Lemon Basil Cupcakes with a Lemon Glaze

I had an itch to bake something sweet the other day. Usually when that happens, I mull the idea in my head for hours. Potentially annoyed with the forseeable mess to clean up, I give up the thought at 11pm and go to bed. I really wanted to play in the kitchen though, and I knew that the cleaning lady was coming the next day - so I felt a little bit better about any kitchen experimenting I planned to do.

The basil in my garden is usually reserved for pesto, and a few savory kitchen exploits here and there. While thinking about a lemon basil cream sauce I have made, I got to thinking that maybe basil and lemon could go well together in a cake. Lightbulb moment I tell ya. The cupcakes were yummy, with a very subtle hint of basil. Almost too subtle. Next time, I may use a little more basil or a little less lemon. It was fun playing in the kitchen though.

Lemon Basil Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

Cake:

2 sticks butter, softened
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tsp vanilla extract or paste
2⅔ cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup basil, chopped

zest of two lemons

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the cake ingredients in a large bowl. Divvy up in to the cupcake pans. Bake for around 15-20 minutes, or until cupcakes are done. While the cupcakes are cooling, get to work on the glaze.

To make the glaze, just whisk everything together.

When everything is cooled down, drip the glaze over the cupcakes. Enjoy!

Categories:

Is it a Frittata? A Casserole?

Whatever you call it, it was good. It was something I came up with when dealing with that "must cook dinner" crunch time one evening after work. I have to admit, I have been very lazy with dinner this summer. On nice days, I sit outside with the kids and play until 7pm, when I realize that these kids should probably eat at some point. On the rainy days, I end up running errands. Go figure.

I grabbed whatever random veggies I had languishing in the fridge, and got to work. It turned out amazingly good.


Zucchini/Mushroom/Leek Suprise
Ingredients:

2 medium size zucchini - sliced in thin rounds
1 medium sized yellow squash - sliced thin
2 leeks - sliced thin
handful baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup panko crumbs
handful of fresh thyme, chopped
handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 cup of shredded cheese (mozarella and provolone work)
1/3 cup olive oil (good stuff)
3 eggs
salt
pepper
parmesean


Mix everything together in a big bowl and dump into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle a couple drops of olive oil and parmsean cheese on top and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for around 40 minutes. Serve with a salad. Enjoy!

Categories: