Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake

This is a horrible picture of a wonderfully delicious cake that got rave reviews.
My mother-in-law asked me to make a couple of treats for her work party that could be made ahead of time. I was thinking summer flavors and this blueberry lemon combination won over all the other ideas.
I made it the night before, glazed it, and then she kept it covered until the next night.
Bundt cakes usually do well when they sit overnight, so I took my chances and it worked with this cake.

I only had 1/2 cup of sour cream in my fridge, so I used 1/2 cup of low-fat buttermilk to make the full cup of dairy for this cake.
I also used a glaze of fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar that was shown when this cake was made in the video included with the recipe.
I also used more lemon zest than it called for because sometimes I get carried away with my zesting.

I wish I would have gotten a better picture of this cake since it was such a hit.
Everyone requested the recipe- I wish I could have tried a slice!


Recipe for Blueberry-Lemon Bundt Cake
* I used 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk for 1/2 cup of the sour cream



Don't forget to enter the giveaway I posted yesterday!

Chicken Nachos

A couple weeks ago I accompanied my daughters to a birthday party. It was really fun with lots of princesses and princess activities.
The birthday girl's mom had made some cute little sammies and snacks for the kids as a light lunch and had also prepared these chicken nachos for the adults to munch on.
They tasted really good and so I asked her for the recipe. Turns out that it is super easy.
I don't usually use sour cream, but I happened to have some in my fridge because I used it in a baked good, so I went ahead and used the rest of it in this recipe. I am sure that plain yogurt or greek yogurt would work just as well.
I added a can of black beans and also garnished it with green onions and cilantro.

I made these for a dinner get together and we had the leftovers for dinner another night wrapped in a tortilla with chopped tomatoes inside. It would also make a great filling for a quesadilla.


Chicken Nachos adapted from Misty Francom
Season 4 chicken breasts witih lemon pepper and garlic salt.
Cook and Shred.
Add 2 cans of corn without juice (I used Mexi-corn because I had it in the pantry)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups of shredded cheese
1 large scoop of sour cream
1 jar of salsa
green onions and cilantro, for garnish

Simmer together for 10-15 minutes
Serve with chips

* Misty's note- I (Misty) don't cook it this way anymore, but it basically tastes the same as the way I make it. I cook the chicken and shred it the night before. Then in the morning I through everything in the Crockpot and let it cook until lunch and it is ready!

One Year Ago- Weekly Lunchbox

The Cake Slice- Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

I am lucky to have great friends. I have multiple best friends and I feel really blessed.
One of these friends is Jaime. She lives here in Georgia and we have been friends since our oldest children were just babies.
That is actually how we became friends. We both had babies that were a couple months old and we were both stay-at-home moms, so we started walking everyday with our little ones. We just really connected and have been good buddies ever since.
Over the years we have stayed in touch, even though for some of those years we lived miles apart, and we were both really excited that I was going to move back across the country. We now live about 40 minutes from each other and each have 3 children that are the exact same ages. Our kids love each other, so it is really fun to get together.
Anyway, the reason I am telling you all this, is because Jaime wanted me to make her a birthday cake. Her b-day was back in April, so I missed it, but I knew when the right cake came around, I would make it for her and call it her birthday cake.
Jaime also really, really loves her chocolate.

When I saw this months selection for The Cake Slice- Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake, I immediately knew this was Jaime's cake.
The cake uses mayonnaise as the secret to its moistness and if ya'll know me, you know I do not in any way, shape, or form like mayo. I have never bought real mayo. I occasionally, sparingly use fat-free mayo (which was not allowed in this recipe), but the key words there are occasionally and sparingly.
So, when I was out buying the ingredients for the cake, I actually bought a very small jar of authentic mayo.

The cake is spiced with a little bit of cinnamon and also uses some hot coffee for flavor. I left the coffee out and just used hot water, because I figured the hot liquid is what it really needed, not so much the mocha flavor- I don't do mocha.

The moist chocolate cake layers are filled with white chocolate mousse and then a rich, satiny sour cream chocolate frosting is spread on top.

I assembled the cake, let it sit in the fridge for awhile, and then we set out on our trek to Jaime's house.

I will be honest. I was really scared. I was scared that the cake wouldn't make it through the 40 minute drive on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn't too hot outside, really, but I was petrified none the less.

Good thing I had let the cake sit in the fridge for awhile, because 5 minutes before we got to Jaime's house, the top layers slid just a tad and the white chocolate mousse broke through the frosting.
We made it to her house with the cake in one piece and she LOVED it! Chocolate lovers- you will love this cake.

I thought it was ok- but it was a bit of chocolate overload for me. The frosting wasn't very sweet at all, and a few people weren't too excited about that fact, but still it was gobbled down with the help of some vanilla ice cream.
I left the cake at her house and she was able to enjoy the leftovers. If you want to see other variations of this 3 layer beauty check out The Cake Slice Bakers!

Happy Birthday Jaime-5 months later!
This is the last cake that we will be baking from Sky High: Irresistible Layer Cakes, the book we have used for the last year for The Cake Slice. Next month we will start baking out of Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

(Recipe from Sky High Irresistible Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne)

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 ¼ tsp baking soda

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup milk

1 ¼ cups hot, strongly brewed coffee (I just used hot water)

2 eggs

1 cup mayonnaise (not low fat or fat free)

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups sugar

White chocolate mousse (below)

Sour cream chocolate icing (below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 9 inch round cake pans. Line the base of each pan with parchment.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the milk to a simmer. Pour the hot coffee and milk over the chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then whisk until smooth. Let the mocha liquid cool slightly.

In a mixer bowl, beat together the eggs, mayonnaise and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and mocha liquid alternately in 2 or 3 additions, beating until smooth and well blended. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out almost clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes before un-molding onto a wire rack and carefully peeling off the paper. Leave to cool completely.

