Lemon Buttermilk Cake
A classic lemon loaf cake may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of fall baking, but it’s what I was in the mood for and so it shall be! :) Lemon cake is one of my best friend’s favorite baked goods, and I think it’s become one of mine as well by proxy. It’s a bakery staple that I’ve made countless times over the years.
This recipe is going to utilize the reverse creaming method. The regular creaming method is the classic way most of us make cookies and cakes: cream butter and sugar together in a mixer until fluffy. Reverse creaming starts by mixing together all of the dry ingredients, then breaking the butter into the mixture. Once a sandy texture is achieved, the air is added to the batter by mixing the ingredients on medium high for a moment, then adding the liquid and eggs together at the end. Reverse creaming still requires a mixer, but could be done with a hand mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer. Compared to standard creaming, the reverse method will give you a lighter cake (from my experience) and it’s a bit easier because you can start with cold butter.
Recipe Notes: To make this as a bundt cake, double the recipe. It can also be baked in a mini loaf pan or mini bundt pan, just expect a much shorter bake time. I highly recommend making the lemon soak, it’s a crucial part of lemon cake that shouldn’t be left out. Otherwise you may as well just make a vanilla cake!
lemon cake
Makes 1 standard loaf
*If using a bundt pan, double the recipe
For the cake:
2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 stick butter (142g), cold and cubed
2 eggs
1 yolk
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the lemon soak:
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 to 4 tablespoons milk, cream, or lemon juice
Candied citrus, herbs, or flowers, to decorate (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease and line a standard sized loaf pan (1lb capacity) with parchment paper and set aside. Baker’s Note: I like to use loaf pans that are more narrow than they are wide, like a pullman pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed.
Add the cold butter cubes to the bowl and allow to mix on low speed for 4 to 5 minutes. The butter will slowly break down and eventually there will be none visible (see example photo at end of this recipe). When the butter is mostly broken in and invisible, turn the mixer up to medium speed for 2 minutes to incorporate some air.
Stir together the buttermilk, eggs, yolk, vanilla and lemon juice. Reduce to low speed and pour in the wet ingredients while the mixer runs. Once all of the ingredients are combined, turn up the speed to medium for 30 seconds, then turn off the mixer.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour (time can vary slightly depending on what loaf pan you choose) or until risen, golden, and set in the center. Test with a toothpick or knife in the center of the cake; if no batter is stuck on the knife after a poke, it’s good to go! You can also try very softly pushing in a part of the cake with your finger, it should rise back into place if the cake is done. While the cake bakes, continue to make the soak and the glaze.
For the soak, combine the lemon juice and sugar for the soak in a small pot. Simmer for 2 minutes and remove from heat. To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar with the cream and whisk together until smooth and slightly runny. If too thick, add a dash more liquid. If too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. No biggie.
When the cake comes out of the oven, poke it all over with a toothpick or skewer and immediately brush on the lemon soak. It can take a few minutes to absorb all of it, so brush it on in several batches. Let the cake cool for 30 minutes, then pour the glaze over the loaf and allow it to set briefly before slicing.
How to store it: Leftover lemon cake will stay fresh in an airtight container kept on the counter for 2-3 days.
Cinnamon Rolls
Photo by Tatijana Vasily
When I was beginning to bake professionally, one of the first yeasted pastries I mastered was the bakery-style cinnamon roll: huge, gooey in the center, and comforting AF. Bread baking was way too intimidating to me as a young baker, so I welcomed the ease and excitement of mixing and baking an enriched dough. A quick mix and a smear of butter, sugar, and cinnamon rewarded me with a beautiful, fragrant roll. As I’ve mentioned before, pastry is all about repetition. That means I’ve probably made at least several thousand cinnamon rolls in my lifetime! Trust me when I say this one of the best classic recipes in my notebook. I’ll provide some pointers in the recipe notes below to help you avoid some common mistakes.
The beautiful photos from this post were taken by Tatijana Vasily, an amazing food photographer who I recently had my first test shoot with! You can check her work out here.
Recipe Notes: Avoid scalding hot milk; too high of a temperature will kill your yeast. Do not roll the dough super thin, or your rolls will look kinda janky (but still taste amazing!). Proof for the proper amount of time -waiting 20 more minutes can make a huge difference. If your kitchen runs hot or cold, you may need more or less time. To test for a full proof, wet your finger and gently press into the side or top of a roll. If the impression stays and doesn’t rise back, you are ready to bake. If the dough springs back and fills the indentation, you need a little more time. Finally, a little salt will go a long way, balancing out some of the sweetness — do not omit or forget!
Photo by Tatijana Vasily
Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 8 big cinnamon rolls
For the dough:
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
1 package instant yeast
2 eggs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
For the filling:
2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
For the glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk, more as needed
Egg wash:
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
Tiny pinch of salt
In a small pot, warm milk and butter over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the butter is melted. Pour into a measuring glass and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, pour in the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix on low speed to combine the dry ingredients. Stop the mixer.
Whisk the eggs into the milk and yeast mixture. Pour the mixture into the stand mixer’s bowl, on top of the dry ingredients, and begin mixing on low speed. Allow the ingredients to combine for 2 minutes, or until a rough dough begins to form. Increase the mixer speed to medium low and continue mixing for 5 minutes, or until a smooth dough forms and begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If your dough seems too slack or wet, add a little more flour, just a few tablespoons at a time.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic and set aside for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough rectangle, about 16” wide by 8” high. Do not roll the dough too thin! It should be about 3/4” to 1” thick.
Spread the softened butter onto the dough with an offset spatula or a pastry brush. Using your hands, spread the brown sugar over the butter, until the dough is evenly and generously coated. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top, followed by the salt.
Lightly pick up one end of the dough and tuck it over onto itself. Continue rolling without applying pressure or stretching the dough. Once the roll is almost finished, brush the top of the roll with a little water and seal it shut. Turn the log onto the seam and allow it to rest for a minute or two and seal.
Slice the log into 2” rolls. Place on a lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap loosely. Allow to proof for 1 hour or more, until the rolls are doubled in size.
30 minutes into proofing, preheat the oven to 350º F.
Make the egg wash. Mix an egg, a tiny pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk until combined.
When ready to bake, brush each roll gently with the egg wash and place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and set.
While they bake, make the glaze. Mix together the powdered sugar and milk, adding more if needed, to create a smooth but runny glaze.
Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes, if you can wait, then glaze generously. Enjoy!
Berry Rhubarb Pie
Some beautiful rhubarb!
Happy May everyone! Spring keeps getting better here in Los Angeles, where rhubarb is still readily available, even at crappy grocery stores. Some of my friends in NYC have complained they haven’t been able to find any yet, which breaks my heart... Fingers are crossed for all of the affected.
I’ve been wanting to publish a pie recipe for a while now, and nothing could be more fitting for early May than a tangy berry rhubarb pie. Fruit pies are my absolute favorite! I try to use what I consider to be a minimal amount of sugar in my pies, and usually don’t add too many fussy ingredients. I used to stress a lot about the appearance of my pies, spending way too much time fussing with the dough and actually overworking it in the process... As I get older I care less and less about this. I just want good flavor and a proper bake.
My main concern when baking a fruit pie is avoiding a soggy bottom, which used to plague almost all of my pies in the beginning of my baking career. Nothing is more disappointing than not being able to get a clean slice from your pies. As mentioned in my Rhubarb & Tahini Blondie recipe, rhubarb has a dramatically high water content around 95%. The soggy bottom that is attempting to destroy your pie will pull in all of that water if you don’t do something about it! To avoid pie heartbreak, we’re going to help the rhubarb shed some of that water by macerating it in part of the sugar and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes. Preferably 30 minutes if you can wait! Waiting is always worth it, y’all.
PSA: cool before you slice!
Recipe Notes: Tapioca starch is used in this recipe instead of cornstarch, something I learned while baking tons of pies at Bakeri. If you don’t have tapioca, you can substitute cornstarch, but I much prefer tapioca in this type of application. A filling with tapioca starch will look more glossy than one made with cornstarch, and also taste better (imho). Lastly, I’m including a pie crust recipe on this post, but I plan on going much more in depth in a future piece only about the magical pâte brisée.
Berry Rhubarb Pie
Makes 1 double-crusted 9-inch pie
For the crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks butter, cubed and chilled (170g)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp vodka (or 2 tbsp water)
Pinch salt
For the filling:
4 1/2 cups rhubarb (about 2 pounds before trimming)
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 cup blueberries
1 cup white sugar, divided (1/4 cup + 3/4 cup)
2 1/2 tbsp tapioca starch
Pinch salt
Egg wash: 1 egg +1 tbsp water + small pinch salt, mixed well
1. To make the crust: follow my pie crust recipe, listed here.
2. Remove both ends of the rhubarb stalks and slice into 1/2” pieces on a bias. Place in a large bowl with 1/4 cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt. Allow to macerate for 15 to 30 minutes: the longer the better!
3. Drain the rhubarb liquid and add the rhubarb back to the bowl. Toss with the blueberries, strawberries, remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, and another small pinch of salt.
4. Evenly sprinkle the tapioca starch on all of the fruit and stir to coat.
5. Fill a lined pie pan and attach the top of the pie. Seal the two crusts together by pinching, then trim any excess and crimp the edges. Freeze the pie for at least 20 minutes before baking. While chilling, preheat the oven to 400º F and place a rack in the center of the oven. If you have a pizza/baking stone, place it in the oven now.
6. Remove the pie from the fridge and egg wash the center of the pie, but not the edges. Place the pie on a baking sheet and then in the oven directly on the stone. Bake for 40 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375º for the final 20-30 minutes. The pie is done when it is nicely browned and the filling is bubbling.
7. Cool the pie for at least 2 hours before slicing, or it will fall apart! Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired. Store at room temp for 1 - 2 days.
Be sure to tag #alexanderbakes or @alexanderbakes if you try this recipe! :)
French Crullers
The crullers will be piped onto a square piece of parchment paper for easy transfer into the hot oil.
Like a good old friend, doughnuts have always been there for me. From visiting my favorite childhood doughnut chain (that I wouldn’t dare step into now), to the time I started a doughnut business in Paris, to the summer I ran a doughnut shop in Provincetown, the delicious ring-shaped pastries have quite literally been the center of my life at times. After all this, I still love eating them, but let me get one thing straight… NOT CAKE DOUGHNUTS. I do not like cake doughnuts! They’re just round muffins...!
My Parisian doughnut bike, circa 2015…
Back in 2017 while working in Provincetown at The Canteen, the menu was mainly doughnuts and ice cream. It was my first “seasonal” pastry chef job, in a big happy fun gay town whose busy season ran from May to September. It was a fun season, and besides a few summer flings, new friends, and tons of time kayaking, the best thing that came out of it was this cruller recipe that I’m about to share. Like all good recipes, I’ve worked on this one many many times, always trying to push it to the next level of where I want my perfect cruller to be. I’ve tried using different flours, adding a leavening agent like baking powder, using egg whites only, using olive oil instead of butter, freezing vs. not freezing, and many other alternatives. I love recipe testing. It makes my brain buzz. After a week of further tweaks, I think I’m finally ready to release this baby into the world!
Recipe notes: Please, please, be careful when around hot oil. Wear shoes, even if you’re at home. While this is pate a choux, I make it on the dry side to promote a fluffy, fully cooked interior. If your dough is too dense, it won’t cook in time, leaving you with a mushy doughnut. Finally, I really think it would be great if you bought a bag of bread flour for this! The high protein content really helps in this application. However, if you really don’t have it or want to get it… you can attempt with all purpose, for a slightly different result. With some practice, you’ll start turning out amazing crullers! A brown butter glaze will be included at the very end of this recipe as an extra for anyone who’s interested :)
I dipped mine in a brown butter and rosemary glaze!
French Crullers
Makes 6 large crullers
1 stick butter (unsalted)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons bread flour, sifted
2 whole eggs
1 egg white
~ 4 quarts of frying oil (grapeseed, canola, peanut)
Piping bag and large star tip
Frying/candy thermometer
1. Have a whisk, heatproof spatula, and all of your ingredients ready nearby. In a large pot over medium heat, melt together the butter, water, a big pinch of salt, and sugar until it starts to simmer.
2. Add all of your sifted bread flour to the simmering mixture and immediately whisk it for 30 seconds, making sure to break up all clumps of flour. Switch to the spatula and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 3-5 minutes. A good sign to tell it’s done cooking: a film will gather on the bottom of the pan and start making a light “hissing” sound. Your dough should also form into a ball and stay together.
3. Move your dough from the pot to a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment. Beat the dough for 1 to 2 minutes to allow some cooling, then, on medium high speed, add an egg. Allow the egg to fully incorporate before adding more. Scrape the entire bowl with a spatula between additions. When all of the eggs have been added, the final dough should stretch about an inch when pinched/pulled between your thumb and pointer finger. If too dry to stretch, you may need to add another egg. (To do this part of the recipe by hand, beat the eggs into the dough one by one with a spatula. I believe you’ll get much better results with a stand mixer, though)
4. Now move your finished dough to a piping bag fixed with a large star piping tip. Onto a square piece of parchment (not wax paper), pipe a 2 to 3-inch circle, connecting both ends. If you mess up, just add it back to the bag and pipe it again! Try to pipe them kinda flat rather than super thicc, because they will expand a lot when frying.
5. Add about 4 quarts of frying oil to a large pot or dutch oven with a thermometer attached or nearby. Heat the oil to 375° F.
6. Carefully slip two crullers into the frying oil at a time (they should slide right off of their parchment squares) while monitoring the temperature to keep it consistent. You may need to adjust heat if it gets too hot or too cold after adding the crullers! Fry for about 6 minutes, flipping halfway with tongs or a frying spider. The dough will look almost done, but then suddenly expand to almost twice its size. Once nicely browned and feels lighter when lifted from the oil, they’re done! Note: if your crullers collapse after removing from the oil, the cook time was not long enough and should be increased.
7. At this point you can toss them in cinnamon sugar (1 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons cinnamon) or a simple vanilla glaze (2 cups powdered sugar + 2-3 tablespoons milk or water) or scroll down below for my brown butter and rosemary glaze recipe. It’s best to drop hot doughnuts directly into the glaze so they dry with a shiny coating! These are also best eaten within a few hours. Enjoy!
A properly cooked cruller will have an almost hollow interior, similar to a cream puff or eclair. Best eaten warm!
Rosemary + butter = YAS!
Brown Butter & Rosemary Glaze
6 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
1 2/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 to 2 stems fresh rosemary
1. In a small pot, place the butter and rosemary stem. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the butter begins to brown and smell toasty. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add butter, milk, and powdered sugar. Whisk until a smooth glaze forms. Add more milk or powdered sugar if consistency needs adjusting: the glaze should be on the thicker side; it will loosen up considerably when hot doughnuts are dropped in. You can save this glaze for other uses as well!
Citrus Buttermilk Loaf
I’m not a big cake person. I never have been, besides the box mix chocolate yellow cakes my mom would make for me when I was a child, but I’d have taken any form of sugar I could get in my younger years. I also adore cheesecake. But when it comes to classic, American layer cakes with buttercream and all the fixings… Not my favorite. (Sorry, Cakeboy, still love you xo). They’re just too sweet for me! I constantly seek balance in my baked goods: if “sugar” is the only flavor I’m getting, I’ve failed. For that reason, and from past chefs’ constant instruction, I also use a lot more salt than most people. When I do go for cake, it’s usually a loaf of some sort. Probably with citrus... If I’m lucky, perhaps buttermilk and a handful of cornmeal as well. Basically, this loaf cake recipe I’m sharing right now. Hehe.
I avoid powdered sugar glazes if I can, because they’re super sugary. For this cake, I opted for a whipped cream with a few tablespoons of mascarpone, which help it hold longer. If you’re serving immediately, I’d slice it warm and top it with a dollop of the whipped cream. If you want extra credit and/or want to learn to candy citrus, follow the short recipe at the end of this post for a delicious, jewel-like garnish.
A few tips for success: Proper creaming of the butter and sugar will ensure the cake is fluffy. This loaf is on the denser side and doesn’t rise too much, which is good since we’re going to invert it from the pan for decorating. To get the perfect butter consistency, slice it up and lay it flat on a piece of parchment for 5 to 10 minutes (it shouldn’t be melting, but more softened). Room temperature ingredients will help for smooth mixing and no broken batters, so take out the eggs and buttermilk first! Also, lining the loaf pan both ways will ensure your beautiful cake doesn’t get stuck.
For cake:
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (170 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 egg yolk
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For whipped cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
3 tablespoons mascarpone
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Vanilla extract, 1/8 scraped vanilla bean, or 1/8 teaspoon vanilla paste
1. Preheat oven to 325° F and line a standard sized loaf pan (8.5” x 4.5”) with parchment paper and baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and cornmeal (remove any leftover large particles). Set aside.
3. In bowl of stand mixer, combine sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Rub the zest in with your fingertips to distribute evenly. Add softened butter to the bowl and fix the paddle attachment to your stand mixer. Cream for 3 to 5 minutes on medium speed, until the mixture is fluffy and pale.
4. Continue mixing on medium high speed and gradually add eggs one by one. Once you’ve added two of the eggs, stop the mixer, scrape the bottom of the bowl very well, and continue. Add the final egg and the yolk and continue mixing until well combined.
5. In a measuring cup, combine lemon juice and buttermilk. With mixer turned off, add half of the flour and cornmeal mixture to the bowl. Mix on low speed while also pouring in half of the buttermilk. Stop before fully combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed again while pouring in the rest of buttermilk. Keep mixing just until no more flour streaks remain — do not over mix!
6. Add the batter to the lined loaf pan and bake for 25 minutes. When the time is up, carefully rotate the pan and continue baking another 25 minutes. To check for doneness, carefully poke the surface of the cake. If it rises back slowly, your cake is done! Cool completely and flip over before decorating. If you have some on hand, now is a good time to brush the cake with simple syrup! (Quick syrup soak: boil 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and juice of one lemon until sugar is melted).
7. To make the whipped cream, add the mascarpone to the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the whisk attachment. Turn on low speed and add a small amount of the whipping cream (and vanilla bean/paste if using). Allow this to break up and smoothen out the mascarpone. Once it’s no longer in large chunks, add the remaining cream and turn the speed up a notch every minute or so until your cream is stiffened to your liking. At this point, add powdered sugar and vanilla extract (if using) and fold together with a spatula.
8. To decorate, fill a piping bag with the whipped cream. Try piping swirls, stars, and bubbles — or just spread it on top with a spoon! I topped mine with candied kumquats and fresh lavender. You could use a combination herbs, citrus zest, berries, and more to personalize yours. This cake is best served day of, but an unfrosted loaf will keep for 5 days if wrapped airtight, and longer in the freezer! The decorated cake will hold in the fridge for a few hours.
Before and after baking!
Candied Kumquats
1 lb kumquats
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups water
Notes: This recipe takes a little patience and watchful eye, but it’s sooo worth it! If your syrup starts to reduce too much during the process, add a 1/2 cup of water or so.
1. Cut any woody ends of the kumquats off, then slice all of them in half (through the middle, not from end to end) and remove all of the seeds. I use culinary tweezers to get them out.
2. In a medium sized pot, add the kumquat halves and cover with an inch of cold water. Bring to a boil on the stove, and immediately turn off the heat. Strain the kumquats, add back to the same pot, and cover with cold water again. Repeat the blanching process until you’ve done it 3 times. This helps soften up the citrus rind and make them a little more palatable.
3. Strain the kumquats a final time and set aside. In the pot, add 2 1/2 cups of water plus 1 1/2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the kumquats back to the pot. Simmer on the lowest heat possible, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. To test, remove a kumquat from the pot with a fork and run under cold water until cooled enough to eat. If it is softened enough for you, you’re good to remove from heat and cool completely in the pot. If it needs a bit longer, let it keep cooking and check every 10 minutes or so. Store the candied kumquats in the simple syrup they were cooked in.