Braided stuffed lemon bread

Very infrequently do I eat what I bake.  Extremely rare is when I eat a lot of something that I bake.  One of those things are cinnamon buns.  The other is this braided, stuffed lemon bread!  I've been known to go through half a loaf the day I bake it.  I've made it with the original recipe, and I've added raspberry jam, too.  Once I even made a mini one with scraps and added some peach preserves.  They're all good.  I've chosen to stick with the original recipe today, because I think the lemony-ness (a totally real word, by the way) is fresh and tasty, and just what I would want on this summery day.

* These loaves are a little smaller than you would assume, given the amount of dough that this recipe yields.  That's because I divided it into thirds and saved one third of the dough for an experiment (that you may or may not see up on the blog soon. *

Braided, stuffed lemon bread
Originally from King Arthur Flour, found by me on Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

3/4 cup warm water
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp instant yeast (I use Rapid Rise)
1/2 cup flour

For the dough:

All the sponge (see above)
3/4 cup plain of vanilla yogurt (I found this recipe via Smitten Kitchen, and she recommended using sour cream, which is what I did)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Buttery Sweet Dough flavor (or vanilla)
5 cups flour
Egg wash (for brushing)
Pearl sugar or sparkling white sugar (for sprinkling on top.  For the longest time, I couldn't find pearl sugar, so I used large crystal sugar, which worked perfectly fine.)

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

2/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (I used a little extra for an extra lemon-y flavor)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup lemon curd*

* For the lemon curd - you can use store bought or make your own....if you make your own, I highly recommend following Smitten Kitchen's recipe, which you can find here, but I recommend doubling if you are making the full dough recipe.

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients.
Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10-15 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sponge, yogurt (sour cream), butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and flavoring.
Add 4 and a 1/2 cups of flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass.
Switch to dough hook and knead on speed 2 until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5-6 minutes, adding more flour if needed.

Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 60-90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.

* If making your own lemon curd, now is a good time to make it *

While the dough is rising, prepare the cream cheese filling.
Combine all of the filling ingredients (except the lemon curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free.
Set aside.

Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half.
Cover half with plastic wrap and set it aside as you roll out the first piece into a 10" x 15" rectangle.
Placed the rolled dough onto a piece of parchment paper.
Lightly press 2 lines down the dough lengthwise, to divide it into 3 equal sections.
Remove the corners of dough.
Spread half of the cream cheese filling down the middle section, and top with half of the lemon curd, leaving 1" free on all sides of the filling.

To form the mock braid, cut 1" crosswise strips down the length of the outside sections, making sure you have the same number of strips on both sides.
Flip the top piece over onto the filling.
Beginning with the left, lift the top dough strip and gently bring it across the filling diagonally.
Repeat on the other side with the top dough strip, so that the two strips crisscross each other.
Continue down the entire braid, alternating sides.

Repeat the process with the second loaf.

Set both loaves aside, lightly covered, to rise for 45-50 minutes, or until quite puffy.

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Brush the loaves with egg wash (1 slightly beaten egg, 2 tsp water, and a pinch of salt).
Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.


And, just to give you an idea of what it looks like with the raspberry jam, I'm adding a picture from a while ago, just to show you:

Key lime pie cupcakes

I've made key lime pie before.  And I've made cupcakes before (for example: these, these, and even these, to name a few).  But this was my first pie-cupcake.  What, I know you're dying to know, is a pie-cupcake?

Well, it is a cupcake baked on top of a graham cracker crust.  And then these were filled with homemade key lime curd and topped with little dallops of whipped cream and a little key lime wedge.  But I think technically its the cupcake-atop-a-crust that makes it what I have dubbed a pie-cupcake.

Regardless of what they are -- or what makes them what they are -- the only thing you need to know is that they are good.  I mean really good.  Light fluffy lime cupcake.  Crunchy delicious graham cracker crust.  Perfectly tart key lime curd.  Delicious!

 

 

 Now, just a warning, this recipe said it makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.  So I made crust for 2 dozen cupcakes.  And I had leftover crust mixture (I'd guess enough to make about 4 more cupcakes).  And then I made the cupcake batter.  I made 24 cupcakes with crusts, another 12 without crusts, and threw away enough batter to easily make another 18-24 cupcakes.  I'm not sure if it was because I let my butter get really soft or if there was another reason, but I had a ton of extra cupcake batter.  And then I made the curd.  The heavenly perfectly tart curd, and I put it in a bowl to cool, and licked the spatula, pot, and strainer clean.  Then I filled about 18 cupcakes and had a bit of curd left over.  If you get a bunch of cupcakes (more than 24), I strongly recommend making a 1 and a half batch.  Unless you like citrus curd (I do, despite it's name.  Curd.  What a yucky sounding word), and then I'd just double it.

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
(adapted ever so slightly from the original recipe)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1.5 cups graham cracker crust
1/4 cup sugar
5 1/3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted.

