Bites from other Blogs

Tomorrow (August 20th) is National Lemonade Day. As a lemonade fan, I was feeling a bit inspired by the sweet-tart summer beverage this week and couldn’t resist keeping my eyes out for some lemony baked goods that might pair well with a freshly made batch of lemonade.

• The Baked Lemon Donuts with Natural Raspberry Glaze from The Little Things capture both the look and the flavors of summer. The vibrant red glaze gets its color for fresh raspberries, which are pureed and combined with confectioners’ sugar to bring the puree to the perfect consistency for dipping donuts. The donuts themselves are light and cake-like, giving these treats (which are a bit better for you than their fried counterparts) a very satisfying dessert-like quality. You’ll need a donut pan to make these and they can be made in large or mini donut sizes.
• The Gold Lining Girl‘s Roasted Strawberry Lemonade Coffee Cake turns a favorite lemonade flavor into a lovely breakfast dish. The coffee cake base is lightly flavored with vanilla extract and lemon zest. Roasted strawberries are added to the batter, then the whole thing is covered with a cinnamon streusel mixture. The strawberries are slightly hidden by the streusel, so you will find yourself discovering luscious pockets of strawberry as you eat your slice. The cake is finished with a lemon glaze, which highlights the lemon zest in the cake batter and completes the strwaberry lemonade flavor profile.
• Where Is My Spoon put an interesting spin on a traditional carrot cake by baking a Carrot Coconut Cake with Lemon Frosting. This moist loaf cake is loaded with both shredded coconut and shredded carrot, giving it a beautiful orange-yellow color and a dense, tender crumb. There is lemon juice and zest in both the cake and in the frosting that is drizzled over the finished loaf, giving each bite a zesty, addictive quality. The cake is easy to make and would be a fine addition to brunch or as an afternoon tea cake.
• A batch of zucchini bread is always a good way to use up excess summer squash. Mindy’s Bake Shop whipped up a Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake that is absolutely bursting with shredded zucchini. The bundt is flavored with cinnamon, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest, which are a wondreful combination of flavors that really work well with the zucchini. The bundt is finished with a buttery lemon glaze that ties in very well with the cake and gives each bite a bit of additional sweetness.

While I haven’t updated the picture in a while, my Strawberry Lemonade Bars have been a summer favorite in my house for many years. These bars are made in much the same way as traditional lemon bars, but strawberry puree is added in to the topping mixture along with lemon juice. The puree gives the bars a wonderful pink color and infuses each bite with berry flavor – without taking anything away from the fresh lemon flavor. When I bake these, I serve them in small bites as a snack, however you can serve larger slices with a dollop of whipped cream for a pretty plated dessert, as well.