warm cakes with orange simple syrup and allow to cool completely. When the cakes have cooled, dust with powdered sugar.

Orange Simple Syrup

  • In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, and orange zest. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Keyword cake, olive oil, orange

Raspberry Sauce

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Homemade raspberry sauce is a delicious addition to desserts, drinks or pancakes & waffles. This recipe works with fresh or frozen raspberries.

Raspberry Sauce

Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 1 cup

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups (12 oz or 340g) fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/4-1/3 cup (50-66g) sugar depending on the sweetness of your raspberries

Instructions
 

  • Purée the raspberries with the lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Pass the purée through a fine mesh sieve* to remove the seeds.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch.**
  • In a small saucepan, heat the raspberry purée with the sugar and cornstarch slurry to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Notes

*To find a fine mesh sieve, click here.
**To find a mini whisk for whisking small amounts, click here.
Keyword raspberry, sauce