Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

George Hirsch June 29, 2025

A pound cake is a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. The addition of ricotta makes this cake moist, while the lemon gives a hint of freshness.

***Wrapped loaves of pound cakes as a special gift.***

If you're looking for the best pound cake, this is it—full Stop. If you are planning a special cake to gift or happen to be entertaining family or friends, the lemon ricotta pound cake is an outstanding dessert with broad appeal. It's perfect for finishing a special dinner or for an afternoon tea. I created this recipe knowing it would be one of those cakes that improves with age, meaning it tastes even better the day after it’s baked.

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

It makes one large loaf or three demi-loaves

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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup sweet butter, softened

1 1/2 cups (15 oz container) fresh whole-milk ricotta, drained

1 1/2 cups Turbino or granulated sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Grease and flour 9-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth and light. Fold in ricotta in three parts. Scrape the bowl well with a spatula. Mix dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter and sugar and mix just until flour is absorbed with eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add lemon juice and vanilla.

Scrape the downsides of the bowl, and mix on low speed for 30 seconds just until the batter is completely mixed. Do not over-mix. Over-mixing will toughen the cake and produce air pockets. Pour the batter into greased pan and smooth on top. Once the pan is filled with batter, tap the pan against a table or counter to remove air pockets.

Bake for 45-55 minutes. After 40 minutes, lower to 325 degrees until done. Allow cake to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan; finish cooling on wire rack. Top with confectioner’s sugar before serving.

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Lemon Squares

George Hirsch June 24, 2025

I have shared many desserts in my cookbooks and TV series, and I am excited to present one of my most requested desserts.

This is the classic dessert, although it’s also a popular choice during the summer months. I’ve been told that my recipe strikes the perfect balance of sweetness, lemony tartness, and buttery shortbread. Make a batch and share this refreshing treat at your next gathering.

Lemon Squares, aka Lemon Bars

Makes one dozen eight-inch square pan

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Shortbread Crust:

1/2 cup sweet butter, room temperature

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

pinch cinnamon

A square tip: (lining the pan with parchment paper is helpful for removing squares after baking)

Grease an 8-inch square pan with butter, line it with parchment

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For the Crust: With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon by hand to form a light dough. Press the dough into a greased pan and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan.

Lemon Filling:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

pinch salt

For the Lemon Filling: Mix the sugar, flour, salt, and eggs with a wire whisk until well combined and smooth. Add fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla just until combined. Do not overmix, or too much air will affect the filling. Pour the filling over the cooled shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the filling is set.

Remove from oven and cool. After cooling at room temperature, refrigerate. To serve, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. Chill lemon squares until ready to serve.

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Know Your Cookie

George Hirsch June 4, 2025

You could call the blondie the brownie's cousin. The brownie derives its character from a deep rich cocoa base for the chocolate flavor. A blondie's flavor is butterscotch-like, based on a high quantity of butter and brown sugar in the recipe.

Know Your Cookie:

A blondie is considered a sheet cookie because its soft batter spreads across a sheet-like pan to bake. Other types of sheet cookies include brownies and rainbow cookies. After sheet cookies are baked, they need to cool and can be cut into squares, rectangles, or any other shape.

George's Blondie

Recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes 12-18 Blondies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) of sweet butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

1 1/2 cups semisweet chopped chocolate pieces; or chocolate, or butterscotch chips

Optional: 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour an 8 x 12 x 2-inch baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt well. Set aside.

Cream butter in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, and cream on high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

On a low speed, add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, stopping the machine to scrape down the bowl well after each addition. On a low speed, add flour to the butter mixture and mix just until flour is absorbed. Do not overmix.

By hand, fold the pecans and chocolate in with a rubber spatula.

Optional: if using coconut, mix 3/4 of coconut with pecans and chocolate.

Using a spatula, spread the batter into the baking pan, making sure the batter is spread evenly and smoothly. If using coconut, sprinkle extra on top of the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. caution to not overbake. Blondies are baked when the cookie springs back when pressed lightly with your finger or a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 2 hours, and cut the blondies into rectangles or square pieces.

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George’s Double Chocolate Brownies

George Hirsch May 26, 2025

Know Your Cookie:

A brownie is a sheet cookie, as its soft batter spreads across a sheet-like pan to bake. Other types of sheet cookies include blondies and rainbow cookies. After sheet cookies are baked, they can be cut into squares, rectangles, or any other shape when cool.

This is an often requested recipe from George Hirsch Lifestyle. It is ideal for every occasion. Enjoy it as is, or upgrade it by topping it with your favorite ice cream. The brownie derives its character from a deep, rich cocoa base for the chocolate flavor.

Did you know chocolate is a winter mood booster? Dark chocolate contains the amino acid tryptophan, a well-recognized serotonin producer. It’s also one of the best food sources of magnesium, an essential mineral that allows the body to relax.

A one-ounce serving of dark chocolate contains 64 mg of magnesium. That’s 16% of the recommended daily intake. Add to that an abundance of other essential minerals, antioxidants, flavanols, and prebiotic fiber—all of which make us feel better in more ways than one.

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Makes 12-18 Brownies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) of sweet butter, softened at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

1 1/2 cups semisweet chopped chocolate pieces or chocolate or butterscotch chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour an 8 x 12 x 2-inch baking pan and line it with a parchment paper baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt well. Set aside.

Cream butter in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add granulated sugar and cream on high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

On a low speed, add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, stopping the machine from scraping down the bowl well after each addition. At low speed, add flour and cocoa powder to the butter mixture and mix until flour is absorbed. Do not over-mix.

By hand, fold the pecans and chocolate in with a rubber spatula.

Optional: if using coconut, mix 3/4 of coconut with pecans and chocolate.

Using a spatula, spread the batter into a baking pan, making sure the batter is spread evenly and smooth.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Brownies are baked when pressed. The cake springs back when pressed lightly with your finger, or a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 2 hours, and cut the brownies into rectangle or square pieces.

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Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

George Hirsch May 4, 2025

Would you like a bite of old-fashioned-style cake equally suitable for a morning coffee break, mid-day snack, and even dessert. If so, then this is it.

What I like about this coffee cake recipe is that it isn't overly sweet. I created this recipe using all-purpose flour, not cake flour, which makes a denser crumb with a nice texture. The dairy mix of sour cream, yogurt, and milk is a harmonious trifecta that achieves a light and flavorful addition to every slice. Use fresh eggs and butter, and you'll have a hit.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

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Makes about 18 muffins

For the Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

6 Tablespoons sweet butter, softened

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Place the butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl and crumble together with your fingers until it forms a crumb mixture. Add in the nuts—reserve and mix the muffin batter.

For the Cake:

1/2 cup sweet butter, one stick softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated orange rind

Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C). Note: If using a dark-colored muffin pan, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Dark-colored pans absorb more heat while baking in the oven, become hotter, and carry heat faster than light-colored pans.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and orange zest, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, and milk. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately in three stages with the sour cream, yogurt, and milk mixture, stirring and scraping the bowl with a spatula after each addition. Mix until just blended. Do not over-mix.

Add half the batter into prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with half the topping mixture. With the back of the butter knife, swirl the batter slightly to mix the crumb mixture into the bottom of the muffin cups. 3/4 filled. Add the remaining batter, then the crumb topping, and bake.

Bake the muffins in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until they test done. Cool for 15-20 minutes, and then remove them from the pan.