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mini loaves

Lemon, Ricotta & Thyme Mini-Loaves

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This month’s Cake Slice Bakers challenge is Lemon, Ricotta & Thyme Mini-Loaves from The New Way to Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. I’ve always wanted to try thyme in a sweet recipe and this looks like the perfect recipe for it.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

First problem: no fresh thyme in three grocery stores I went to. Plenty of oregano and dill, but no thyme. I was going to order it for curbside pick up from Central Market, but the first available pick up date was April 24 – a six day wait! Since my cake is due on the 20th, no fresh thyme for me.

Instead of a tablespoon of fresh thyme, I used a scant teaspoon of dried thyme rubbed between my palms to bring out that wonderful aroma. Thyme actually has a slight lemony scent and I couldn’t wait to try this combination.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

This recipe for Lemon, Ricotta & Thyme Mini-Loaves makes 8 mini-loaves. Raise your hand if you have 8 mini-loaf pans. Right, that’s what I thought – me neither.

I ended up making them in little meatloaf mini-pans. They’re quite a bit larger than mini-loaf pans, so I only got 5 loaves out of the batter. That’s OK. They’re really cute and are a great size for giving as gifts.

They puffed up so nicely (2 teaspoons of baking powder will do that) and have such a soft, almost velvety texture. I used rather large lemons, so there was a lot of zest. The flavor, though, is really nice and lightly lemony.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

The ricotta (over by the cream cheese in my store) gives these loaves that delicious, velvety texture. I love baking with ricotta because it’s so creamy and different.

Don’t be afraid of using thyme or any other savory herb in a sweet recipe. As long as you don’t go overboard with the herb, it can really add a great flavor. These would be fantastic even without the thyme.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

I love the way Benjamina uses herbs, flowers, and spices in her recipes. They’re really different and delicious without having a couple of inches of buttercream on top. Her cookbook is quickly becoming one of my favorite cake books.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

Lemon, Ricotta & Thyme Mini-Loaves

Yield: 8 mini-loaves
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

A lightly lemony little loaf with just the right amount of thyme to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • Zest of two lemons
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 C sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 1 C ricotta
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • For the glaze:
  • 1 1/4 C powdered sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 8 fresh thyme springs (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease eight mini-loaf pans and line each bottom with a strip of parchment paper.
  2. Place the sugar and zest into a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar to release essential lemon oils. Stir in the chopped thyme.
  3. Add the oil, ricotta and eggs and whisk until smooth. Gently stir in the flour, baking powder and salt just until mixed.
  4. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 27 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave in the pans to cool for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
  5. For the glaze: Put powdered sugar to a medium bowl and add enough lemon juice to make a thick-but-pourable glaze. Spoon glaze onto the loaves, letting it drip over the edges. Top with a sprig of thyme if you'd like.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

If you can't find fresh thyme, use about 1 scant teaspoon of dried thyme, rubbed between your palms to bring out the aroma.

I didn't have sunflower or vegetable oil, so used canola.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 4g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Benjamina Ebuehi (The New Way to Cake)
Category: Cakes
 
 

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th – never before – we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

 
 

It is a new year and a new book – The New Way To Cake – and our choices for April 2020 were ~

Carrot Cake with Masala Chai

 
Lemon, Ricotta and Thyme Mini-Loaves 

Peach Cobbler Bread (Mini Loaves)

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I’ve been on a baking binge lately, which is unusual since it’s Summer here in Texas. We’ve got good air conditioning, though, so it’s less painful to crank up the oven.

I found this Peach Cobbler Bread and decided to make mini loaves since it would be easier to freeze and have later after peach season has come and gone. I really, really miss peaches in the winter!

This peach bread is loaded with fresh peaches and has a light, tender crumb with a slight hint of cinnamon. It’s great in the morning with coffee, as well as warmed up a bit for dessert after dinner.

I meant for these to be mini loaves, but made the mistake of baking them in my mini meat loaf pan so they’re a little larger than expected. We halved them and they made a perfect serving.

You can make them in real mini loaf pans (decrease the baking time a little) or in a big loaf pan (increase the baking time) and they’ll work out fine.

The hardened glaze is a perfect topping for these little peach cobbler loaves. We really enjoyed them and I think they’d be great made with pears in the Fall.

Peach Cobbler Bread mini loaves are a great gift to friends and neighbors.  They’ll appreciate the delicious Summer treat.

Peach Cobbler Loaves

Peach Cobbler Bread (Mini Loaves)

Yield: 6 - 8 mini loaves or 1 big loaf
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Soft, tender crumb, loaded with fresh peaches and topped with a nice glaze.

Ingredients

  • 4 med to large fresh, ripe peaches
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 C plus 1 tsp vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 C powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease/spray mini loaf pans or one big loaf pan and set aside.  
  2. Peel and chop peaches - put in medium bowl.  Add  2 tsp sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine.  Set aside.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.  
  4. Lightly beat eggs with a fork.  Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla into the flour mixture and stir until just combined (will be rather thick).  Make sure to stir from the bottom of the bowl so all of flour gets blended in.
  5. Stir in the entire peach mixture, juice and all, until just combined and peaches are evenly distributed.
  6. Spoon the batter into the pans, about 2/3rds full.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean (there will be a few clinging crumbs).
  7. Let cool in pan for about 20 minutes, then turn out onto a rack that is set over aluminum foil or a baking sheet.
  8. Stir the powdered sugar and milk together until desired consistency and pour over the loaves.  Let sit until the glaze is somewhat hardened and then serve!  
  9. To freeze:  before glazing, cool loaves completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.  Glaze after thawed.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

You can make these mini loaves, one big loaf, or muffins.  Just adjust the baking time and start testing the smaller loaves at 17 to 20 minutes.  One big loaf may take up to 45-50 minutes.

If your peaches are super sweet and juicy, don't add the 2 tsp of sugar to them.

I made some with a little almond flavor in the glaze - that was good, too.

One of the photos has a little of the peach puree down the middle - if you want this, just set aside a little of the peach mixture, mash it with a fork, and drizzle on top of the baked, glazed loaves.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 mini loaf
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 269Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 249mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 1gSugar: 36gProtein: 5g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Breads/Muffins