It’s Spring Break here and while all the kiddos are away, it’s up to local businesses to try to manage in the presence of a temporarily diminished workforce. At the Mr’s restaurant, about 70% of the workforce is comprised of students. Thankfully not all have flown off to “break into spring,” but it still means extra hours for all and no days off for the Mr. To make the week a little sweeter, I planned ahead and decided to bring by a few goodies towards the end of the week for the busy workers.

A few months ago, someone had gifted me a set of Boyajian Citrus Oils that I admittedly had yet to use. I was saving them I guess for just the right recipe. I was searching the manufacturer’s website for recipes when their recipe for Lemon Pound Cake struck me as utterly Spring. It’s a fairly minimalist recipe, but quite honestly, the time and temperature for baking were spot on! Not a ton of recipes can claim that!

Having never used flavored oils in baking, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It takes the place of any zest and/or juice you would incorporate into the batter. It flavored the batter well without being shockingly strong. I have a little of the oil remaining that I am eager now to use in a salad dressing (this one looks pretty good…)!

This recipe was not only perfect, but the batter was at once dense and light. It didn’t overtax my mixer and, while I was afraid it would overflow my bundt pan, the cake came out beautiful and in tact. So fragrant and sweet. I topped it with leftover strawberry frosting (that I had thawed and loosened with a little water and a sprinkling of lemon oil) from the freezer to evoke a “strawberry lemonade” feeling.

What is one unique ingredient you’ve tried in baking that you go back to time-and-again?