my kitchen: EASY LEMON CAKE LOAF

Easy Lemon Cake Loaf

Makes 1 loaf

Thank you Broma Bakery for the recipe! 

Happy leap year! February 29th!

Last night, I was craving cake. And I had all the ingredients in the fridge, mostly. So it was the perfect time to try to make a lemon loaf for the first time.  This recipe from Broma Bakery was very easy to prepare and make, and I skipped the glaze because 1- the cake was sweet enough on it's own for me and 2- I didn't have any powdered sugar on hand. 

This recipe was SO GOOD. We ate almost the entire loaf the first day, though it came out flatter than I expected (maybe because it needed that extra 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of sugar. lol). (Can you see how moist it is?) 

EASY LEMON CAKE LOAF

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar*
• zest of 2 lemons (about 2 Tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (about half a lemon)
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt or sour cream **
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour ***
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350°F 
2. 2. In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the sugar and the lemon zest together. 
3. 3. Add the melted butter to the sugar and mix well. Add the vanilla extract and each egg, mixing well. 
4. 4. Add the greek yogurt, milk and lemon juice. Mix to combine. It will look curdled and lumpy, and that's normal. 
5. 5. Add the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix.
6. 6. Pour the batter into lined loaf pan and bake at 175 C/ 350°F for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a chopstick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Cool slightly before cutting, but it's quite wonderful warm as well. 

RECIPE NOTES AND CHANGES

* (originally 1 cup)

 ** (originally sour cream)

*** (I misread the recipe and used 1 1/3 cup of flour instead of 1 2/3 cup but the cake came out wonderfully moist and rich but not too dense. will try it next time with the right amount of flour to compare.)

takeout: 8 NEW MUST EAT DESSERTS IN TAIPEI RIGHT NOW

Social distancing and staying at home the past few months can take a toll on us all. With the ban on dining in restaurants in Taipei extended to August, we could all use a little pick me up. 

There's always been plenty of places in Taipei to grab dessert, shaved ice or cakes, but these are the newest and best sweets that might be harder to find in Taipei that I've been telling my friends to try. Cherry galettes, boston cream pie, confetti cake - if you're like me, these words are music to my ears. (I added one after I posted! Never too many dessert options!)

8 MUST EAT DESSERTS TO TRY IN TAIPEI RIGHT NOW

1. CHERRY GALETTE by AVENUE TAIPEI

2. CONFETTI CAKE by SUGARPEA 

3. BASQUE CHEESECAKE by CAFE DE RIZ

4. BOSTON CREAM DONUTS by AVENUE TAIPEI 

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5. CINNAMON ROLL BOX by SALT AND STONE

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6. MULBERRY WAFFLE by BOTTLESS

7. MARSHMALLOW 5 SPICE BROWNIE by CHINOIS

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8. PINEAPPLE PASSIONFRUIT CANELES by SAM LIU

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american/brunch: I strongly recommend BOTTLESS brunch

BOTTLESS 非瓶

No. 26-1, Qingcheng Street, Songshan District, Taipei 

(02) 2514-0089

MRT: Nanjing/Fuxing (Brown line) (3 minute walk)

website:  drinkbottless.com

hours: 11AM- 3PM; 5:30PM- 11PM

$$ 

Kid friendliness: many kid friendly dishes on the menu

Visit reviewed: April 2021/ December 2020

iceberg wedge salad 

Pork belly chilaquiles, iceberg wedge salads and giant cinnamon rolls- these are some of my must orders on the brunch menu at Bottless, the sister restaurant of Gen Creative. 

Opened over a year ago by the chefs at Gen Creative, Bottless offers two completely different menus for brunch or dinner, and most importantly to diners today, at sizable American portions at affordable prices. You won't find avocado toast or omelettes here- instead it's Korean American Chef Han Cho's heartier versions of American classics. 

Dinner is a completely different menu with appetizers, mains and desserts to share. I've only been to dinner here once when they first opened, I need to go back for dinner again! The name Bottless comes from their wine on tap concept and wanting customers to enjoy a glass of wine with their meal without the fuss. 

Broccoli and iceberg wedge salad

There are few salad options on the brunch menu. I'm a fan of their broccoli salad (NT$320) and like to get the tart dressing on the side. I love the toasted quinoa and pickled onions for the added crunch. The new iceberg wedge salad (NT$300) is a new favorite. I love how the dressing wasn't too heavy despite being creamy and I just just found myself going back for more. 

Pork belly chilaquiles 

The pork belly chilaquiles(NT$390) are My MUST ORDER dish here! it's like having nachos for brunch but fancier. the dragon corn is SUPER sweet and all the flavors just go together for the perfect bite. This was everyone's favorite at my recent visit which was everyone else's first visit. 

