It's summer and I've been craving bright, fresh, crisp flavors. Citrus and berries always remind me of warm days. What do you have planned for your summer? One new project I would like to tackle this summer is a garden. My grandmother always kept a garden when I was growing up and always had fresh fruit and vegetables around. I'd love to have one just like hers someday but I'm going to have to start on a smaller scale. The other half and I have been going to the farmer's market so regularly that it would be great to have a few staples just outside, ripe for the picking. Tomatoes here, basil there, and maybe even some onions, it would be great. One summer thing I can never seem to prepare for is swimsuit season. Yuck! I think I would like to get rid of that along with Valentine's Day. I think they are both designed to make you feel inadequate and disappointed. So hopefully the fruit and vegetables would aid in preparing for that. Are you getting what I'm saying people? This cake has fruit in it...therefore it is helping you...at least that is what I tell myself. Be good to yourself and make this cake.
Glazed Strawberry Lemon Cake
Cake
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 eggs, room temperature
1 (8oz) container sour cream, room temperature
1 tbsp Lorann Professional Kitchen - Lemon Bakery Emulsion (I use Lorann Bakery Emulsions, which I love, but any lemon extract would work here also)
3/4 cup strawberry puree
Directions:
1. First quarter a pint of strawberries and puree them in a food processor.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare bundt pan. (You can grease and flour your bundt pan, but I have been using Bak-klene ZT which I got at Williams-Sonoma. The best no-stick bakery spray I have ever used. Helps save your bakeware because it doesn’t leave a sticky residue.)
3. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. I the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one until incorporated. Mix in Lorann Lemon Emulsion and sour cream.
5. Add flour mixture a little at a time until flour is combined. (I did it in three batches)
6. Stir in strawberry puree.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes. Until a cake tester or a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out on cooling rack to cool completely.
Glaze
Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp strawberry puree
1 tbsp + 2 tsp lemon juice
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.
