lemon zest – FoodWatcher

Lemon Olive Oil Sugar Cookies

Soft, chewy, and lemony sugar cookies made with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter for a unique flavor and a delightful chewy texture—with a delicate crunch on the outside from the granulated sugar coating, they are, simply put, a textural delight. The soft oil-based dough is easily mixed by hand with a spatula or […]

The post Lemon Olive Oil Sugar Cookies first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

The soft oil-based dough is easily mixed by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon, no electric mixer required. The simplicity is just one more reason to love these unique cookies!

Crackly top Lemon Olive Oil Sugar Cookies on marble with a small glass pourer of olive oil, lemons, and a plate of more cookies in the background.

It shouldn’t be surprising (based on the name of this blog) that we go through a lot of olive oil. It’s our go-to oil and we couldn’t live without it (well, we could, but we wouldn’t be very happy about it). That said, I’ll admit I often overlook it in baking projects in lieu of butter. And that’s a shame, because olive oil is actually quite lovely when it comes to sweets.

That was my goal with these cookies: to show how well olive oil works for baking. The result is a soft and chewy sugar cookie straight out of your dreams. They are light in texture and incredibly buttery, surprisingly so, considering they are actually made with no butter at all, but rather, extra virgin olive oil.

You may never use butter for baking again.

(more…)

Lemon Meringue Butter Cake

This moist and fluffy butter cake is bursting with bright lemon flavor, topped with a crispy toasted meringue that practically melts in your mouth. Talk about one unique dessert! So you’ve heard of lemon meringue pie… but what about lemon meringue cake? It’s the delicious dessert mashup you never knew you wanted, combining a tender […]

The post Lemon Meringue Butter Cake first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

This moist and fluffy butter cake is bursting with bright lemon flavor, topped with a crispy toasted meringue that practically melts in your mouth. Talk about one unique dessert!

So you’ve heard of lemon meringue pie… but what about lemon meringue cake? It’s the delicious dessert mashup you never knew you wanted, combining a tender lemon butter cake with swirls of crispy meringue.

Cut squares of Lemon Meringue Butter Cake on a marble background with white knife and stack of plates in the background.

Baking is as much about texture as it is flavor, and one of my favorite tricks to elevate baked goods is to introduce a textural contrast, in this case via a crispy meringue topping.

I’d actually brainstormed and tested a lemon meringue blondie a few years back, which proved frustratingly problematic (the blondie wouldn’t fully bake with the meringue topping, I still have no idea why).

So when I decided to attempt a cake with a similar meringue topping, I pulled out my first test cake from the oven fully expecting an underbaked disaster.

Disaster it was not.

I was pleasantly surprised, as I fully expected this one to give me a lot more trouble (though I still tested it a few times, tweaking the flavors and the proportion of cake to meringue [my first cake was like 4 inches tall, no exaggeration]).

In the end, the butter cake base bakes perfectly in the time it takes for the meringue to get golden brown and crispy, and the result is ever so satisfying, both tastefully and texturally.

(more…)

Strawberry Meyer Lemon Tart

The taste of springtime in one show-stopping tart: a velvety smooth Meyer lemon curd and a layer of bright strawberry jam nestled inside a lemon-scented shortbread crust, and topped with fresh strawberries and edible flowers. Lemon and strawberry come together in a tart that’s as bright in flavor as it is in color. Using Meyer […]

The post Strawberry Meyer Lemon Tart first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

Lemon and strawberry come together in a tart that’s as bright in flavor as it is in color. Using Meyer lemons gives the curd filling a well-balanced sweetness with a vibrant lemon flavor, paired with fresh strawberries and a layer of strawberry jam for a perfect finish.

Rectangular Strawberry Meyer Lemon Tart topped with fresh strawberries, lemon twists and edible flowers.

Technically lemon season is at its end, but, thanks to an over-eager tree trimmer, my aunt had a surplus of lemons that needed to be used immediately. Three days later (the postal service is an amazing thing) I found myself with yet another box full of gorgeous Meyer lemons.

After having already made a lemon loaf cake and lemon mousse cakes and a double batch of homemade limoncello, I decided to revisit an old lemon tart recipe to update and rephotograph.

Well, one thing led to another and I ended up making something entirely different (are you surprised? You shouldn’t be).

Seeing that strawberry season is upon us, combining strawberries and lemons seemed like an obvious choice. While I toyed with the idea of mixing the strawberries into the lemon curd, or even adding a layer of strawberry gelée on top, I ultimately decided to keep it simple and spread a layer of fresh strawberry jam in the bottom of the crust. I was a bit worried the jam would mix with the curd or even migrate to the top in the oven, but, to my surprise, it came out as a beautifully defined layer of strawberry jam beneath a vibrant yellow lemon curd.

(more…)

Olive Oil Pancakes

Classic buttermilk pancakes made with extra virgin olive oil instead of the typical melted butter. With a hint of lemon zest that plays beautifully with the fruitiness of the olive oil, the result is a unique and utterly delicious twist on a breakfast classic. Weekends are for brunching, and these olive oil pancakes will satisfy […]

The post Olive Oil Pancakes first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

Weekends are for brunching, and these olive oil pancakes will satisfy your breakfast cravings without fussy reservations or long waits. Moist, light and delightfully fluffy, with a unique flavor that’s all their own, this may well become your new go-to pancake recipe.

Pouring maple syrup on a tall stack of Olive Oil Pancakes, another plate in the background.

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with brunch. I love the food, of course, from French toast and pancakes to huevos rancheros and eggs Benedict. But Brunch is also a major pain: you either have to go early to beat the crowds, have the foresight to have made a reservation, or be willing to wait for a ridiculous long time for a table.

Instead of dealing with the hassle of the Sunday morning hoards, an easy brunch at home is so much more relaxing (pants not required). At the same time, no one really feels like slaving over the stove first thing in the morning, so a quick and easy recipe is key, and I should have you know that these olive oil pancakes can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes.

(more…)

Pistachio & Meyer Lemon Mousse Cakes with Mirror Glaze

Lemon lovers, this one’s for you! These bright and sunny entrement cakes feature a core of Meyer lemon curd nestled inside a fluffy lemon and vanilla mousse, with a base of crisp and nutty pistachio dacquoise, all enrobed in a beautifully shiny yellow mirror glaze. Lemon and pistachio is a match made for springtime. With […]

The post Pistachio & Meyer Lemon Mousse Cakes with Mirror Glaze first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.

Lemon and pistachio is a match made for springtime. With a tangy lemon curd center and a light and airy lemon mousse, these gorgeous Meyer lemon and pistachio mini mousse cakes are dressed to impress with a shiny yellow mirror glaze and bright green pistachio accents.

Round plate with bright yellow dome-shaped mousse cakes, one cut to show the layers inside; bowl of lemons in the background.

Spring means lemons, and while I’m not usually one for lemon desserts, these gorgeous little mousse cakes are most definitely an exception.

I mean, just look at them! What’s not to love? A joyful combination of lemon, vanilla, and pistachio flavors, they’re like little pops of sunshine… for your tastebuds.

I was the lucky recipient of a box of Meyer lemons from my aunt’s tree in California. Such a delivery always makes me very, very happy, moreso than shoes or clothes or books even. I dedicated about half the lemons for more homemade limoncello (I hope to update the post with more info later this year), but the rest were just sitting in the box, begging me to use them in something unique and delicious.

These lemon and pistachio entremet cakes are certainly that!

(more…)