For a Valentine’s Day treat this year, I had to bring together two of my favorites: strawberry and lemon. Both of these delicious fruits are in season in February and I can’t get enough of them. I have never been one to get too excited for Valentine’s Day, but this year I have found true love! Now I am all heart eyes as I bake and craft in preparation. I guess we never know what life has in store and how it will change us.
I know Valentine’s Day is not always fun for everyone, but I want to encourage you not to take it too seriously this year. You don’t need romance to enjoy a lovely V day. I have spent many happy single valentines days exchanging cards with my best friend, receiving flowers from my father, or enjoying a relaxing girls’ night! This year might be a good time to bless a struggling friend or family member with a call or a letter. Maybe you can do some festive baking or cooking alone or with loved ones. I know February can be a difficult month for many reasons but hang in there, we are more than halfway to spring when we will reap the rewards of all of this wintering!
A Few Notes
These delicious Strawberry Lemonade tea cakes are so tart and sweet at the same time. The lemony shortbread is a light and airy balance to the sweet strawberry jam. These would also make a lovely dessert at a Valentine’s themed Tea! To make these we will be using a similar technique to making cinnamon rolls because that is the best way to get the swirl! You can also place the slices on a cookie sheet to bake if you prefer cookies! I also like to use string instead of a knife to slice the dough. This technique works so much better because the string does not pull and distort the shape of the swirl. I love to serve these with tea and lemon curd or cream cheese
Supplies you will need:
Strawberry Lemonade Marbled Tea Cakes
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of two lemons
- Strawberry jam
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl
- In a large bowl, whisk butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy
- To wet mixture, add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and whisk to combine
- Slowly add dry mixture to wet and mix until fully incorporated
- When a very soft dough forms, place in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes
- Prepare a large clean surface for rolling the dough Sometimes it helps to roll out on baking paper or a silicone baking mat
- Flour surface very well and roll out the dough to form a rectangle a little less than a quarter inch thick
- Add a thin even layer of strawberry jam to the dough rectangle. How much you use will depend on how much strawberry flavor and color you prefer.
- Use your baking paper or mat to gently roll up the dough as tightly as you can to create a dough log
- Wrap the log in plastic wrap, or a slightly damp towel before placing in the freezer. Leave in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden
- Pull your dough log from the freezer and place back on the clean surface.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
- Carefully release your log from the plastic wrap and the baking paper or mat
- Using string, slowly slice your log into 1/2 inch pieces
- Place each piece in a greased muffin tin or stoneBake for 8-10 minutes
- Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
Leave a Reply