Springtime Lemon Petits Fours

Despite the snow that fell here in Ohio yesterday, it is indeed springtime and you can tell by the brighter, plumper produce at the stores that everything is warming up a bit.  There are so many flavors and scents that make me think of spring, so as soon as the temps start to heat up, I’m usually quick to try a new flavorful recipe.  That is why today me and a few other bloggers are showcasing some fresh, spring recipes for you to try out (links below!)

I am not a huge sweets person, but if I do indulge, I like light flavors like lemon or coconut.  I made these beautiful little petits fours to share at Easter dinner this weekend and they’re so easy I thought you should know about it too. The trick is that I use frozen poundcake to make construction a bit easier. The poundcake is firm and not too fluffy which makes it easy to work with for people who don’t love to bake. Be forewarned, I went a little photo crazy on this one!

Although the pound cake isn’t lemon flavored, a tart filling and a creamy glaze – both laced with lemon – are all it takes to get some big flavor out of these little bites! Ready for the recipe? 

This recipe was inspired by some lemon sticky rolls (which look amazing) but also require making dough from scratch… not my thing. So, I thought about how the same fillings would be great with pound cake.  Since pound cake has a soft butteriness to it, using it combined with the tartness of the lemon creates balance.

Ingredients

Lemon Filling

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 lemons
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Lemon Glaze

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 lemon

Cake:

• 1 loaf frozen poundcake (in frozen dessert section of store)

Instructions

1. Mix together sugar, nutmeg, ginger, and the zest of two lemons. Grind together with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Then mix in the juice from one of your lemons with a spoon. Set aside.

1. Zest one of your lemons and let aside. Whip cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in milk, lemon juice from the previously zested lemon, and confectioners sugar until smooth.

1. Take your frozen poundcake from the tin and cut off all crusts to create a perfectly rectangular piece of yellow cake. Then, cut the rectangle in two long, flat layers. Spread the lemon filling onto one layer and top with the second cake layer. Set the layered cake into the freezer for approx 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, get the cake from the freezer and cut into 10 equally sized cubes. Working over your glaze bowl, soak each square in the glaze until covered and then place on a cooling rack set inside a jellyroll pan. Repeat with all cakes. After all cakes have been glazed, sprinkle a pinch of reserved zest on top of each one.

Don’t they look delicious?  Don’t take just my word for it though, whip some up for your weekend!

Looking for other spring-y dishes?  Look no further than a few of my favorite friends who are all sharing their favorite spring recipes today!

Clara – Orchiette with Kale Walnut Pesto & Lemon Broiled Asparagus

Victoria – Pea, Pistachio, and Mint ‘Pesto’

Julia – Strawberry Paleo Ice Cream