lemon

• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Use a floured baking spray on the entire interior of a bundt or tube pan.
• Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup of the fresh lemon juice, canola oil, all of the lemon zest, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl occasionally.
• Pour the batter into the pan and level it. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.
• After another 10 minutes, assemble glaze to create a thick, slow-dribbling consistency. Drip it over the warm cake to coat the top and ooze along the sides. Cool cake completely.
• Store cake covered at room temperature. Pieces can be individually sliced to take on the go or to freeze for later.

OM NOM NOM!

• Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Apply nonstick spray to both pie plates.
• Stir together the lemon zest, flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter, egg yolk, lemon flavor, and vanilla extract. Use hands to compress dough together to make a ball. Divide in half, placing one in each pie plate. Flatten dough with palms to create an even surface. Prick surface all over with a fork then use a knife to slash dough into triangular wedges.
• Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until edges are golden brown and middle is set. Remove from oven and cut again along slash marks. Let shortbread cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice to create a glaze with a consistency to drip and keep shape. Drizzle all over shortbread. Let set, then cut again along existing marks.
• Shortbread keeps for several days at room temperature. It can be stored covered in pie plates, or stacked in a sealed container with wax paper between the layers.

OM NOM NOM!

Make the lemon cake

• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
• Mix together the white sugar and 1 Tablespoon of the lemon zest; reserve remaining zest for the frosting. Using fingertips, for about a minute rub zest into sugar to deploy the inherent oils. Whisk in the olive oil followed by the eggs. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt. Keep beating until the sugar is dissolved.
• Beat in the flour and baking powder until just combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Pour batter into the cake pan.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cake cool in pan about 10 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and 3 Tablespoons of the lemon juice until smooth.
• Invert the cake onto a large cooling rack. Stab cake all over with chopstick or skewer. Set a cookie sheet beneath the rack. Drizzle or brush the honey-lemon mix all over the cake. Let cool for about an hour.

Frosting

• Combine cream cheese, salt, the rest of the lemon zest, and a Tablespoon of lemon juice; use rest of juice otherwise. With a hand mixer, beat on medium-high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and beat until pale and fluffy, about a minute.
• Reduce the speed and gradually add the confectioners’ sugar. Once it’s all in, increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the cake to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Use an uneven spatula to spread 1 1/2 cups frosting all over the top of the cake. Place cake in fridge to chill for 15-30 minutes. Once frosting has hardened. Slice in half crosswise and stack the halves. Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of cake, getting all of the odd angles, nooks, and crannies.
• Refrigerate cake, uncovered, at least 30 minutes before serving. For longer than that, cover with plastic wrap; it’ll keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and can also be frozen in individual slices. Serve cake right from fridge.

OM NOM NOM!

• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Apply nonstick spray to pan; place parchment round inside, then spray to coat that as well.
• In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. whip the eggs at high speed until they are foamy, about a minute. Reduce the speed to medium to add the white sugar. Continue to beat until it becomes thick and pale, about 2 minutes.
• With the mixer going, pour in olive oil. Pause to scrape sides of bowl. Add the almond flour, half & half, all of the lemon zest, and both extracts, mixing until combined.
• In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the moist mix. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Prep the apple. Core it, leaving the peel intact. Cut into thin slices of equal size. Pour reserved lemon juice over the apples, tossing them to coat.
• Place apple slices on top of batter in fanned-out groups of about five, having them face different angles all around the top. NOTE: as the batter is very sticky, the apples will be nigh impossible to move after they are placed, so make careful decisions. Sprinkle the sliced almonds around the edges and in the gaps between the apples.
• Bake for about 50 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Set on rack for 15 minutes before removing the ring from the pan. Serve warm, or cool completely, keeping the cake on the round base. When slicing the cake, be aware that the peel is pretty but may resist the blade–it’s easier to snip through with a pair of kitchen shears.
• Cake can be sliced and frozen for later, but it will taste best at room temperature or warmed.

OM NOM NOM!

• Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Wash and dry the lemon, then zest it; set aside lemon. If using fresh rosemary, shear leaves from the stem. Place zest in 13x9 pan along with olive oil, thyme, and rosemary. Bake pan in oven for 12 minutes.
• While the zest is infusing the oil, thinly slice the lemon and remove seeds. If desired, remove tails from shrimp.
• Pull out pan. Add shrimp and lemon slices--be wary, oil may pop from the dish! Mince garlic cloves into the pan; gently stir everything. Place back in oven to cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, until shrimp is heated through. Add sprinkle of salt and pepper.
• Serve atop pasta, rice, zoodles, cauliflower rice, etcetera. The hot lemon oil is also great for dipping bread.

OM NOM NOM!

• Wash, dry, and zest both lemons and orange. Set aside the fruit for another use.
• Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into a loaf pan and extend up the long sides, like a sling. Apply nonstick spray in pan, then press in parchment and add more spray. Set aside.
• In a big bowl, beat butter, sugar, and zests together until they are fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Add eggs one by one, followed by the vanilla paste. The batter may look a bit curdled.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add it into the butter mix along with the milk. Batter will now be thick.
• In a small bowl, toss together the candied orange bits and the teaspoon of cake flour to coat. Fold it into the batter.
• Pour everything into the prepared loaf pan and even out the top.
• Bake for 40 minutes. Rotate pan in oven. Bake for another 40 minutes. Test the middle with a toothpick for doneness, and bake for another 5 to 20 minutes, until the toothpick comes out clean.
• Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes, then use the parchment to lift it onto a rack to cool completely.
• Make the vanilla glaze by mixing together all the ingredients until they are smooth and at a thick, pourable consistency. Immediately drizzle and smear over the top of the cake, letting excess artfully drip over the sides. Let glaze set for 30 minutes, then slice in.
• Wrap cake and keep at room temperature. It can also be cut into individual slices and frozen for later enjoyment.

OM NOM NOM!