Lemon~Pecan Tea Loaf & December's Apron Give-Away

A rainy day...and thanking Mother Nature that we're not in the path of snow...left me thinking something baked would be delightful. I teetered between chocolate and lemon, but after talking with my sister this morning, I decided on lemon, which is her favorite.

Besides cranberries, pumpkin and gingerbread, I like to bake with citrus fruits during the holiday season. Today they brought back memories of getting oranges (and apples) in my stocking and my mother baking her infamous Lemon Cheesecake. After watching the weather channel this morning--yes, I'm one of those people!, the meteorologist was saying what beautiful weather Florida was having, in fact, the hottest in the country at 85 degrees and the citrus growers were thankful--which I took as a sign!  Lemons remind me of sunshine, which I was so hoping for, and after baking this tea loaf, that's exactly what it tasted like.

Lemon~Pecan Tea Loaf
Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Butter and line a "Pullman" loaf pan with parchment paper, then, butter again.  You could also use a mini Bundt pan or muffin pan.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1-3 oz. box Instant Jell-O Lemon Pudding
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon (use the other half in the glaze)
2 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Lemon Bits
3/4 cup Pecans, chopped

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter and oil until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time and mix thoroughly, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the pudding, lemon zest and lemon juice (about 1 1/2-2 T) and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients with the yogurt/milk and mix on medium speed until combined.  Stir in the lemon bits and chopped pecans.  Spoon into the prepared pan.

 Bake for 70-75 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out cleanly from the center.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes before turning out onto a serving platter.

 A lovely slice of this tea load is all I needed to excite me to get busy and sew this month's apron.  Even though I haven't done much decorating in the rental, the colors in this apron spoke volumes of the holiday.  Post a comment during this month and you will could be baking with this apron in January!

Stay warm and take a break with a cup of tea, cocoa, or as my sister prefers, coffee with a slice of this merry little tea loaf. Enjoy!