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Thanksgiving Love!

I hope all of you have had a wonderful week!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes with you. I’ve shared this before, but, I’ve tweaked it a bit.

When you make this Old-Fashioned Lemon Pound cake, it’s best to make it in loaf pans. I used to bake this in a tube pan. The cake is still delicious when baked in a tube pan – but I found the exterior was a bit too thick and dark since baking in a tube pan increases the baking time.

If you bake the cake in 2 loaf pans, it turns out just right. I suppose that’s why we often see pound cakes baked in loaf pans – cuts down on baking time and makes a better exterior crumb.

It’s best to use real butter instead of margarine. Some people want to skip grating the lemon rind – don’t skip this step! The fresh lemon rind adds an extra zing to the cake. Also, it’s best to use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Here’s the recipe:

OLD FASHIONED LEMON POUND CAKE

1 ½ cups butter (3 sticks)

3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon

Grated rind of one lemon

6 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup evaporated milk

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Beat butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add sugar ½ cup at a time, creaming well after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lemon extract, juice and rind. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir thoroughly after each addition. Pour into prepared pans. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. If cake is not done after 50-60 minutes, bake longer, until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes; remove from pans.

GLAZE:

Sift one cup of confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Squeeze juice of one lemon into a separate bowl. Remove seeds from the lemon juice. Mix lemon juice with confectioners’ sugar and drizzle over cooled cake.

Enjoy!

I’ll be baking this cake for Thanksgiving. We’re picking up our son from college on Wednesday. We’ll then go to my sister’s place for the holiday. We’ll be staying in Havre de Grace Maryland Wednesday through Saturday.

I might make a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving, too, if I feel like it! Pies taste so much better with a homemade crust.

Folks often debate about pumpkin and sweet potato pie. Which do you prefer?

Will you be baking desserts for Thanksgiving? If so, what are you making?

Coffee Time!

Every morning, I enjoy a large cup of coffee. Here’s a pic of me enjoying my brew earlier today!

Speaking of baking – Jamal in Cinnamon Kisses loves to bake. As a professional cruise-ship pastry chef he shares his passion by creating delicious desserts! A dreamer – he longs to own his own bakery. I think all of us can relate to Jamal. We might have dreams, and we’d love to see those dreams come true.

Thanksgiving is the stepping-stone to Christmas. Christmas is a time for love, baking, and good times with family. It’s also a time to re-connect with old friends.

Cinnamon Kisses is a sweet, delicious Christmas novel – it will warm your heart and soul during the holiday season.

When Jamal returns home – he finds out that his mom is sick & struggling. He wants to help her and take care of her. Worried, he prays for his mom’s healing as he runs into Kelly, his first love.

Kelly has always resented her overbearing father – and longs to escape from her home. She’s never lived on her own. She feels that it’s time to make some important changes in her life. She reconnects with Jamal. He’s like a breath of fresh air that brightens up her life.

Jamal has a problem, and it appears that Kelly is one of the few people who can help him to solve it.

Cinnamon Kisses is a novel that will tug at your heartstrings. If you’ve already read it, then purchase a copy for a friend!