Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

I bought fresh blueberries at my local Stop & Shop yesterday and thought they would be great for a breakfast type cake. I found a recipe on Pinterest before I went grocery shopping, got all the ingredients I needed, and baked the cake early this morning. A few months ago, I purchased Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Cathedral Bundt Pan and this is the first time I used it. This cake is so moist and the blueberry-lemon taste is divine and it looks so pretty. The trick with getting the cake out of the bundt pan in tact is letting it cool for at least 1 hour on a cooling rack before inverting it to cool completely. It took 1 hour + 10 minutes for me. This cake is a great compliment to your morning coffee or tea and perfect in the evening as well with hot chocolate.

Cake Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened and cut each stick into 8 pieces

2 cups Granulated Sugar

3 Extra Large Eggs

1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Zest of 2 Lemons

1 tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

½ teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 ¼ cup Buttermilk

1 pound Fresh Blueberries

Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake cooling on wire rack

Directions
Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Spray bundt pan liberally with non-stick cooking/baking spray and sprinkle with flour. Use a pastry brush to make sure you get every nook and cranny in the bundt pan. Shake out excess flour over the sink. Put aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add eggs one by one, and then vanilla extract and lemon juice. Turn off mixer and with a spatula go around the edge of the bowl and make sure all the ingredients are combined.

Turn the mixer on low speed, and slowly add the flour mixture and buttermilk by alternating until incorporated.

Add in lemon zest and beat for 1 more minute.

Turn off mixer and gently fold in with a spatula half of the blueberries.

Pour the batter evenly into prepared bundt pan and sprinkle in the remaining blueberries.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. My bundt cake baked in 1 hour.

Place bundt cake on wire rack to cool before inverting it, about 1 hour. After 30 minutes, gently run a knife around the edges of the cake.

Once cake is cool, make Buttermilk Glaze.

Buttermilk Glaze Ingredients
4 tablespoons Buttermilk

1 tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

¾ cup Powdered Sugar

Directions
Add powdered sugar, buttermilk and lemon juice into a medium sized bowl and whisk together. I like my glaze runny and transparent, but if you prefer a thick glaze use 3 tablespoons buttermilk, ½ tablespoon lemon juice and 1 cup powdered sugar and drizzle over the cake back and fork with a spoon.

With a pastry brush, gently add the glaze on the cake.

Cover cake with plastic wrap on cake platter and store in fridge for 1-2 hours to let it set.

Recipe adapted from A Spicy Perspective, Blueberry Cake: http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2014/05/blueberry-cake.html

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Super Turnip Green Pepper Sauce

Super Turnip Green Pepper Sauce

Super Turnip Green Pepper Sauce with my BLT

Recently, I have been using a sauce from Birmingham, Alabama called Super Turnip Green Pepper Sauce. STG is a medium heat sauce that has a tasty little bite from the Serranos. The sauce is not super hot like an extreme sauce, but it is a welcome flavorful peppery addition to your foods. This sauce has great texture and the fluid consistency is like that of a Louisiana hot sauce, yet has a small amount of tiny peppery pieces and spicy seeds in it. Super Turnip Green is collaboration between "Super" and Tom West of Ol' Gringos, an award winning company based in Texas. The sauce was created to add flavors to collard greens and turnip greens, a Southern favorite. The sauce has simple ingredients and is tangy and very tasty. Not only is it peppery, it has a sweet and vinegary flavor. I really like this sauce on tossed salad or sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

Super and his sauce, Super Turnip Green Pepper Sauce

The flavors compliment vegetables and almost reminds me of a peppery Italian salad dressing. I had the sauce on steamed vegetables, broccoli and cauliflower, as well as on salads. The original straight taste test was great and very smooth. After having some on salads and steamed veggies, I decided to have Super Turnip Green on my Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato (BLT) Sandwich. The sauce added a robust flavor to the veggies and bacon alike, and has a vibrant and bright reddish-orange color. Super Turnip Green is not extreme and is OK for more heat intolerant spice seekers. I also like the seeds in the sauce though I know some people do not like this, but I do and it works well in STG. I like that the sauce is not full of preservatives and other junk. It is a tasty table sauce that is great on veggies, as well as chicken thighs and rice. Fans of flavor that do not want to be burned up get some today! I recommend this sauce for fans that like a vinegary base taste in their sauces and the sweetness is also a plus.

The sweet and spicy Ingredients include Red Serrano, Red Pepper, vinegar, water, sugar, salt and garlic.