White Chocolate Mousse

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1 egg white

1 tbsp sugar

Melt the white chocolate with ¼ cup cream in a double boiler. Whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and let the white chocolate cream cool to room temperature.

When it has cooled, beat the remaining ¾ cup cream until soft peaks form. In a clean bowl whip the egg white with the sugar until fairly stiff peaks form.

Fold the beaten egg white into the white chocolate cream, then fold in the whipped cream until blended. Be sure not to over mix.

Sour Cream Chocolate Icing

12 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, chopped

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

2 tbsp light corn syrup

¼ cup half-and-half at room temperature

½ cup sour cream, at room temperature

Melt the chocolate with the butter and corn syrup in a double boiler over barly simmering water. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in the half-and-half and sour cream. Use while still soft.

To Assemble

Place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Cover the top evenly with half the white chocolate mousse, leaving a ¼ inch margin around the edge. Repeat with the second layer and the remaining mousse. Set the third layer on top and pour half the sour cream chocolate icing over the filled cake. Spread all over the sides and top. Don’t worry if some of the cake shows through. This first frosting is to seal in the crumbs, and is known as a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.

After this time cover the cake with the rest of the icing, smoothing it down the sides. It should be the consistency of mayonnaise. Use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to swirl the frosting around the cake.

One Year Ago-Cherry-Pistachio Wedding Cookies

Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Glaze

This is another cake I made a couple of months ago for a dinner. I have actually made this cake once before and knew it was good and moist, so I figured it was a perfect candidate for giving away.
It is dense like pound cake and very lemony, but the lemon glaze keeps it moist and delicious.
Sorry this is a ridiculously short post, but I had this in my hanging out in my drafts and figured this week would be the perfect time to share it. Enjoy!

Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Glaze (from Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup poppy seeds (about 1 oz.)
1 8-oz. carton dairy sour cream
1 recipe Lemon Glaze*
Directions
1. Let butter and eggs stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside.
2. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium 30 seconds. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs and poppy seeds. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to butter mixture; beat on low after each addition just until combined. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
3. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Lemon Glaze. Remove and invert cake on rack; poke all over with fork tines. Brush glaze over cake. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. Makes 16 servings.
4. *Lemon Glaze: In small saucepan heat 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-low heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
Makes 16 servings.


Coming Tomorrow- Thai Risotto

TWD- Tall and Creamy Cheesecake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Tall and Creamy Cheesecake was chosen by Anne Strawberry. You can find the recipe over at her blog. I almost didn't get any pictures of this one and had to settle for a half eaten piece, of which the top layer of cheesecake had been eaten and more sauce was added on top. I almost had to beat people and banish them from the kitchen, when I was making this so it could cool and rest in the fridge overnight. Cheesecake is popular around here. I decided to flavor the batter with key lime juice (which I had in the freezer from my last key lime cheesecake experience), lime zest and I made a fresh strawberry sauce. It was our Christmas dinner dessert and everyone loved it. I also made it with all sour cream and did away with the water bath. Yummy! Go check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see all the other delectable cheesecake variations!

Strawberry Sauce from Southern Living

1 1/4 cups fresh strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

Come Back Tomorrow for- Asparagus, Ham, and Fontina Bread Pudding and Hot Chocolate with a serious kick!

Cornbread Salad, Buffet Style

I have made this type of salad before, but I forgot about it until I saw Prudy's recent post about it. Her version is more organized, but when I saw that I had leftover cornbread from THIS, I decided a quick salad was in order. I chopped up whatever veggies we had, leftover meat that was in the fridge, and threw it all together. Next time you have leftover cornbread give it a go!
Cornbread Salad, Buffet Style by Mary Ann

chopped red pepper
chopped scallions
cherry tomatoes
shredded cheese
chopped zucchini
frozen corn, thawed
black beans and kidney beans
matchstick carrots
spinach and red leaf lettuce
crumbled cornbread
fat free sour cream mixed with Ranch seasoning (Dip)
steak or chicken

Pile some lettuce and spinach on your plate and add other foods accordingly. Enjoy!

TWD-Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie pick, Mixed Berry Cobbler, was chosen by Beth over at Our Sweet Life. I couldn't fit in a another dessert and wanted to make my mom a special birthday breakfast, so I did a rewind and made Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits. They were light, golden, fluffy, and delicious. What do you expect? It's Dorie!

Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits (Source: Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours” p.25)
(Makes about 12 biscuits)

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup cake flour)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces

1/2 cup cold sour cream

1/4 cold whole milk

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans, preferably toasted

Getting Ready:Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Get out a sharp 2-inch-diameter biscuit cutter and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
Whisk the flour(s), baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a bow. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips (my favorite method) or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You’ll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between– and that’s just right.
Stir the sour cream and milk together and pour over the dry ingredients. Grab a fork and gently toss and turn the ingredients together until you’ve got a nice soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick gentle kneading– 3 or 4 turns should be just enough to bring everything together. Toss in the pecans and knead 2 to 3 times to incorporate them.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour, pat the dough out with your hands or toll it with a pin until it is about 1/2 inch high. Don’t worry if the dough isn’t completely even– a quick, light touch is more important than accuracy.
Use the biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can. Try to cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most you can out of the first round. By hand or with a small spatula, transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather together the scraps, working with them as little as possible, pat out to a 1/2-inch thickness and cut as many additional biscuits as you can; transfer these to the sheet. (The biscuits ca be made to this point and frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight and kept for up to 2 months. Bake without defrosting– just add a couple more minutes to the oven time.)
Bake the biscuits for 14-18 minutes, or until they are tall, puffed and golden brown. Transfer them to a serving basket.