For the cupcakes:

3 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 Tbsp (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
Zest of 1 lime (or 2-3 key limes) -- I actually found key limes at the grocery store recently and so I used those.
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut extract
I also had some lime extract in my apartment, and since they were key lime pie cupcakes, I added 1 tsp of lime extract as well.

For the filling (Key Lime Curd):

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
4 Tbsp (2 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

For topping:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
6 Tbsp confectioners' sugar
Dash on vanilla extract

*Due to the insane heat spell in NYC, and the journey that these cupcakes needed to take, I actually didn't make the topping and instead  used <<gulp>> store bought whipped cream.  I thought it would stay more stable than homemade whipped cream in the heat.  It definitely worked!  I used cool whip in a piping bag with a tip* 

Directions:

Make the curd.

In a non-reactive sauce pain, combine the eggs and sugar.
Whisk together until well blended.
Whish in the key lime juice.
Place the pan over medium-low heat.
Cook, stirring or whisking constantly, until the mixture is warmed through.  *Be careful not to hear the mixture too quickly to avoid curdling of the eggs.
Whisk in the butter a little bit at a time, stirring in each addition until completely incorporated before adding more.
Continue to cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens and a spoon or spatula leaves a path when drawn through it (not higher than 175F on an instant read thermometer -- although I honestly didn't use one).
Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.  It keeps up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Make the cupcake crusts:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line two 12-cupcake pains with paper liners.
In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter; mix well with a fork.
Drop about 1 Tbsp of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down to line the bottom (the bottom of a shot glass works marvelously).
Bake for 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven, but keep the oven on at 350F.

Make the cupcakes:

Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Whisk together and then set aside.

Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachement.
Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.
Beat in the lime zest. 
Add the sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition.
Mix in the eggs 1 at a time until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Combine the buttermilk and vanilla and coconut (and lime) extracts in a liquid measuring cup.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

Divide the cupcake batter between the prepared paper lines, filling each about 2/3 of the way full.
Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the whipped cream topping:

Combine the heavy cream and confectioners sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whist attachment. 
Whip on medium-high speech until stuff peaks form.
Beat in the vanilla.
Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip.

*As I stated earlier, I was afraid that this whipped cream wouldn't hold up in the heat wave that we're having in NYC, and instead I used cool whip.  I have to say that despite the heat, and the two trips on the subway, the cool whip did not melt or wilt at all.  Just something to keep in mind if your cupcakes will be taking 2 45-minute trips on the 3 train - or a long car ride in the heat*

Assemble the cupcakes:

Using a paring knife, cut a small cone out of the center of the cupcake, and remove (and eat -- you wouldn't want to waste perfectly light and fluffy lime cupcake, would you?!) the cone.
Fill the hole with about 1.5 Tbsp of the lime curd.
Pipe a rim of whipped cream around the top of each cupcake, leaving the lime filling exposed.
Garnish with key lime slices, if desired.

Mini cupcakes with lemon

I needed to test out a recipe.  Well two, actually.  In a few weeks I'll have an exciting blog post up about cakes...but I'm getting ahead of myself....

I needed good yellow cake and lemon frosting recipes.  I hate making things for the first time and serving them.  Do you remember those Thanksgiving pies?  I always think to myself: What if they don't come out well, and people are let down?  So I've made a habit of testing out recipes before serving them to others.  If they turn out well, then great!  I'll serve them to friends, family, my doormen.  Anyone who will take it off my hands.  If they don't turn out well, they go in the garbage and I start trying to figure out how to tweak it or searching for another recipe altogether.

This recipe is the product of testing out two new recipes - both of which (happily) did not disappoint - and using a tried and true recipe to tie it all together.  The finished product?  Mini yellow cupcakes stuffed with homemade lemon curd and topped with lemon buttercream.  They are tangy-sweet bites of deliciousness (but I am admittedly a little biased).

And what did I do with these little bites of yumminess?  I packaged them into one of those adorable egg crates that I had ordered (if you're confused as to what I'm talking about, I direct you to the JulieBakes Facebook page....I'm still trying to get a "like" button on here for Facebook, but I've been having some difficulty.  But please go ahead and like JulieBakes...and forward this on to your friends - sorry, shameless plug), tied them up with yellow twine, and brought them to my friend.

Mini Cupcakes with Lemon

Cupcakes (from none other than Smitten Kitchen):

Yield: Two 9-inch round, 2-inch tall cake layers, and, in theory, 22 to 24 cupcakes, two 8-inch squares or a 9×13 single-layer cake (I have yet to audition the cupcakes, shame on me) - I halved the recipe and got a thick 6" cake, 4" cake, and 2" cake (more about that later), PLUS 14 mini cupcakes
Ingredients:
4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (480 grams) cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt
2 sticks (1 cup, 1/2 pound or 225 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk (475 ml), well-shaken

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter cake pans and line with parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Or, use paper cupcake liners, or you can use a cooking spray.  I used Pam for baking and was very impressed with the results.)

Sift together the dry ingredients EXCEPT for sugar in a medium bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled).
Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Bake until golden on top and cooked throughout (the mini cupcakes took about 10 minutes, give or take a few).

Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan.
Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Lemon Curd:
Check out the recipe here, originally from Smitten Kitchen

Lemon Buttercream Icing:

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp lemon zest (fresh)
2 Tbsp lemon juice (I went with freshly squeezed)
Directions:

Mix the butter, lemon zest, and vanilla together until smooth.
Add milk, and quickly cream it into the butter mixture.
Mix in the confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup at a time.
Once the sugar is all in the bowl, cream on "high" for two minutes.
Mix in lemon juice.

Pipe onto cupcakes using any tip you'd like.  I went with a star-type one.

A twist on French macarons

I have weird cravings.  Not the type of craving where I want to eat something, let alone something weird, but they type of craving when an idea pops into my head and I feel that I must make it.  It's not even that I want to eat it once it's been made; I just want to make it.

This idea came into my head a while ago when I was searching for something else, and I am honestly shocked that I've waited this long to make them.  A few weeks ago, while doing some research on some Dr. Seuss-themed cupcakes, I came across these macarons.  Colored and flavored with....wait for it....Kool-Aid!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Blasphemous, right?  Kool-Aid and high-end French desserts, which sell for upwards of $2.50+ a piece, together?  But it's also kinda ingenious.  Flavor and color in one addition?  I was intrigued.  However, the flavors used for those macarons were not the least bit enticing to me, as I do not like fruit punch, and things that are dyed artificially blue weird me out a little.  Then I started thinking about flavor combinations that would sound good to me.  Chocolate always works but (a) there is no chocolate Kool-Aid that I know of, and frankly even if it did exist, I would NOT want to try it, and (b) I'm saving those for next week.  I kept coming back to lemon/lemonade, but ultimately settled on pink lemonade, because that would lend not only flavor to the macaron but also a hint of color.  Instead of buttercream, I decided that a homemade lemon curd would go really well with the slightly sweet/slightly tart pink lemonade.

They're not as pink as I had hoped, but look at those perfect feet!

Kool-Aid Flavored Macarons

110 grams almond flour (I found almond meal - at Trader Joe's - such a time saver!  Although the only almond meal I found had the skins on them, so my macarons are a little spotted.  In the past, I weighed out 110 grams of almonds and then pulsed them with the confectioner's sugar)

200 grams confectioners sugar

100 grams egg whites (from 3 eggs, separated 24 hours in advance or microwaved for 8-10 seconds - I got impatient and let mine sit for 13.5 hours)

50 grams granulated sugar

1 envelope Kool-Aid (I looked it up, 4.5 grams per packet....I couldn't find packets so I had to buy  an entire container - but I went with CountryTime pink lemonade since Kool-Aid only came in yellow lemonade.  I also had to do some playing around with it, since the packets of Kool-Aid say to add sugar, but the larger containers already contain sugar.  If you use packets of Kool-Aid without sugar in them, keep the original measurements.  If you use the sugar-already-added larger containers, subtract 4 grams of sugar from the original recipe, using 46 grams of granulated sugar.)

1-2 drops food coloring, optional

Lemon curd, see below.  If you choose other flavors of Kool-Aid, you can mix up the flavors of the filling.  Maybe a lime curd, or a raspberry coulis.  Or a good old chocolate or white chocolate ganache.  Or buttercream.  They'd all work, depending on the flavor of macaron that you choose to make.

Directions:

Pulse the almond flour (or almonds) and confectioner's sugar several times in your food processor until thoroughly mixed.
Place your aged egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk until foamy.
Add the sugar and turn the mixer to high, whisking until you have a glossy meringue.
Add the Kool Aid and food coloring, if using, to the egg whites and let the mixer run a few circles through the batter to distribute.
Fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites gently, briskly at first to break up the meringue a bit, until thoroughly mixed. The batter will be a little lumpy but will relax.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe rounds of 1.5 inches along two parchment-lined baking sheets.
Let sit one hour at room temperature (this allows them to get the "foot" that you see on the bottom of the macaron).
Heat oven to 300. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely and remove from the pan.
Not more than 24 hours before serving, pipe 1-2 tsp of frosting onto one cookie and top with the other, gently pressing down (because of the moistness of the lemon curd, I decided to wait to fill the macarons until just a few hours before serving).
Store tightly covered

Homemade Lemon Curd
(This lemon curd recipe is embedded in another recipe, a braided lemon bread, which is absolutely fantastic and I have made it several times - all before I started the blog.  It will eventually make its way onto the blog, but if you're impatient and want to make it beforehand, I highly recommend it!)

3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 tsp fresh lemon zest, finely grated (perfect use for a microplane grater!)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and egg in a saucepan.
Stir in the butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap touches the surface of the curd, and allow it to chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

**Depending on how strictly you keep kosher for Passover, these macarons would be a nice addition to your Passover dessert repertoire, however I am personally hesitant to use Kool-Aid mix on Passover.  I will, however, have a more Passover friendly macaron coming up in the next week or so**