Lemon-Yogurt Cupcakes

Recipe based loosely on Joy of Cooking‘s Four-Egg Cake. Sometime, I’ll post about my love affair with the Joy of Cooking.

Yield: 9 (You could easily double or triple this. I just live in a two-person household.)

1 1/3 c flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c sugar (I used 1/2 c sugar and 1/2 c Splenda)
1/2 c butter
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1 6 oz. tub plain full-fat yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together, add egg yolks and lemon juice and extract. Blend until smooth.

Add flour mixture and yogurt to butter mixture, alternating, in thirds. Blend well after each addition.

Whip egg whites until “stiff but not dry.” (I love that direction. I have no idea what it means. I just go for slightly bendy peaks.) Add 1/3 of egg whites to batter and blend in by hand to lighten batter. Gently fold in remaining egg whites.

Divide batter among 9 cupcake papers placed in a muffin tin. If your muffin tin has 12 holes like mine, pour 1/2 inch of water in the 3 empty holes to ensure even baking. Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes, checking after 18.

Frost with cream cheese glaze and top with a ridiculously large sliced strawberry. Enjoy.

Cream Cheese Glaze

3 oz. cream cheese
1 tbsp half-n-half
1 c powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and half-n-half together until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar.

Fudgy, moist, and satisfying, this recipe came about because I had two sad-looking bananas in the fridge. I found both Baker’s chocolate and a few chocolate chips in my cupboard, along with some dutch-processed cocoa, and decided to cobble together a quick bread recipe. I made it with Splenda, but sugar would work just as well. I’m not sure if this is good for you, but I’m pretty sure it’s not bad for you. And it definitely packs some chocolatey tastiness.

Triple Chocolate Banana Bread

Yield: One 7 1/2x3x3 in. loaf

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter
2 1 oz sq unsweetened Baker’s chocolate, chopped coarsely
1 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 large or 3 small overripe bananas, mashed (about 2/3 c pulp)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c sugar or Splenda
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 7 1/2 x 3 in. loaf pan by lightly greasing bottom and sides. If desired, lay a strip of parchment paper in the pan the long way to help get the loaf out after it is baked.

Melt together butter and Baker’s chocolate in the microwave. Put it in the fridge to cool while you mix the other ingredients.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

Mash bananas. Add eggs, sugar (or Splenda), and the cooled chocolate-butter mixture. Mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing a few strokes after each batch. Batter should be just blended. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick or knife blade comes out clean when inserted near the center. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Slice and eat warm with whipped cream or peanut butter.

This bread will keep very well if wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the fridge. Freeze in a double layer of foil inside a gallon freezer bag for up to three months.