Those nostalgic lemon bar cookies morph into a coffee-cake recipe

I’ve been utterly agog over the fact that with my new mini herb garden installed, I can walk a short distance to my step-side flower bed and trim off fresh rosemary (and other herbs) for recipes.

Except for that, I probably wouldn’t have given a second glance to this recipe for Lemon-Rosemary Coffee Cake. When coffee cake is involved, I crave peaches or blueberries or nuts. My first thoughts don’t turn in the lemon direction.

But the magazine photo that accompanied the recipe looked lovely; Hubby’s birthday was being celebrated, and I needed to bake something for his birthday morning. Rosemary in my mini herb garden was readily available. 

Who knew that this was going to emerge tasting as though it was a coffee-cake version of those delicious baked lemon square bar-cookies my mother used to make? With powdered sugar for the topping? Yes—that’s what it was: lemon-bar cookies made into a coffee cake with rosemary woven into the mixture and with rosemary sprigs sprinkled over the cake.

For Hubby it made an amazing birthday breakfast. Since he had watched them grow from his very earth, he didn’t even blink at the fact that the coffee cake had green weedlike garnishes sprinkled on it. 

Lemon-Rosemary Coffee Cake

Parchment paper

3 large lemons

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/2 cup very cold butter, cubed

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk (Greek yogurt may be substituted)

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 (10-ounce) jar lemon curd

powdered sugar

garnishes: fresh rosemary sprigs, lemon slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Grate zest from lemons to equal 1 tablespoon. Cut lemons in half; squeeze juice from lemons into a bowl to equal 5 tablespoons. Reserve zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl of a food processor; pulse 3 to 4 times or until blended. Add butter; pulse 6 to 7 times or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup flour mixture. Transfer remaining flour  mixture to bowl of a heavy-duty electric stand mixer. Add baking powder and baking soda; beat at low speed until well-blended. Add buttermilk, egg, and 1/4 cup lemon juice; beat at medium speed 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until batter is thoroughly blended. Stop to scrape bowl as needed. Stir in rosemary. Spoon half of batter into prepared pan. Whisk lemon curd in a small bowl about 1 minute or until loosened and smooth; carefully spread over batter in pan. Top with remaining half of batter. Stir together reserved lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 cup flour mixture; sprinkle lemon zest mixture over batter in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in the center emerges clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Gently run a sharp knife around edge of cake to loosen; remove sides of pan. Cool cake completely on wire rack (about 1 hour). Dust cake with powdered sugar just before serving. (You may sub a 9-inch round cake pan for the springform pan. Line bottom and sides of cake pan with aluminum foil. Allow 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; grease foil well. Proceed with recipe as directed through baking instructions. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Lift cake from pan; use foil sides as handles. Carefully remove foil. Cool and dust with powdered sugar as directed.) Makes 8-10 servings. (Source: Southern Living, February 2012)