Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

Lisa

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Marking 3 Years at Taste of Home

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Today marks my third year of writing and editing at Taste of Home.

While the last few years I’ve celebrated my work anniversary on some really amazing press trips (one to Sonoma County, California and the other to Texas), this year I’m marking the occasion by hanging out with some of my best gal pals from work (outdoors and at a safe distance, of course).

Considering this milestone, I wanted to share a few of my proudest accomplishments and some cool projects I’ve worked on.

My Babka!

Last December, my babka recipe appeared on the cover of Taste of Home. It was such a huge, huge thrill! It’s an accomplishment that I’ll dine out on for years to come.

If you want to learn how to make it, check me out!

Trying New Things

This job provides me with the opportunity to try a lot of fun new foods, products and cooking techniques.

Recently, I got to give Caraway cookware a try and I’m in love.

Taste of Home’s Baking Club

No secret here: I love to bake (and I think I’m halfway good at it!). For a little more than a year now, I’ve been playing a big part in Bakeable, Taste of Home’s baking club.

I write a lot of our baking articles, coordinate our Facebook group and create Taste of Home’s baking newsletter. It’s my favorite work project of all time (even better than sampling boxed wine for work).

Connecting with Others

While COVID has definitely put a damper on this, I love how Taste of Home allows me to connect with other cooks and bakers. I particularly love chatting with the ultra-talented Test Kitchen crew. Without that team, I would keep baking Bundts that stick to the pan.

I’ve also had the opportunity to chat with some pretty amazing people in the outside food community, too. I’ve interviewed Christina Tosi twice (!!!), and it was such a joy and pleasure.

I cannot forget the amazing team I work on, either. I’m lucky to count so many of these gals as good friends.

If you can’t get enough of me, check out everything I’ve ever written for Taste of Home!

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Stitchy Woman // Fall + Halloween Cross Stitch Plans

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via The Witchy Stitcher

While staying home, I haven’t been doing a lot of embroidery. Since in-person craft fairs are on hold, I decided to put my stitching business on hold (a few commissioned projects aside).

But I haven’t put the needle down! In fact, I’ve been working on cross stitch more and more while quarantining. I’ve finished up this cute Schrute Farms piece and made some major headway on this St. Basil’s project.

Since I’ve really been making some good progress on this slow form of stitching, I figured I could slate in a few seasonal projects for my favorite time of year: spooky season!

I downloaded a handful of patterns to keep me busy all through fall, and I’m organizing a virtual Stitchy Woman Club at work. Having Hocus Pocus or The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on in the background isn’t mandatory but strongly encouraged.

via The Witchy Stitcher

Here are the patterns I picked up:

I’m so excited to get moving and grooving on these with a few spooky shows on in the background. Happy haunting, everyone!

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What I Read // August 2020

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August is my biggest reading month traditionally. That’s because my family and I go up north and live off the grid for a week. With no TV, internet or cell service, it leaves you with a lot of time for reading.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, that trip was canceled. Instead, I tried to read the sort of books that I especially enjoy when I’m at the cabin: thrillers and gothic novels.

The Safe Place by Anna Downes • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not long into this book, I thought I had the plot pegged. I thought I knew what the twists were going to be. I had it all wrong, and that was such a wonderful surprise.

This was the perfect suspenseful summer read: An out of work actress gets a too-good-to-be-true job as a housekeeper at a remote French estate. Sure, the owners are a little wacky, the home is kept under lock and key, but like that’s fine right? You guessed it: It’s not.

The Two Mrs. Carlyles by Suzanne Rindell • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read The Other Typist by Rindell years back and absolutely loved it. When I saw this newer release of hers, I bit. Three grown orphans are scattered to the wind after San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake and find their footing (and lose it) in various ways.

It was a satisfying read (OK, listen—I got this one on Audible), but perhaps slightly predictable. It didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story though.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was looking forward to this release for months and it did not disappoint.

I loved how walked the line with its setting. Yes, it was indeed set in Mexico as the name indicates, but a lot of the story centered around an English family, tying in those classic Gothic motifs.

What Happens at Night by Peter Cameron • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took me a minute to warm up to this read. Partially because I wasn’t in love with the narrator (but he grew on me) and partially because I rarely read books by men.

But I ended up really enjoying this story about a couple that travels a long distance (presumably to Siberia) to adopt a child. Of course, the plot is not as simple as that and I really found myself enjoying this listen.

