Lemon curd biscuits

Let's not stop the tea party just yet...and extend it just a teensy bit longer, shall we? I need to put the little tea cups and china I bought on our recent trip to London to good use.

So let's sit a spell and have another cup of tea.  Nothing fancy, but we need something to nibble on.  I know!  How about some lemon curd biscuits to go with our cuppa?  Doesn't that sound good?  A traditional crisp, buttery, British-style biscuit with a refreshing taste of lemon is just the thing to go with a cup of tea on a spring afternoon.  

After we braced the long lines and gawked at the crown jewels at the Tower of London, I bought a couple of souvenirs...the tea cup I'm using here and a little book full of recipes for afternoon tea.  This biscuit recipe in that book called out to me because I adore lemon (and other citrus flavors in desserts) and these biscuits actually have a bit of homemade lemon curd stirred into the dough itself to give it a nice strong lemon flavor.

The dough is a bit dry and I likely handled it a little more than I should have.  I found these biscuits best eaten the day they're made and I really enjoyed the flavor of them...a lovely blend of sweet-and-tart from the lemon curd.  The neat thing is you start the recipe by making a small batch of lemon curd.  After using a portion of it for the biscuits, you end up with a little extra lemon curd as an added bonus!

These lemon curd biscuits are great on their own.  But you know me...I dipped some in chocolate.  Absolutely not necessary but it's a near reflexive move that I can't control at times.  Either way, with or without chocolate, it's just about taking a break and enjoying simple things.  Even if it's a tea party for one sometimes, it's nice to take a moment to treat yourself.  

After the biscuits are made, you still have a small bonus amount of homemade lemon curd leftover.  It's an excellent excuse to bake a fresh batch of (British-style) scones, which is just what I did!  Maybe we have a renewed appreciation for British-style scones now because my family and I enjoyed these immensely over Sunday breakfast.  Lemon curd is simply delicious with scones! 

Use the extra lemon curd from this recipe as a spread for scones

Lemon chiffon cake

I truly love chiffon cakes - that springy, light, moist and tender cake that showcases everything eggs have to offer.  So here I am with another version I made a few days ago - lemon.

My love for chiffons is pretty well-documented.  I started with "plain" vanilla (still my favorite go-to) and went on to banana-chocolate, chocolate, and orange.  Now, I can add lemon to my list of delicious chiffon cake options.  And really, they never disappoint so please pick one and make it!

When it comes to cake, I think my family and I are up for anything regardless of the season or temperature.  But if we're going to be more mindful about it, a light chiffon cake - especially one flavored with fresh lemon zest and a touch of lemon juice - is a great way to go as far as dessert for these hot summer days.

After the whirlwind of June, and as we adjust to our new summer routine, I still can't seem to stay away from the kitchen for long.  It's nice to sit and be idle for a bit but I quickly feel the urge to get into the kitchen and bake something (then write about it here).  I make old favorites but also want to try something new.  And not finding myself with a huge backlog of things I want to make, I had the pleasure of looking through some of my cookbooks the other day for inspiration.  This lemon chiffon cake is what I landed on.

And it did not disappoint!  It's classic chiffon cake, with a flavor that's clearly lemon but yet mild and oh so familiar.  I could eat this anytime (and I say that every time I eat it)!

Since we all know how well lemon goes with fruit, feel free to grab some of those strawberries or blueberries you very likely have in the fridge and enjoy it together.