With March comes spring and with spring comes a variety of fresh flavor notes for all your baking and pastries. These flavors come from the candied notes of apples and strawberries to the tart rhubarbs and citruses that are all freshly in season. These flavors are the perfect accompaniment for you to try as the weather warms up and the flowers start blooming.
The most popular flavor notes of spring tend to be a nice mix of citrus and sweets. So what ingredients are you going to find fresh in the spring? The best fresh baking ingredients you can find in the spring are abundant, but the most likely will be apples, grapefruit, bananas, clementines/tangerines, rhubarb, lemons/limes, pears, and strawberries. But what can you do with them?
Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
A little sweet and tart always mix well and strawberry and rhubarb is a combination that works perfectly. A light, fluffy cake with a nice marriage of sugared rhubarb to cut the sour and the added strawberries bring out a florally sweet note to compliment the tart vegetable. It’s a perfect treat for you and any guest you might have around on a warm day this spring.
Layered Citrus Cheesecake
Multiple layered cheesecakes can allow you to utilize multiple flavors within one dish. The list of citrus fruits that are fresh from spring to summer is long, so making a tiered cheesecake with a few of them can make quite the difference. Lemon, Lime, Oranges (tangerines, kumquats, and clementines), persimmon, and grapefruit can all be used together in any combination you might like. The citrus flavor is always a good choice if you’re in need of a dessert palette cleanser after holiday meals this season.
Carrot Cake
A springtime classic that seems to fit into any flavor note range. Carrot cake can make use of the seasonally sweet root veggie combined with citrus zest, whether that’s lemon peel or orange. This flavor combination leaves a subtly sweet and fruity mix. It’s simple, which is why it is a classic. Carrot cake can be updated with new twists and ingredients being added in, but the original is also a great option for your baking desires. Whether it’s for an Easter dinner or just a nice treat on a weekend, carrot cake is a good choice for your spring baking.
Apple Crumb Bar
Sometimes spring flavors can best be complemented with a nice, simple dessert like a brownie or a bar. Apple crumb bars bring that delicious flavor of an apple pie and put it into a sweet handheld morsel. Like a blondie, the lighter flavor of a bar can be a nice addition to a meal or a snack throughout your spring day.
Whether you want to go the complex route or keep it simple spring flavors are a nice and refreshing taste in baked goods and you can find many of these flavors at a local bakery. They have a variety of sweets for you and can make custom ones, as well, if you’re looking to add a little zest into your spring.