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

The grilled cheese and tomato soup (NT$350) was hard to share so not sure I got an accurate taste of this dish. I had 1/8 of the grilled cheese and dipped it in the tomato soup. But I LOVE tomato soup. I miss the version at Woollomoolooo, they stopped making it a few years ago. Sad face. 

Coconut curry chicken

And I was too full to enjoy this Coconut curry dish. (NT$420) With chicken, rice and slaw, this is a very complete dish for one person. 

Fried chicken and biscuits

Can't go wrong with fried chicken and biscuits (NT$380). The biscuits here are bit more dense and less fluffy and they are slightly sweet. 

Kaya French toast

Kaya French toast (NT$340)! The server gave us a heads up that we probably didn't need the additional syrup and he was right. The spongy French toast is new to the Bottless menu.

Other things to order- giant cinnamon roll, ice cream sandwiches 

I would also recommend ordering/saving room for their giant cinnamon roll (NT$260), but we didn't have room for it on this visit because it was my friend's birthday and there were a few birthday cakes already. But the cinnamon roll IS worth the calories. Other things I recommend trying from the brunch menu at Bottless are the ice cream sandwiches, the burger and the breakfast sandwich if it ever returns to the menu!

Advanced reservations recommended. 

 

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BOTTLESS SPRING 2021 MENU

dessert: ARE BASQUE CHEESECAKES THE NEXT TREND IN TAIPEI?

 

Are Basque cheesecakes in Taipei the next cinnamon rolls? 

A few years ago, you had to search pretty hard for your Cinnabon cravings in Taipei. Then Heritage Bakery and Fly's Kitchen lead the way and now it seems like there's at least 20 or more places offering up cinnamon rolls in Taipei. 

After I got these sent these cakes earlier this month, I started to notice Basque cheesecakes 巴斯克燒 乳酪蛋糕 starting to appear everywhere on my IG feed. I'm going to have to start taking notes to make a list. 

But until then, I recommend trying it from Town Taipei/A Fabules Day. The chocolate hazelnut one from Town (NT$1280 for 6 inch) is SO decadent and satisfying too if you're a chocolate lover. Chilled, it's like a Ferrero Rocher in cake form. The closest thing like it is the hazelnut cake from Amamoto Bros. The Basque cheesecake from A Fabules Day is NT$680/ 6 inch. These are small enough to order one of each and indulge in a slice of both. And yes, they are at the same address but on different floors. 

Going to try Town Taipei's latest spring menu later this week. Excited. 

TOWN TAIPEI 

No. 171, Xinyi Road, Section 2, 3F

02-2341-9777

A FABULES DAY 

No. 171, Xinyi Road, Section 2, 1F

 02-2341-5566

flashback/dessert: i still recommend KRISPY KREME

KRISPY KREME

No. 20, Songshou Road, Xinyi District

(02) 2345-3798

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 11AM - 11PM

$

OPENED 2013

I TELL PEOPLE ALL THE TIME that when Krispy Kreme opened its doors in Taipei in 2013 that the lines were INSANE. It was a FOUR HOUR wait, with lines around the block of Vieshow and this went on for a few months. YES, you read that correctly. FOUR HOURS.

Why are people so crazy about donuts? I remember hearing this about Mister Donut when they first opened in Taipei too (in Tianmu.. who remembers this?)

this is only the part of the line that is closest to the shop

So I've been trying to cleanup my computer, make sure my backup drives are still working, so it took me down memory lane. When I saw these (blurry) photos of people waiting IN THE RAIN for Krispy Kremes, I had to write a flashback post because I don't think I ever wrote about this when it was happening. Since no one blogs anymore, there are NO RULES. lol.

I was, though, lucky enough to be one of the first to receive a box of Krispy Kreme originals without having to wait in line (it's nice to have friends in high places) and it was so satisfying after such a long dearth of donuts. This was around the time that BLT Burgers and CPK opened up at Vieshow as well, and only Krispy Kreme still remains in 2019.

Sadly, they have moved to a spot much smaller than their original location pictured here, and they don't make the donuts on site anymore, thus no "hot doughnuts" to grab off the assembly line. They have, however, expanded to 5 different shops around Taipei, as well make the cutest seasonal donuts, and I do see people still buying them, though these ridiculous lines have moved onto something else, thankfully. 

I still go there for an original donut once in awhile, sometimes I go crazy and get a salted caramel one too. 

other locations: 

at Breeze Nanjing, No. 337 Nanjing East Road, Section 3, Songshan District,  opens 10AM

No. 49 在站內，M3, Zhongxiao West Road,  Zhongzheng District, opens 7AM

No. 20 Jingye 3rd Road, Neihu, opens 11AM

 No. 53, Tianmu East Road, Shilin District, opens 8AM

at Global Mall, No. 7號, Section 2, Xianmin Boulevard, Banqiao District, opens 11AM