Easter is coming early this year (March 27th) and the Blogger Clue crew and I have been on the hunt to provide you with some wonderful Springtime dishes.

This month I was assigned the blog Confessions of a Culinary Diva. Christy describes herself as a “food enthusiast, wine aficionado, Food & Cooking Channel fanatic, and cookbook bibliomaniac, who suffers from an incurable case of wanderlust.” On quick look at her blog and you just know her mini-bio is true – there’s wine everywhere! And countless recipes that take you to another place (France mostly).

While on the hunt for Easter foods I was immediately drawn to her Easter Pie and next year I’ll be sure to try it! The only reason I didn’t stop, drop, and cook it was because I didn’t have Arborio rice and I wasn’t about to buy some while I’m trying to rid my pantry (via cooking) of my current stock before the big move.

I thought about what foods I think remind me of Easter. I don’t serve a ham and my family has always done our own thing. Growing up we would always have a dish traditional to my mom’s family. We would have a dish called Swienconka (pronounced shven-shun-ka). Swienconka is Polish and translates to “blessed food.” My mom’s grandfather was a butcher and he would bring home the leftover meats for this dish – veal, smoked butt, two kinds of Polish sausage, and ham. These meats would be cooked and mixed with hard boiled eggs. The mixture would then marinate in vinegar and fresh and jarred horseradish.

I decided to look for brunch ideas! I almost made Onion Biscuits. And I took a peek at what cocktails could fit an Easter morning: Earl Grey Mimosa and this beautiful Sangria would definitely fit the bill.

And then somehow I stumbled upon a Lemon Loaf (which she presented most beautifully) and I was sold! Lemon always reminds me of spring time and Easter. Probably because my grandmother’s annual pound cake has lemon extract in it. This loaf cake reminded me very much of her recipe, and I almost made a cream cheese frosting to pair with it but instead decided to create a simple glaze of powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and a little milk to pour over the top of the loaf. It definitely amped up the lemon flavor!

This cake was a hit. Firecracker saw it on the counter and had to have some. He earned his half a slice, too, by helping clear off space for me to photograph it!

Lemon Loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 C cake flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/3 C sugar
• zest of 2 extra large lemons
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 5 1/2 tbsp melted butter

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease a 9×5″ loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, whisk the sifted flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing until combined after each addition.
4. Whisk the heavy cream into the cake batter. Add the melted butter and stir until combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
6. Option to top with a simple lemon glaze or a cream cheese frosting.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.treats-sf.com/2012/04/twd-lemon-loaf-cake.html*

Here’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

• Asparagus Tips with Cucumber Vinaigrette by Anna from annaDishes
• Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Rum Cinnamon Sauce by Rebekah from Making Miracles
• Cloverleaf Rolls by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Lamb Chops Dijon by Sue from A Palatable Pastime
• Honey and Thyme Glazed Ham by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Honey Balsamic Carrots by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Lemon Loaf by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Maple Bacon Braised Brussels Sprouts by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• New Potato Salad Tartare by Kate from Kate’s Kitchen
• Rosemary Cheddar Cornbread Muffins by Amy from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Sgroppino al Limon by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Strawberry Shortcakes with Olive Oil Cake by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Surprise Carrot Cake by Debra from Eliot’s Eats
• Sweet Almond Pastry by Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
• The Muddler by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva