Lemon Cooler Cake

Be sure to use fresh lemons and real butter for the full effect.  It was a little dense so I'll try another recipe soon.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tightly packed Tbls. grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
2 Tbls. fresh lemon juice

Lemon Icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt (I just stir them together).  Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternatively with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.  Add lemon zest and juice.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan.  Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until cake pulls away from side of pan and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool cake in the pan, set on a rack, for 10-15 minutes, then gently loosen top edge of cake from pan all the way around.  Invert onto a rack, then spread immediately with the Lemon Icing, using a pastry brush to smooth out if needed.  Below is the cake, fresh from the pan.  At the very top is the cake with the lemon glaze all over it.

Lemon Icing

2 cups (1/2 pound) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 stick (4 Tbls) sweet butter, softened
2 Tbls. packed grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Mix in lemon juice and zest; spread on warm cake.  It helps to lay down some wax paper underneath the rack where the cake sits.  This catches the drips from the frosting.  You’ll definitely have some run-off.

Carrot Cake

A new friend I have made in France named Anne Baird gave me this recipe.  I made it for Jason's birthday, and it was really delicious.  It would be a pretty healthy cake as far as cakes go if it weren't for the best part--the delicious cream cheese frosting.  I ate it by the spoonful--it was so good!

Ingredients for cake:

2 C. flour
2 C. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
2 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
½ C. oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 C. shredded carrots
½ C. crushed pineapple (without any juice)
1 C. chopped walnuts or pecans

Ingredients for cream cheese frosting:

11 oz. cream cheese, softened
12 T. (1-1/2 cube) butter, softened
¼ t. salt
1- 1/2 t. vanilla
3 C. powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350⁰ F.  Prepare cake by mixing dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl mix oil, eggs, vanilla, carrots, and pineapple.  Add wet ingredients to dry and blend thoroughly.  Finally, add in chopped nuts.  Butter and flour desired baking dish (a 9 x 13 pan was recommended, but I used two round cake pans).  Pour batter evenly into baking dish and bake for 50-55 minutes for a 9 x 13 pan, and about 45-50 minutes for two round cake pans.  While cake is baking, prepare frosting by blending the cream cheese and softened butter.  Add salt and vanilla and blend.  Add powdered sugar gradually and mix until smooth and creamy.   Once cake is completely cool, ice with the cream cheese frosting.

Penuche Icing

Given by Grandma Theobald.  She made this more me once in college to show me how.  It was Grandpa T's favorite cake and icing.  I thought it tasted like the maple frosting on donuts.

1/2 c butter (or marg)
1 c brown sugar (packed)
1/4 c milk
1 3/4 to 2 c powdered sugar

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add brown sugar.  Boil over low heat 2 minutes stirring constantly.  Stir in milk.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly.  Cool to lukewarm.  Gradually add powdered sugar.  Beat until thick enough to spread.  If icing becomes too stiff, add a little hot water.

Grandpa T liked it on yellow or vanilla cake.  But you could make it on an applesauce spice cake too.