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Saturday, April 9, 2011

Lemon-Berry Cake

So I've had my eye on this Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake ever since it was featured on the Tasty Kitchen blog sometime last month. But in true Em fashion, I have forgotten to pick up blueberries and buttermilk every single time I've walked into the grocery store. I had sour cream, milk, and strawberries, so I decided to play with the recipe just a little. It's just perfect, not too sweet, very simple, and so fresh tasting. I think I'll make a couple of these and a couple with blueberries for Easter dinner at my parents' house.

Lemon-Berry Cake

1 cup ap flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 salt
4 Tbs butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar, plus 2 Tbs for sprinkling on top
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (or lemon extract if you want an extra lemony kick)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 whole milk
5 oz fresh berries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a round cake pan with non-stick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, add extract, lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Add egg and combine well. Whisk together sour cream and milk until smooth in a small dish. Add the dry ingredients and sour cream/milk mixture alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Finally, fold in the berries. Pour into cake pan, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 25 minutes or so, invert it, let it cool completely and slice. Dust it with some powdered sugar or plop some whipped cream on it!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

French Breakfast Puffs

I've decided to start naming my posts after whatever recipe they contain. It'll make it easier for me to organize things if I ever decide to make a recipe index. I'm glad I told you that.

Weekdays are cereal for Billy and the Kid and either cereal or fruit and yogurt for me. On weekends I like to get a little more involved and actually cook something. Spread out. Make a mess. You know.. I've been doing the pancake thing for about a month or so, and have tried some really yummy recipes, but this morning I was over pancakes. I was over pancakes but at the same time I didn't have much to work with in my kitchen. I turned to Pioneer Woman, knowing she would provide me with something simple yet scrumptious. And she did. There's not much to say about these beauties. They're warm, buttery and coated in cinnamon sugar. Do it.

French Breakfast Puffs
from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 1/2 cups ap flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

for the coating:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 6 muffin cups. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl cream together sugar and shortening. Add the egg and mix well. Add one third of the dry ingredients and mix until combined, then add half the milk, then another third of the dry ingredients...you get the idea. End with the dry ingredients. Divide the batter evenly between the six muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes (I had to go 30) until golden. Set the puffs aside and melt the butter in a dish. In a separate dish mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Dip the warm puffs in melted butter, coating thoroughly and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.



I like the brown one up front. I'm about to make it my bitch.