You can’t have a tea party without dessert. Everyone loves chocolate and this pound cake recipe is sure to be a hit. Lavender Cookies is such a special treat, followed by my favorite Lemon Bars. Your guests will have to try a bit of all three desserts. These desserts also make for a pretty arrangement on your dessert table.
Chocolate Pound Cake
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 (8-ounce) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
Powder Sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour well a bundt pan, leaving 2 inches at the top for the cake to rise.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; beat until fully incorporated.
In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips; stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Add chocolate syrup and butter-sugar mixture; stir until well mixed.
Add 1/2 the milk mixture to chocolate mixture. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, mixing well. Add remaining milk mixture and remaining 1 1/2 cups flour; beat until well incorporated. Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake approximately 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan and invert onto a cake plate.
Dust with powder sugar
Makes 16 servings.
Lavender Tea Cookies
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender flowers
(http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com for the freshest lavender herbs)
1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Lavender Frosting (see recipe below)
In a mortar, grind lavender flowers with the pestle. In a medium bowl, cream together ground lavender flowers, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Add flour and salt; mix until combined (dough should be soft but not sticky.) Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until dough is firm.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove dough from refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough approximately 1/4-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. When cool, frost with Lavender Frosting.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.
Lavender Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender flowers
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
In a small plastic bag, combine powdered sugar and dried lavender flowers. Let stand at least 1 day before using. When ready to use, sift the mixture into a medium-size bowl; discarding lavender flowers.
Add milk and corn syrup, mixing well. NOTE: Additional powdered sugar or milk may need to be added (enough milk to make frosting easy to spread). Spread on cooled cookies.
Lemon Bars
Crust:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered or confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
Extra softened butter for greasing pan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Lightly butter a 13- x 9-inch baking dish and line with parchment or wax paper allowing edges to come over the sides.
Pulse flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor. Add butter and blend, 8 to 10 seconds, and then pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle mixture into prepared baking pan and press firmly into an even layer with slightly raised sides to hold in the filling. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and then bake until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes; remove from oven and let cool slightly. After crust is finished baking, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Lemon Filling:
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from two large lemons)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
1/3 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
Extra powdered or confectioners’ sugar to decorate finished bars
While crust is baking, make the Lemon Filling: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour; stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, and salt to blend well. Pour mixture onto the pan on top of the warm crust.
NOTE: You may set prepared Lemon Filling aside until crust is finished baking. When ready to pour on warm crust, re-blend Lemon Filling mixture and pour into the warm crust.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the filling feels firm when touched lightly. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Grasp the parchment and carefully lift the bars onto a cutting board. Cut into serving size squares or bars, wiping your knife clean between cuts if necessary. Sieve powdered or confectioners’ sugar over bars and serve. NOTE: The powdered sugar will start to be absorbed into the Lemon Filling after several hours, but it can be reapplied before serving.
Storage: 3 days at room temperature, 3 weeks refrigerated (individually wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent drying), or 3 months frozen.
Yields about 2 dozen bars.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Betty Lynch, author of Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen, and owner of My Country Kitchen, Easy Answers to Bring Your Family Together. You may visit her website at http://www.mycountrykitchen.com or her blog at http://www.mycountrykitchen.wordpress.com.
