Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

Do you have a favorite cake recipe that never fails you? That you can make for almost any occasion, whether it's a friends' birthday, office party or picnic?

For me, it's this delicious Lemon Pound Cake. I'm a real lemon lover, so this really satisfies my desire for that tangy, tart flavor. I'll sometimes make it for dessert for a family gathering, and have some left over for a piece the next day with a cup of tea.

I like recipes for Bundt cakes. Bundt cakes always look homemade and somehow comforting to me. I remember my Mom making the Tunnel Of Fudge cake with a mix that was so popular years ago. But I always think it's worth the extra time to make a cake from scratch, and makes all the difference in taste.



 



 

Recipe for Lemon Pound Cake

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) at room temperature, plus more for the pan

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for the pan

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

8 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

2 cups confectioners' sugar

 

Directions:

 

1. Heat oven to 325° F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice, then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add half the flour mixture, then the yogurt, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth. Pour glaze over cake.

Serves 12

 

I published this last year, but it's a wonderful cake recipe for spring, so I wanted to share it again.

Plum Butter Cake Recipe

Fruit desserts have always been one of my favorites, whether I'm baking them or eating them. The arrival of spring and summer means that I'll have plenty of different kinds of fruits to pick from, and plums are always on my shopping list.

I made this delicious Plum Butter Cake the other day because I got so excited to see plums in my local grocery store. The recipe is quite easy, and the batter is a basic yellow cake batter, scented with cinnamon. The plums also give a lovely flavor to the cake, too.

Last year a friend of one of my daughter's let us pick all the yellow plums that we could carry from her trees. We turned them into tarts, muffins, and topping for French toast and waffles. And we ate plums for days, it was heaven.

I could have let the plums I bought ripen more, but I was too excited to bake the cake. Apricots, nectarines, and peaches can be substituted for the plums if you like.

Recipe for Plum Butter Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
2 large eggs
6 plums, pitted and thickly sliced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake or deep dish pie plate. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter the paper.
Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix well, about 2 minutes.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Poke the plum slices into the batter, placing them close together. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar and sprinkle evenly over batter.
Bake 45-50 minutes, until the cake is golden on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Easter Vanilla Cupcakes

I wanted to make something yummy for my grandchildren the other day, and since Easter is only a couple days away, I thought cupcakes would be a good idea. The kids were thrilled with these, not just by their taste, but how festive they look, too.

These cupcakes are vanilla, and one of my favorite, basic recipes that I turn to over and over again. The buttercream frosting is a favorite too, sweet and creamy. I tinted the frosting with food coloring in pink and green, and the M&M's are Easter Pastel.

I love being the kind of grandmother who makes treats for her grandchildren. It makes me far happier than it makes them, I think, because they have no sense of time passing and I do. They just know that it's a great afternoon because Nana made treats, but I know this is a day I will remember, and a day that I hope they will.

Recipe for Vanilla Easter Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the egg and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until the cupcakes are lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

8 Tbs. (1 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/2 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

Food colorings

 

Directions:

 

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, or using a hand mixer, combine the confectioners sugar, butter, the 2 1/2 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Tint with food coloring as desired, and frost and decorate cupcakes.

 

Makes 12 cupcakes.

 

Originally published last year, but I wanted to share it with everyone again.

Happy Easter!!

Chewy S'mores Bars Recipe

I don't know anyone who doesn't love the gooey, yummy chocolaty and marshmallow taste of s'mores. They have always been a delicious treat that we make when my family and I go camping every year at Lake Cushman in Washington State.

I'm not really a big camper, I love the comforts of home for sure, but it's a lot of fun to get together with my kids and grandkids for a few days at the lake. I have a lot of great memories from these times, and I hope it's times that my family will always remember with warmth and happiness.

As much as I love s'mores, I sure don't want to wait just once a year to eat them. So when I found this recipe, I was eager to give it a try. I'm so glad I did because they are so delicious!!

Loaded with chocolate chips and marshmallows, they are all the yumminess of regular s'mores but you can have them whenever you want, and not just around the campfire. My family loved them, and this is a recipe that's a keeper for sure.

Recipes for Chewy S'mores Bars

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup finally crushed graham crackers
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Lightly grease foil with baking spray.
In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour. Stir in oats and graham cracker crumbs.
Reserve 1 cup of the oat mixture. Spread the remaining oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle warm crust with marshmallows. Top with chocolate chips. Dot with the remaining oat mixture. Bake 20 minutes more or until top is lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Use foil to lift uncut bars out of pan. But into bars.

Makes 12 large bars.

Enjoy!!

BeKOOOL Fever Reducing Soft Gel Pads and Gift Pack Giveaway

* I was sent products to review for this post. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Even though its March we are still in the cold and flu season. My son thankfully does not get sick too often but this year being in kindergarten the germs are everywhere. I do not like to give him too much medication when he gets sick and found a great helper to when he does not feel well, BeKOOOL.

BeKOOOL is a sticky gel sheet that you place on your child's forehead. At first my son was a little weary of this new cold sticky thing I was trying to put on his head but being sick he just gave in. It was nice to not have to constantly replenish his cold wash cloth on his head to keep him cool. I even saw a family at the mall with a child wearing a BeKOOOL Disney gel sheet on their child's head. I spoke with them and they wanted an alternative to medication in the early on set of their child's cold. They were pleased with how the gel sheet was cooling off their little one's head. I agree with them, it is nice to have a product you can use that is easy and external.

A little info on BeKOOOL:

Parents no longer have to watch their kids suffer while they wait for medicine to kick in thanks to BeKOOOL's immediate and long-lasting cooling relief. BeKOOOL's non-medicated soft gel sheets are convenient and fit in your diaper bag or purse. These adhesive and non-messy gel sheets are a wonderful alternative to the traditional messy washcloth or warm bath. Your kids will even think they're 'koool' because they have Disney characters on them.

BeKOOOL's easy-to-use, soft gel sheets:  

• Stick to kids' foreheads, so little ones who are sick can comfortably rest and relax
• Provide up to eight hours of cooling relief 
• Safe to use with fever-reducing medicine (it’s non-medicated)

I was also sent a pack of the Adult BeKOOOL Migraine gel sheets. I LOVED these! I suffer from migraines and they often start with a few warning signs like my forehead swells a little and my face hurts. I put on a BeKOOOL on my forehead and went to lay down in a dark room. Thankfully the cool gel reduced the swelling in my face and held off a full blown migraine. I did not have to do an ice pack like normal, the gel sheets are much less messy and I was able to take a nap with it on.



GIVEAWAY:

One lucky reader will win a BeKOOL Gift Pack

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts March 18, 2016 and ends on March 31, 2016 at 12:01 am PST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.