The next holiday is just under 2 weeks away! St. Patrick’s Day festivities are just barely over with and already, we are making preparations for Easter. Usually, there is more time between St. Patrick’s Day and Easter, but this year, Easter falls closer to the beginning of its range of dates. (Easter can fall on any date between March 22nd and April 25th.) And while we may not know exactly who is coming for Easter dinner, we do know what we’ll be serving! As is often the case, the first menu item I established was the dessert.

I am partial to lemon desserts at Eastertime. Not only do Eric & I both love lemon flavored things, but the bright yellow color of lemons symbolizes sunshine and reinforces the certainty that spring (and summer!) are definitely right around the corner and the dreary winter weather we are experiencing will end soon. Even if it does not seem like it based on the daytime temperatures. So, a light & lemony dessert is the first recipe up for our Easter celebration.

Semolina & Almond Lemon Cakes (adapted from bonappetit.com)  Makes 12 small cakes

Ingredients:

For the cakes:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal
• 1/2 cup semolina flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the lemon syrup:

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

Preparation:

Make the cakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk together the almond flour, semolina flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

With an electric mixer on high speed, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until it is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

With the mixer running, add the eggs and beat the mixture until it is well combined. Add the dry ingredients and lemon juice and beat until it is combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake them until the cakes are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center cake comes out clean, about 25–35 minutes.

Make the syrup: Make the syrup while the cakes are baking. Bring the lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup for 3 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat.

As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, brush or spoon the syrup liberally over the tops of the cakes.

Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and let the cakes cool completely before turning them out of the pan.

The cakes can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Serve the cakes with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Another luscious lemon dessert!  ~Linda

Semolina & Almond Lemon Cakes (adapted from bonappetit.com)  Makes 12 small cakes

Ingredients:

For the cakes:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal
• 1/2 cup semolina flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the lemon syrup:

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

Preparation:

Make the cakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk together the almond flour, semolina flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

With an electric mixer on high speed, beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until it is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs and beat the mixture until it is well combined. Add the dry ingredients and lemon juice and beat until it is combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake them until the cakes are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center cake comes out clean, about 25–35 minutes.

Make the syrup: Make the syrup while the cakes are baking. Bring the lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup for 3 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat.

As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, brush or spoon the syrup liberally over the tops of the cakes. Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and let the cakes cool completely before turning them out of the pan. The cakes can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Serve with vanilla ice cream.