The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell • ⭐️⭐️

This book just wasn’t for me, despite a thousand indications that I’d love it. A woman and her sister inherit a dusty old estate where some previously unknown (to them) family murders took place? And two witnesses to the murders live in a cottage as caretakers? Sounds like my sort of thing!

But it wasn’t. The reveals weren’t that shocking to me or even that important. And I absolutely loathed how the central character was the producer of a docuseries that was so similar to Making a Murderer—like point by point. It was just not original enough in that regard.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read The Hunting Party when it first came out last January. I devoured it. It was just the thing to read in the midst of winter.

The Guest List was just right for summer and just as intriguing. I won’t give too much away here because the fun of this book is getting to know all the characters, but the gist is a couple is set to get married on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. The story then follows the couple and a few others associated with the wedding. Oh and murder.

This was the perfect type of escapism for me. I highly recommend this book (and The Hunting Party).

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to The Widow’s House by Carol Goodman earlier this summer and absolutely loved it, so when I saw another one of her books was available for free with my Audible subscription, I instantly downloaded it.

This book checked a lot of boxes for me: girls’ boarding school, remote location, cult-like pacts, mysterious deaths. It doesn’t get much better!

I was kept guessing and intrigued throughout. Plus, it was a great listen during all the puzzling I’ve been doing.

• • •

See what I’m reading now on Goodreads!

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Small Goals // September 2020

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Welcome to September! I’m ready to embrace all things fall (even if it’s still warm outside).

Also quick update from July’s goals: I tackled two of them on that list within the first week of August (I finished my popover dress and made a recipe from Heirloom Kitchen). Better late than never! Now onto how I did with August:

  1. Update my photo here on the blog. Done is better than perfect, right? I might tweak it, but it’s one of my favorite recent photos. Plus, it combines two things I love spooky stuff (that’s Salem!) and books.
  2. Sew a shirt. I didn’t do this. It’s still on my project list, though! I’ll share when I make it.
  3. Stitch up a hoop for a friend. I did this and I got a custom commission this month.
  4. Become a planner person. Yes! This has really helped me organize my workdays. Who would have thought?!
  5. Organize the linen closet. Done!

4/5. I feel good about what I accomplished this month. I struggled a lot this August, so being able to look at the month and still call it a success in some regards feels good.

As for September, I am ready for it! I love fall, I love the cool nights and the back-to-school feelings. Time to embrace a few new habits and settle into a new season.

  1. Get my typewriters up and running. I’ve got two vintage typewriters at home—one from the ’20s and one from the ’60s. They both still click-clack away, but they desperately need ink. I have grand visions of becoming a serious letter writer with these gadgets.
  2. Start on some Halloween projects. I love Halloween and all things spooky. I recently downloaded a few scary cross stitch patterns and can’t wait to work on them!
  3. Bake apfelkuchen. The Taste of Home baking club’s monthly recipe is this old-fashioned apfelkuchen. I’ve gotta make it.
  4. Tackle a sewing project. I’ve got a few projects on deck, including that mushroom shirt, a skirt pattern from my great-grandma’s stash and a few more masks. I’d like to check one of these off the list.
  5. Do two workout videos a week. Plain and simple!

That’s all for me today, folks! Enjoy a safe Labor Day weekend.

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The Popover Dress // My Second #stayhomeandsew Make

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Back in March, Gretchen “Gertie” Hirsch tossed out the hashtag #stayhomeandsew to inspire people to stay in during the pandemic and make the most of the time indoors.

I’ve definitely been taking that challenge to heart. To date, I’ve made 157 masks and now two dresses (I made a kaftan too, but it’s not ready to wear yet). You can see my first dress here in all its zebra print glory.

This time I made the Popover Dress from Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses in some adorable ice cream fabric that I picked up in the spring (thanks to Z Fabrics in Maine for always coming through with the best cotton prints).

Making this dress was one of my goals for July. I came a little late. I finished it the first weekend of August. Better late than never!

Making the Popover Dress

Right now, I’m all about comfort. Physical comfort, yes, but also making projects that are comfortable and not overly challenging. The Popover Dress fits the bill in both regards.

In terms of construction, the dress is one pattern piece. That’s it! (OK, plus another for the facing, but more on that later). It truly doesn’t get much better than that.

Sewing this dress is, as promised, jiffy. I made the dress in an evening and hemmed it the following morning.

A few words on the sizing here: SIZE DOWN! This dress is essentially a tent (in a good way). Go by your bust measurement and adjust the armhole openings as needed (I find Gertie’s armholes are often a bit tight).