Contact Super Turnip Green Pepper Sauce on Facebook for details on ordering some for your pantry or restaurant.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperTurnipGreen

Web: http://superturnipgreen.com

-Allen/Two Frys

Baked Denver Omelet

Baked Denver Omelet

Baked Denver Omelet: top left: ready to go in the oven; top right: baked
and bottom two pics is my piece sprinkled with basil

The Denver (or Western) Omelet has always been a favorite of mine. This omelet consists of eggs, ham, onions, bell pepper, and cheese. I never had a baked version and so, here it is.  It was easy to put together and the results were amazing! If you want a vegetarian version, just substitute the ham with 1 cup of chopped mushrooms.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Butter

½ Large Onion, chopped

½ of 1 (each) Green and Red Pepper, chopped

1 cup Cooked Ham, diced

8 Extra Large Eggs

¼ cup Milk

½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Kosher Salt

Cracked Black Pepper

Ingredients coming together

Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a 10-inch round pie plate. (I used a glass Pyrex pie plate)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add onion, red and green bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in chopped ham for about 5 minutes until heated.

Cool for 5 minutes.

In a medium size bowl, lightly beat eggs with milk. Stir in ham mixture, cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

Pour into prepared pie plate and bake until eggs are puffed up and browned, about 20-25 minutes.

Let set for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with basil if desired.

The Baked Denver Alaska recipe is from, All Recipes Magazine: (http://armagazine.com/denver-omelet).

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Chocolate Chiffon Heart Cake

Chocolate Chiffon Heart Cake

Chocolate Chiffon Heart Cake

For Valentine's Day, I baked a Chocolate Chiffon Heart Cake for Allen. I got the recipe from Joy of Baking (http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateHeartCake.html), my go to recipe site and one I trust. The link also features a very informative video I suggest you watch before you make this cake. The cake is moist but not dense and it tastes sublime. If you love chocolate this cake is for you. The filling is a velvety Chocolate Whipped Cream and covered with a layer of rich and decadent Chocolate Ganache. The cake tastes even better the next day as the flavors have developed.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake Ingredients

3 Extra Large Eggs (Yolks, room temperature)

4 Egg Whites (3 from above + 1 more, room temperature)

1 cup Granulated Sugar (separated, 2/3 and 1/3 cup)

2/3 cup All Purpose Flour

1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder

½ teaspoon Baking Soda

¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt

½ cup Vegetable Oil (or Safflower, Canola, Corn Oil)

1/3 cup Coffee (room temperature)

1 ½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Lovely slice of Chocolate Chiffon Heart Cake

Directions

Place rack in the center of oven.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and Flour, or spray cake pans. I use Wilton Bake Easy Spray and 2 9-inch Wilton Heart Shape pans.

Separate the Eggs, adding Egg Whites in one bowl and the Yolks in another bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

In a medium size bowl add the Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt, sift in Cocoa Powder, and combine with a whisk. Put aside.

Using a 2-cup measuring cup such as Pyrex, whisk together the Vegetable Oil, Coffee and Vanilla Extract.

With a hand mixer on medium speed, beat the Egg Yolks with 2/3 cup of Sugar until combined. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the Oil mixture and beat until combined. Slowly add the Flour mixture and beat until combined.

With an electric mixer, beat the Egg Whites and Cream of Tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining 1/3 cup of Sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the Egg Whites into the cake batter (in three stages) until combined.

Pour cake batter evenly in pans and use offset spatula to remove any bubbles. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Oven temperatures vary so keep an eye on it after the 30 minute mark. My cake baked perfectly in 31 minutes.

Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a small spatula around the edges of the pan and invert onto wire racks to cool completely. Note: Joy of Baking says if cake starts to deflate invert right side up. My cakes did not do this.

Yummy Chocolate Chiffon Heart Cake

Chocolate Whipped Cream Ingredients

½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream, cold

¼ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Directions

In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine Heavy Whipping Cream, Sugar, Vanilla Extract and Cocoa Powder. Beat mixture until stiff peaks form.

Once cakes are cooled, place one layer top side down onto cake platter or flat surface. Using an offset spatula spread Chocolate Whipped Cream evenly leaving ½ inch around the sides of the cake. Place other layer top side up and lightly press down. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients

8 ounces Semisweet (or Bittersweet) Chocolate, finely chopped.

¾ cup Heavy Whipping Cream, room temperature

2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, diced

Directions

Place chopped Chocolate in a medium sized heat proof bowl.

Using a small saucepan over medium heat, add Cream and diced Butter. Bring just to a boil. Turn off immediately and pour hot mixture over chopped Chocolate so it melts. Use a spatula after a few minutes and gently stir until incorporated and smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.

Remove cake from fridge and place on wire rack with a baking sheet under it to catch any remaining Ganache. Pour Ganache over the cake and use an offset spatula to even it out and cover any spots. Use Ganache that falls on baking sheet if needed to cover cake. Make sure you have an even layer of Ganache.

Move cake a little so it does not stick and then let cake set for about 10 minutes. Gently transfer to your cake platter. I added sprinkles and fresh Raspberries. Cover and place in fridge for 2 hours or overnight. Take out cake and let it come to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys