Treats for a Baby Shower

Over the weekend I was hired to make treats for a baby shower! This was my first "real" baking job:) It was tons of fun!

I made little lemon cakes for everyone to sample at the shower. I used my mini cake pan with fun shapes from Williams Sonoma. The cakes were adorable, and really tasty too! I snuck a sample:) I think mini desserts are perfect for showers and parties.

I also made three kinds of cookies to put in treat bags for everyone to take home. I decided on chocolate chip cookies with pink M&M's (she is having a girl), chewy chocolate cookies with white chocolate chunks, and my lime coconut snowballs. I packaged them in cute little bags, with pink ribbon, and threw in some pink caramel kisses for color and fun!

I had a blast baking for this shower!! Click on the cookies above for the recipes and the lemon cake recipe is below. You can make this in a loaf pan, but the minis were so cute!! You can use a mini muffin pan if you don't have a fancy shaped mini pan, both will work wonders!





Lemon Loaf Cake or Mini Cakes

Adapted From Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 C. plain whole-milk yogurt (I used sour cream)
1 1/3 C. sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 tsp. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 C. vegetable oil ( I used canola oil)
1/3 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:
1 C. confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan or mini muffin pan, or mini shaped cake pan! You can use any pan for this cake!

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes for the loaf cake or about 20 minutes for the mini muffin cakes. Test with a tooth pick. If it comes out clean, they are done! If you are doing the minis it makes a ton. I baked one pan and then another. So I got about 60 mini cakes!

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 C. lemon juice and remaining 1/3 C. sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake or mini cakes are done, allow them to cool for about ten minutes. I poke little holes in the cake or mini cakes with a toothpick so the juice can be soaked up. Next, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake or minis and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake or mini cakes. Serve!