Lemon Tea Cakes

I saw this recipe on Mary's One Perfect Bite website and I can't help myself but to make it immediately. The way she described this light lemony petite cakes bursting with citrus flavor had me go gaga over the concoction. Yes, I am a lemon head. I always have lemons on hand, will usually get a couple of fresh lemons and a few lime when I go to the store. It is good to love lemon!

Lemon Tea Cakes
( Adapted from One Perfect Bite)
Makes 20-24 small cakes

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
Zest from 1 lemon
1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)

Glaze: Combine 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice and 2/3 cup of sugar

Directions

Step 1: Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix well. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350F or 176C.

Step 2: Greased and floured 2- 12 cups muffin tins.

Step3: Beat the softened butter till light and fluffy.

Step 3: Add in 1 cup of sugar and continue to beat till light and well combined.

Step 4: Beat in 1 egg at a time. Make sure eggs are well incorporated into mix after each addition. Add in the vanilla now, if using.

Step 5: Add in flour to mix in 3 batches. Start with the first batch of flour. Mix on low till it is well incorporated.

Step 6: Alternate with milk in 2 batches. This will make it easier to incorporate all the flour into the cake batter. Scrape the side of the bowl occasionally. Fold the lemon zest into the cake batter.

Step 7: Once batter is prepared, spoon batter into muffin tins about 2/3 full. You will get between 20 and 24 cakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes till a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. It takes me 20 minutes to bake the cakes. Let cake cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes.

Step 8: Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by combining 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice with 2/3 cup of sugar. Mix to combine.

Step 9: Place a wire rack onto a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Remove the cakes from the muffin tins, placing them upside down. Glaze the cakes while it is still hot. Use all the lemon glaze. Let cool for another 5 minutes and serve with coffee or tea.

Updates: The Lemon Tea Cakes are all gone within 2 days. That is a first in this house. That goes to show how good this cakes are.

Cornbread Muffins ~ Kenny Rogers Muffin Wannabe

I remember when Kenny Rogers Roasters first hit town in Malaysia. My friends and I will go there for lunch after school and they make the only southern style cornbread muffins in Malaysia at the time. It was a realtively new food to me as the muffins I was used to were either chocolate or berries flavored. To combine corn in sweets, that was something new.

My first venture in making cornbread muffins is not a unique story. Just like any novice cook at the time, Jiffy mix cornbread seems like the perfect good solution. It was easy, convenient and cheap. Most of all, it works.

Years later after endless dabbling in baking and researching for recipes, the faithful day came when I finally venture into cornbread baking from scratch. I found many recipes online but few of the recips meet my criteria of making the Kenny Rogers style cornbread muffins. See, in the south, the cornbread recipe is not sweet. However, what they did not tell you is that cook usually poured gallons of honey after the baking process onto the cornbread to sweeten it. Something that a friend from the south told me.

Well, I want my Kenny Rogers style cornbread muffins and after some un-numbered times of trial and error, may I present to you my Sweet Cornbread Muffins.

 Cornbread Muffins
(Makes 12)

Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 - 1 cup sugar (depending on the sweetness you like)
2 tsp  baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup corn kernels plus 1/2 cup for mixing into the batter
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
4 Tbsp melted butter

Directions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 450F or 232C

Step 2: Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

Step 3: In a food processor, combine the eggs, 1 cup of corn kernels and sour cream. Process for a minute till mixture is well blended. If you are using cream-style corn, just use a cup of the cream style corn and 1/2 cup of sour cream in the mix.

Step 4: Pour the liquid mix into the flour mix. Pour in the melted butter. Fold lightly to combine.

Step 5: Stir in the 1/2 cup of corn kernels. Batter will be thick.

Step 6: Prepare a muffin tin lined with muffin cups. Spoon cornbread batter into cups. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cups.

Continue till all batter has been used.
Step 7: Bake for 12-15 minutes till cornbread is done and golden in color. Test with a skewer. Skewer should come out clean when insert into the center of a cornbread muffin.

Let cool on wire rack. Serve as is or with a bowl of chilli.