Lemon cake recipe from the author of “Mind Over Batter”, using baking for mental health

Cooking can offer more than just food – it can evoke creative expression and, in some cases, act as a form of therapeutic release.

That’s how “Mind Over Batter” author and master baker Jack Hazan came up with the idea for his first cookbook, focusing on how he used baking as an aid to cooking. mental well-being.

The cookbook includes 75 recipes inspired by the Syrian, Middle Eastern and American baked goods of her childhood, combining different therapeutic techniques that home bakers can exploit in their own kitchens.

Her recipes are organized by common life moments and needs – whether someone is looking to relieve anxiety, seek connection, or take care of themselves, Hazan has a great recipe to help.

Hazan welcomed “Good Morning America” ​​into her home to bake a Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake from her book and shared the full recipe, plus two additional summer-ready confections, below.

Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake

For 8 people

“Taking a deep breath is a great way to practice mindfulness. Pairing a deep breath with beautiful aromas like ginger and lemon in this cake can really invigorate the senses. I like to think of them as cooking essential oils, helping to facilitate meditation while cooking.And bundt cakes are always good to share, so go share your newfound peace by grabbing a bite with friends.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup finely diced crystallized ginger

3 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/3 cups granulated sugar

6 eggs

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup sour cream (low fat is fine, fat free is not)

For the icing

2/3 cup (80 grams) powdered sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour or use nonstick cooking spray to coat a standard 12-cup (2.8-liter) Bundt pan (or two small 6-cup or 1.4-liter Bundt pans).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, lemon zest, baking soda and salt. Make sure all the little pieces of ginger are covered with a layer of flour so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake. Put aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth. light and frothy consistency. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. (It is always necessary.)

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon juice and beat to combine.

Turn the mixer to low speed and alternate adding the flour mixture, then the sour cream, until the mixture is combined. Do not overmix here. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan(s) (I use a large cookie scoop for this). Smooth the top of the dough with an angled spatula.

Bake full Bundt cake for 55-60 minutes or half size Bundt cakes for 30 minutes, or until cake is golden brown, tests cleanly with cake tester, and pulls away from sides of pan. Let cool in pan on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing: While the cake cools, in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, lemon juice and ground ginger. If it’s too thick, add a few more drops of lemon juice. If it’s too runny, add another 1-2 teaspoons of powdered sugar. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake(s) and let sit for at least an hour.

Serve: Serve immediately or store tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2-3 days. The unfrosted cake will keep for 30 days in the freezer.

Feelin’ Peachy Cardamom Galette

“A galette is a rustic pie with almost no rules. It’s meant to be sturdy in shape and look like it belongs on a cabin dining table. So when you fold the crust over the spiced peaches, be kind to yourself. No. No matter how this pie turns out in the end, it will turn out as it was meant to be. The imperfect can be perfect, just like you.

For 6 persons

Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of table salt
1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter, thinly sliced
1/2 cup ice water
1 egg, plus 1 teaspoon water to wash the eggs

Filling
2 pounds fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
homemade whipped cream

To make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the sliced ​​butter and use a hand blender or fork to cut the butter into a crumbly dough. Add the ice water, little by little, using a wooden spoon to stir the batter. Use your hands to quickly form the dough into a flat, 1-inch-thick disk. You want to be quick so the butter doesn’t start to melt. Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the filling: While the batter cools, in a medium bowl, combine the peaches, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Let stand 10 minutes.

Drain any excess liquid from the peaches that has collected in the bottom of the bowl. Add cornstarch, remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, vanilla and cardamom. Mix the fruit to mix well.

Assembly and cooking: Take the dough out of the fridge and lightly flour a work surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) thick. Aim for a circular shape, but don’t overdo it. The beauty of a patty is that it’s not meant to be perfectly shaped!

Using your rolling pin, roll out the dough and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

Place the fruit on the pie crust, leaving at least a 2-inch border all around. Then, fold the rind over the fruit, leaving the middle exposed. Whisk together the egg wash and use a pastry brush to coat the exposed edges of the crust.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove the pancake from the oven and let cool.

Garnish and serve: Sprinkle the pancake with demerara sugar and serve with whipped cream. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Food for Thought: “Think of stress like preheating the oven: you’ll get hot quickly, but once you’re done, you’ll cool down.”

Cut and bake raspberry swirl cookies

“You know those sugar cookie dough rolls that taunt you from the grocery store shelf? Say goodbye to them. These cookies elevate that boring cookie dough and freeze so well they’ll always be available for your future me. Just preheat your oven, slice and bake.”

Makes 36 cookies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of table salt
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar until fluffy . Add the baking powder, salt and eggs and continue mixing on low speed for about 1 minute. Add the flour, 1 cup (140 grams) at a time, mixing continuously and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

To make the filling: Place raspberries, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a food processor. Pulse until combined; do not turn it into a paste. If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the pecans, mash the raspberries and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. Reserve the filling.

Assembly and cooking: Once the dough has cooled, lay two large pieces of waxed paper on your work surface. Divide the dough in half, cover and refrigerate the half you aren’t using. Place the other half between the sheets of waxed paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 by 6 inches (30.5 by 15 centimeters) and 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) thick.

Remove the top layer of waxed paper and use a spatula to spread half of the filling evenly over the surface of the cookie dough. Be sure to leave a small margin on all sides. Roll the dough into a log, starting at one of the short ends and discarding the bottom waxed paper as you roll. If the dough is too sticky, use the edge of a long knife to help it start. Cut 1/2” (13mm) from each end of the log.

Wrap the dough tightly in waxed paper and tie or tape it shut. Repeat these steps with the rest of the dough and filling. Let them chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

At this point, you can freeze the dough or bake it fresh. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Remove dough from wrapper and cut into 1/4-inch-thick (6-millimeter-thick) cookies. Place the cookies on a nonstick baking sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are set. (If baking from frozen, bake for 20 minutes.) Cookies can easily overcook, so take them out even if they look undercooked. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

The dough will keep well wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Food for Thought: “While the dough is in the oven, use this time to practice being present with a short meditation or mindfulness exercise.”

Reprinted with permission from Mind Over Batter by Jack Hazan, © 2023. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs © Lauren Volo.