Finally it is warm enough and I can go on bike tours in the countryside again which I was longing for the last couple of winter months. While it was still very cold and the roads were slippery from snow and rain I was longing for spring and  dreaming of riding my bike. It was a very long winter with lots of snow and I could not wait for warm spring days. Finally spring has arrived and last Thursday I went on my first little bike tour (I biked 82,5 km/ 51 miles) in the Bavarian countryside and it was simply breathtaking. It is such an incredible feeling sitting on my bike, cycling through small villages, seeing the mountains - the Alps - in a distance which are still covered with snow, listening to birds chirping, breathing fresh air and enjoying the slow pace of the countryside.

My view from a bench where I was enjoying a little lemon cake. 

On my bike ride I also came across a country bakery where I bought a big bag of different kinds of buns and it turned out that the buns were one of the best buns that I had in years. Discovering this country bakery filled me with so much joy and inspired me at the same time. I will revisit the bakery very soon in order to buy more delicious buns, take photos of this bakery and to have a little chat with the baker who was very kind while I was choosing the buns (but at that time I did not know how delicious the buns were). For sure I will write a separate post about this unique country bakery.

Buns - in Bavaria they are called Semmeln - from the country bakery. The photo is taken with my phone. 
One also needs refreshments for a bike tour.  I usually take a little bit of chocolate, licorice and an apple with me. But for my first bike tour of this year I decided to make my favorite lemon cake in order to celebrate my first bike tour of the season. I usually make my lemon cake in a loaf pan but I thought that mini cakes were easier to take on a bike tour than a slice of lemon cake.



I do not why it never crossed my mind making little lemon cakes instead of a loaf cake since I love making everything in miniature version. And the mini lemon cakes taste even better than my lemon loaf cake. It is a moist, fluffy and very lemony cake which I like very much (they are also very quick and easy to make) and I also think it suits the spring season very well.
I hope you will like these lemon cakes as much as I do and maybe the cakes are in the basket for your next picnic or bike tour.




Makes 8 - 10 little cakes *

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g / 7 tablespoons of unsalted soft butter
  • 100 g / 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs (medium)
  • 100 g / 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 75 g / 5 tablespoons of yogurt, full fat
  • 3 organic lemons, zest finely grated
  • Powdered sugar
* The size of the cake tins I use: 7 cm / 2.8 inches diameter and 2.5 cm / 1 inch height. You can also use a muffin tin.

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 190 C° / 375 °F.
  • Grease and flour your cake tins.
  • Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beat until all ingredients are well combined.
  • Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
  • Add flour mixture, lemon zests and yogurt to the butter-egg mixture and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not overmix the batter.
  • Pour batter into the cake tins, almost all the way to the top.
  • Bake the lemon cakes for 25 to 30 minutes. If the cakes are getting too brown at the end of the baking time, cover the cakes with aluminium foil. If you insert a toothpick and it comes out clear the cakes are done.
  • Let the cakes cool, unmold and sprinkle the cakes with powdered sugar.