Jacs Favorite Swedish Lemon Sour Cream Cardamom Squares Recipes

Steps:

• Make cookies:
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and allspice in a bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined.
• Form dough into 2 (12-inch) logs (1 1/2 inches in diameter), each on its own sheet of plastic wrap. Use plastic wrap and your hands to roll, press, and square off sides of logs. Chill logs on a baking sheet until slightly firm, about 1 hour, then smooth logs with plastic wrap and flat side of a ruler to achieve straight sides. Chill logs on baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour.
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut enough scant 1/4-inch-thick slices from a log with a knife to fill 2 large ungreased baking sheets, arranging slices about 1 inch apart (chill remaining dough, wrapped in plastic wrap).
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes total. Cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.
• Ice cookies:
• Whisk together espresso powder, vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk until espresso powder is dissolved, then add confectioners sugar and enough additional milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Spoon into a sealable bag and snip 1/8 inch off a bottom corner.
• Spoon melted chocolate into another sealable bag and snip 1/8 inch off a bottom corner.
• Pipe some espresso icing and chocolate over each cookie and let cookies stand on racks until icing sets, about 2 hours.

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Coat a 9 x 5 loaf pan, with nonstick cooking spray.
• Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon into a bowl and set aside until needed.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed until it becomes light and fluffy, (3 - 4 min).
• Lower mixer speed to low and add the eggs one at a time and blend for 1 minute each. Now add the grated zest, lemon juice and buttermilk, mixing well.
• Lastly, you will add the flour mixture and blend until just combined. ( do not overmix).
• Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth out the surface and bake in the center of the oven for 30 - 40 minutes (until a toothpick comes out almost clean, with a few moist crumbs attached).
• Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes while you make the glaze.
• For the glaze stir together all the ingredients until well blended. ( Make the glaze to your preference).
• Remove cake from pan and spread the glaze on top and enjoy.
• Make the glaze to your preference, either thick or thin.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease a 8 inch cake pan and line with either parchment paper or waxed paper.
• In a large bowl add the flour, baking soda, salt and cardamom, set aside until needed.
• Beat the butter until creamy and slowly add the sugar beating until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
• Mix the sour cream with the lemon juice and lemon rind, blending well.
• Fold the flour into the mixture in 3 batches alternating with the sour cream mixture.
• Spoon into the cake pan making sure to smooth the surface and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until firm to the touch.
• After removing from oven, you may want to loosen the cake with a knife so that it doesn't stick when you turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• When cold you may cut into squares, dust with icing sugar and enjoy.

Steps:

• For Crust: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 9 inch swuare pan with 2 inch high sides with foil, extendiing 1 inch above sides of pan. Butter 2 uncovered sides of pan, Combine flour powdered sugar and salt in processor, add buttered and cut in using on/off turns until mixture appears sandy. Add vanilla and process until dough begins to come together. Press dough evenly into prepared baking pan. Bake crust until golden brown about 28 minutes. Meanwhile prepare topping. Whisk eggs and 2 cups sugat in amedium bowl to blend. Whisk in lemon juice then all purpose flour. Strain into another bowl. Mix in grated lemon peel. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour filling over hot crust. Bake until sides are set and filling no longer moves in center when pan is shaken about 22 minutes. Cool on rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Using foil sides as aid, lift dessert from pan. Fold down foil sides. Cut into 16 squares.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Weigh the cane sugar and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer; add the cardamom.
• Once the butter has melted, add the milk to the saucepan and allow it to warm up just slightly. The Swedes call this fingervarm, just above body temp. Add the milk-butter mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer and allow to sit for a couple of minutes, stirring once to combine.
• Once the yeast starts to dissolve and activate (you'll see foam starting to appear on the surface), add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed with a dough hook until combined, then increase the mixing speed to medium and allow to mix for 3 to 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth.
• Remove the dough from the mixer and knead into one large ball and allow to rest in a large bowl, covered with plastic wrap, until roughly doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to portion the dough into individual buns, each weighing 100 grams. If there is any dough left over, divide it into pieces and add to the rest.
• To shape, flatten a portion of dough and fold the edges in toward the center to create surface tension in the dough, flip over so the seam you have created is facing down and roll clockwise with a cupped palm to form a tight ball. Repeat with each piece. Place onto parchment-lined baking sheets with about 3 inches of space between each bun. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans and switching their position halfway through baking. The buns should be golden and have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom when done. Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• While buns are baking, prepare the filling: Add the almond paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add about 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and mix until it has a spreadable consistency (you may need more cream); transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• Once the filling is made, using a clean mixing bowl and the whisk attachment, combine the rest of the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla and whip the cream to stiff peaks. Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
• To assemble the buns, begin by cutting the top third of the buns off horizontally and save the tops. Using your fingers, hollow out a small portion of the center of the buns and fill with about a tablespoon of the almond filling. Using an offset spatula, spread the paste to reach the edges of the cut portion of the bun.
• Use the piping bag to pipe the whipped cream into a swirl on top of the almond filling. (Don't be afraid to go high!)
• After the semlor are all filled, cut the reserved tops into triangle shapes and place them on top of the whipped cream. Sprinkle the semlor with confectioners' sugar to serve.