Changes I Made to the Dress

I am turning into one of those people who cannot leave a perfectly good pattern or recipe alone—I always tweak it.

For the Popover, I omitted cutting out the armhole facings. Instead, I used single-fold bias tape as a facing. I like this method so much more. Plus, I like how you can add a little contrast with the color you choose.

I also ditched the patch pockets that are included with the pattern and added pockets along the side seam. This is a pretty easy addition. I just used a pocket pattern piece from another dress and added them in. Easy!

And while I really like the shoulder bows, I decided to keep this dress really simple. It’s already covered in ice cream cones—no need to gild the lily.

So How Does It Fit?

I love this dress and how it fits—especially for something so simple.

Essentially, this dress is a tent. Worn as-is, it’s the most comfortable housedress you’ve ever had.

Add a belt and it’s suddenly fit for everything from brunch with the gals to date night to a summer party (haha—those things don’t exist right now).

But really, this dress is perfect for quarantine times. It’s a great project to get your mind off the world, it’s super comfortable and cute enough to wear for your next Zoom meeting.

And if I’m on a Zoom call with you, yes, my cat wants to see your cat.

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I Can Pickle That Pt. 2 // Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

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This summer, I’ve made at least four batches of my classic bread and butter-ish pickles. I must say, they’re even better this season. An extended stay with salt made for crunchier pickles and my mother-in-law’s crazy cucumber crop was a boon.

But I’ve got about 15 jars of the same kind of pickle in my fridge, so I thought I’d branch out and try a new type of pickle—something with some punch.

Enter my spicy garlic dill pickles!

via GIPHY

These are easy-to-make refrigerator pickles—no special canning know-how needed. Plus, you can easily modify this recipe to fit your preferred spice level.

How to Make Spicy Garlic Dill Refrigerator Pickles

I make smaller batches of these pickles (just two pounds of cucumbers) since spicy stuff isn’t for everyone. But you could easily double or triple this recipe. Here’s what you’ll need for a small batch:

  • 2 pounds of cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons pickling salt
  • 6 spicy peppers (your choice) chopped with seeds
  • ½ onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, gently crushed
  • 2½ cups vinegar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dill seed
  • Pinch of turmeric

Step 1: Prep the Cucumbers

Start by washing your cucumbers and removing any spines. Give ’em a quick pat dry.

Then using a mandoline or just a knife, slice the pickles very thinly—about an eighth-inch thick.

Then toss the cucumbers in the pickling salt and let them sit for 30 to 60 minutes. This will draw out a lot of the water in the cucumbers which you want for crunchy pickles.

While the pickles are sitting, thinly slice the onion and set it aside.

Step 2: Rinse the Pickles

After your pickles have been sitting for a while, rinse them well in cold water. Pat them dry and pop them into a dry bowl.

Add in the onions.

Step 3: Make the Brine

In a small sauce pan, mix together the vinegar, coarsely chopped peppers, sugar, garlic, dill seed and turmeric. Give it a quick stir and bring to a boil.

A word on the turmeric here: It’s solely for color. If you don’t have it, don’t rush out to the store just for this recipe. A pinch of this spice just helps the pickles look a little more vibrant.

Step 5: Package the Pickles and Enjoy!

Once the brine has come to a boil, pour it over your cucumbers and let the mixture come to room temperature.

When it’s cool, pop the pickles and the brine into jars and refrigerate. You can crack open a jar after an overnight stay in the fridge. Refrigerator pickles like these will keep in the fridge for six months.

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The Bread I Cannot, Will Not Stop Making [Chive + Garlic Focaccia]

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I have a few tried-and-true recipes that I make on a regular basis: cookie brittle, compost cake, this piña colada zucchini bread. Time to add another regular bake to the list: chive and garlic focaccia.

I started making this bread back in the spring when the only plant growing in our garden was chives. I never considered myself much of a chive fan, but I decided to make use of the one fresh thing I had by tossing it in a bread dough. Now, I’m a big fan of chives, and I’ve made this bread probably ten times in the last four months.

This bread is super easy to make and doesn’t require any out of the ordinary ingredients. I bet you already have everything you need right in the pantry.

What You Need for Chive and Garlic Focaccia

As I said, you don’t need a lot to make this bread, and like many of my favorite recipes, you can make some pretty easy substitutions.

  • 1⅓ cup warm water
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • Packet of yeast
  • 3½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup olive oil + more to top
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt + more flaky salt to top
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • Fistful of fresh chives, finely chopped

If you don’t care for chives or don’t have them, sub in another herb. Rosemary, oregano, basil or even dill would be great in this dough. If you don’t have fresh herbs, dried work! Just don’t go overboard—a tablespoon total is enough.

Full disclosure: I used the minced garlic you find in a jar. I add a heaping spoonful and call it good. I say it’s about four cloves worth.

Another substitution: You can use a heaping teaspoon of quick-rise yeast if you don’t have active dry yeast at home. This recipe is pretty forgiving, so don’t be worried if you need to make some small changes.

Step 1: Proof the Yeast

If you’re new to bread, using yeast is the most daunting part, but really don’t fret too much. Just fill up a measuring cup with warm water. I go by feel, but if you want to be precise, just be sure not to go over 110ºF. Any hotter and you’ll kill the yeast.

Stir in the sugar and yeast and let it sit for a few minutes until it begins to froth.

Step 2: Stir Up the Dough

This dough is so easy to put together. Just mix together the flour, water-sugar-yeast mix and olive oil with the dough hook of your stand mixer. Then add the salt, garlic and all the chives and mix until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and creeps up the hook.

Step 3: Knead and Rest

Next, turn out the dough onto a floured worktop and knead for five minutes. A lot of breads require a lot of kneading, but not this focaccia. You want it to be fairly tender, so there’s no reason to keep laboring over it to develop a ton of gluten. Five minutes of work is enough.

When you’re done kneading, pop the dough into a greased bowl and let it rise for an hour.

Step 4: Press into the Pan

After the dough has pretty much doubled in size, press it into a 13×9 sheet pan, cover and let it rise again. The second rise on this bread is pretty short: 20 minutes will do the trick.

Step 5: Add Dimples, Oil and Salt

This part is my favorite. Once the dough has puffed up a little bit, press dimples into the dough with your fingertips. You’ll want to press until you can feel the bottom of the pan (but don’t rip through the dough). Make little divots all over the bread.

Then take your extra virgin olive oil and drizzle oil into all of those dimples. Sprinkle some flaky sea salt over the top and toss this in the oven.

Toss in a 400ºF oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

When it’s cool enough to remove from the pan, take it out and enjoy! I love a slice or two while the bread is still warm. The dough is so soft and tender thanks to the short knead time and ample amounts of olive oil. I like when I find a salty slice—it gives it a nice little crunch on top!

How to Serve Focaccia and How to Store It

I think this is a pretty good focaccia recipe, so I eat this bread without adornment (and I eat it for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner). It’s just so good.

However, if you want to not live on bread alone, you can serve this focaccia up alongside a big salad or a tasty Italian dish. I like to make it with this skillet zucchini lasagna from Half Baked Harvest.

If the bread is a bit past it’s prime, I toast it up and cover it with butter and garlic powder for easy garlic bread. You could just toast it plain and use it for sandwiches, too.

As for the timeline on this bread, it’s definitely at it’s best the first day, but if you wrap it tightly, it’s good for about three. After three days, it starts to dry out. But that’s where the garlic bread and toast ideas come in!

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What I’ve Read During Quarantine Pt. 4

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I’m debating whether or not to keep calling this “What I’ve Read During Quarantine” because quarantine isn’t over and doesn’t look like COVID-19 is slowing down anytime soon. So to make myself a little less sad, I might convert it to a monthly reading summary. Thoughts?

Whatever the case, I have lots of thoughts on the books I read (and tried to read) this month.

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Like Wow, No Thank You, I devoured Samantha Irby’s second collection of essays pretty quickly. Like last time, I was cackling to myself within five minutes. I tried to read passages to Michael but couldn’t do it without giggling uncontrollably. Here’s part of what had me laughing so hard:

I’m going to need you to love me on the bus, dude. And first thing in the morning. Also, when I’m drunk and refuse to shut up about getting McNuggets from the drive-thru. When I fall asleep in the middle of that movie you paid extra to see in IMAX. When I wear the flowered robe I got at Walmart and the sweatpants I made into sweatshorts to bed.

But Irby really has a way of talking about love that helps center me. I’ll leave you with another quote, which really nails what long-term love is really about.

Real love feels less like a throbbing, pulsing animal begging for its freedom and beating against the inside of my chest and more like, “Hey, that place you like had fish tacos today and I got you some while I was out,” as it sets a bag spotted with grease on the dining room table.

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wakenhyrst wasn’t really what I was expecting based on the back-of-the-book synopsis, but it was still a fine read.

It had a lot of elements that I love in a good Gothic-style story: family secrets, an inhospitable landscape and demons. It took me a hot minute to get into it, but kept my attention.

My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Obviously I was seized by Hamilton fever like everyone else with a Disney+ password. I’ll be honest—I was really hesitant about it because I really am not interested with that period of history. The Revolutionary War and Continental Congress was just so boring to me (even though I love history).

While I’m still not sold on that time frame, I decided to check out My Dear Hamilton because it was on sale on Chirp and read by my favorite narrator Cassandra Campbell.

For what it was, My Dear Hamilton was a good book. The writers’ portrayal of Eliza was really engaging. She was shy, smart, strong and outspoken when it counted. And the depiction of Alexander was a good counterbalance to how he was written in Hamilton. Both are, of course, interpretations.

Like Hamilton, this book glossed over the Schuyler and Hamilton families relation to slavery (they both were enslavers), and maybe elaborated a bit much on how Eliza and Alexander sympathized with abolitionists.

This all said, if you enjoy historical fiction and this time period, you’ll like My Dear Hamilton.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve picked up this book at the library countless times but never got around to reading it. But I kept returning to it again and again because, simply, I love me some miniatures. If left unchecked (meaning if I lived alone and was independently wealthy), I’d probably go deep into the world of dollhouse making.

Anyway, I enjoyed this book. Honestly, what I liked best was the description of all the tiny figurines. I’m just into that sort of thing. And the story wasn’t what I was expecting (in a good way).

I’ll be honest—I wasn’t really satisfied by the ending, but I enjoyed this book nonetheless.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a difficult one in some ways. It was intriguing and a quick read for me, but the subject matter is tough and the characters challenging. But that’s what made it a good read.

The book dives into the relationship between a high schooler, Vanessa, and her English teacher—a relationship that quickly turns physical. And it’s a dynamic that lingers for years, affecting Vanessa in ways she doesn’t want to recognize—even as the Me Too movement emerges.

I don’t think this book is for everyone, but I found it engrossing.

The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane by Kelly Harms • 🤦🏻‍♀️

I couldn’t finish this book. After getting about a third of the way through I had to put it down.

I wanted to like this book so badly. Really. The premise: Two women move into a HGTV-style Dream Home in Maine. I mean, what’s not to love there? I love Maine. I had an unreasonable fascination of the HGTV Dream Home as a child. And I was craving a bit of a lighter read.

But there was a lot here I couldn’t really manage. First and foremost was the really casual treatment of domestic abuse. It was written in a comical way and I just really didn’t like that.

I felt like the author was trying to be funny all the time, even when the situation didn’t call for it. It took away all the depth the characters could have had. It was like the author was trying to prove how funny she was constantly—not how good of a storyteller she could be.

But the third strike was a line about how people who are not talented enough to cook bake. Let’s make this clear: This is not true. I could write about 5,000 words to that effect.

But to me, this comment (along with the aforementioned critique) just proved that the author didn’t really know what she was writing about. I didn’t need to read another 250 pages to prove it any further.

Perfect Little Children by Sophie Hannah • 🤦🏻‍♀️

Another book I couldn’t bear to finish because the characters’ behavior was just nonsensical.

The idea here is that a woman sees an old friend of hers one day, someone she hasn’t seen in a decade. The children seem unaged—looking to be only five and seven instead of the teenagers they should be. I mean it sounds loopy but intriguing, right?

But I couldn’t bear it. If you’ve read this, please tell me the end because I couldn’t get past 25% on this one.

• • •

As always, you can see what I’m up to on Goodreads. Whether you want to follow me or not, I highly recommend Goodreads. It’s the best way to keep track of what you’ve read and what you’d like to check out next.

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Small Goals // August 2020

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I’ll be honest, I’m debating whether or not goals posts are relevant or even appropriate right now in the midst of a pandemic. At the same time, having something to work toward (even if it’s small), feels good.

Until I decide, check out how I did in July:

  1. Make a popover dress. Nope, but I did cut it out. That’s half the battle, right?
  2. Try five workout videos. I’ve found a lot of good Body Pump vids on YouTube. Plus, I figured out how to get the videos to play on the TV.
  3. Clean the carpet. It’s way too hot and humid to do this right now.
  4. Get canning supplies. Done! I picked up a canning essentials kit at Target and this Ball canning book. Also, my mother-in-law was getting rid of all her canning stuff so I have dozens of jars at the ready.
  5. Making something from Heirloom Kitchen. I didn’t do this, but I have the ingredients for a few dishes (just had to eat up some other stuff first)

2/5. While I did well with home-based goals in June, I had a much harder time in July. I found July to be a bit of a slog, honestly. Was it Mercury in retrograde? Cancer season? Mars in Aries? ALL THREE CONSPIRING AGAINST ME? Or maybe it’s just living through months and months of a global pandemic.

Whatever the case is, I’m looking to push forward into August. Just because I’m in a bit of a way, doesn’t mean I can’t get some stuff done.

  1. Update my photo here on the blog. Guess what—that picture of me on the sidebar is like six years old. I wish I looked that fresh-faced and glamorous! It was originally taken as a headshot for Boston Store’s blog (RIP). It’s the prettiest I’ve ever looked, but it’s out of date.
  2. Sew a shirt. Bad news: Ben Franklin is going out of business. But before they shut up for good, I snagged a lot of fabric including a mushroom print that seems destined to be a shirt.
  3. Stitch up a hoop for a friend. Back in March, I sent a friend a birthday card saying I’d get her hoop when quarantine was over. Well, it’s not over and won’t be for a bit. May as well make that hoop up and drop it in the mail.
  4. Become a planner person. No, not the artsy bullet-journal type of planner-person, just someone who uses calendars more effectively. I’ve got some more duties at work, so I think getting some creative plans out on paper might be helpful.
  5. Organize the linen closet. Just regular maintenance. I give the closet a good clean about once a year, and over 12 months it just falls into disarray. It has reached peak disarray.

There you have it! Five very boring goals for August. That’s life in a pandemic for you.

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Very Lemony Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

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Today I am happy and satisfied. Why? Because after two months—yes, two months—of waiting our oven is finally fixed! Finally! I almost cried.

The second the work day was over, I was in my kitchen. I had dreamed of this day. What would be the first thing I’d bake? I had been dreaming of gooey chocolate chip cookies for a while, but managed to stem my cravings with Tate’s Bake Shop Cookies (they are very crispy, but taste homemade). Maybe the focaccia bread I froze months ago? Maybe a quick pan of brownies?

And then I thought of a practical, tasty bake. Something that could serve as dessert, breakfast and a snack: a lemon poppy seed loaf cake.

I love poppy seeds. I love lemon. I love eating cake for breakfast. Now let’s get baking.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Recipe

To make this cake you’ll need:

  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest from 2 large lemons
  • Juice from those 2 lemons
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ salt baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1¾ cups flour
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (sour cream would also work—but I was out)
  • ¼ cup milk (or half and half or cream)

As you can see from the recipe, you can play this one a bit fast and loose. If you don’t have yogurt, sour cream is totally fine (I actually prefer it). If you don’t have milk, use another dairy product—it’s NBD. No vanilla extract? Almond would also taste good. Almond and poppy seed is another favorite combo of mine.

Step 1: Cream Ingredients

This bread is simple to put together. I just used my hand mixer. I was too eager to start baking to drag out the stand mixer.

Start by creaming together the butter, sugar and vanilla until well combined. Then add in the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. This will help incorporate some air into the batter for a light, fluffy cake.

As for vanilla extract, I’m fairly particular—even in recipes that have other dominant flavors. My preferred vanilla is Nielsen-Massey Mexican vanilla extract, but their Madagascar-Bourbon vanilla paste is also good.

Step 2: Bring in the Lemons

My big complaint with a lot of lemon breads and cakes is that they are not lemony enough. That’s why I really amped up the lemon in this cake.

Add in the zest of two large lemons and then the juice of those lemons. And when I say large, I mean it. Also, I had some orange zest in the freezer, so I added about a teaspoon of that for kicks.

Step 3: Alternate Wet and Dry Ingredients

Next, quickly mix together your flour, poppy seeds, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl. Add it alternatively to the batter with the milk and yogurt.

Like I said before, if you don’t have Greek yogurt, sour cream works just as well. Yogurt lends moisture and acid to the batter, too, so it’s a good substitute. As for the milk, use milk, cream, half and half—it all works.

Stir together until just combined

Step 4: Bake

Pour the mixture into a greased 8″x4″ loaf pan and bake at 350ºF for 60 minutes (start checking on it around the 50-minute mark).

When it’s done, pull it out of the oven, let it cool on a wire rack and remove from the pan when it’s near room temp.

If you wanted, you could top this cake with a simple glaze of confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla extract, but I truly don’t think it needs it. We’re still in quarantine—no need for frills.

Overall, I’m really satisfied with my first bake in months. It was quick to put together after work and ready to eat as dessert.