A Quick Orange-Strawberry-Rhubarb Cake

A friend posted a simpler variation of this from today's NY Times who published it as "Pudding Cake or Spoon Bread?" It sounded good, although maybe a little plain. I wasn't in the mood for a biscuit-type dessert, nor something resembling shortbread or something like a molten lava cake. . .I wanted real cake! With a little more fruit and spice. So, I made changes: increased the fruit, added orange peel, vinegar to make the milk into 'buttermilk' - which always creates more flavorful cake, muffins, pancakes. I also added an egg, pumpkin pie spice and cardamom.  Other than that...followed, almost word-for-word! 😉 🙃 😊 

6-8oz. frozen strawberries and rhubarb

1 'cutie' finely chopped orange peel only

~ eat the orange ~ 🙂

⅓c light brown sugar

Chop the fruit, mash it a little if necessary, add the brown sugar, stir and set aside.

1 stick butter - melted

⅓c light brown sugar

½c coconut almond milk
(¾c coconut almond milk)*

1t white vinegar-optional-vinegar combined with milk 
turns it into buttermilk, which adds more flavor

½t salt

1 egg

Barely melt the butter, then remove from heat. Add the next ingredients whisking after each. Before adding the egg, check the temperature. If it's too hot, cool everything before adding it.

1c all purpose flour
*¼c corn flour
*¼c Linwoods seeds-berries

1t baking powder

1t+ pumpkin pie spice

½t+ cardamom

*I thought of these additions after I baked and posted this.  I'll make it this way next time.

Preheat your oven to 350°. Whisk the dry ingredients together well, in a separate bowl, then stir them into the other bowl of wet ingredients. Stir only until all four is absorbed. Pour into a greased 8"x8"  baking pan. Spoon the thawed, stirred fruit and sugar mix on top and swirl it into the batter a little, with a knife. Sprinkle the top with coarse turbinado sugar, for a little added crunch. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. Cool an hour. 

This is SO good!  The areas on each edge where it touched glass are nice and crispy!  Serve as is, for dessert or as a coffee cake, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. . .Lin

Lemon Plum Cake

3 finely chopped plums

½ grated frozen lemon *

2T white or brown sugar

1t cornstarch ~

1½c unbleached flour

2t pumpkin pie spice

½t baking soda

¼t salt

½c (1 stick) butter -

- at room temperature

¼c melted coconut oil

½c organic white sugar

½c dark brown sugar

½ grated frozen lemon

½c plain Greek yogurt

3 lg. eggs

Put first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and cook on low, 7-12 minutes.  It should be starting to sauce-up and thicken.  If it isn't, ~ add cornstarch and bring to a bubble again.  Take off the heat and cool slightly.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.  In a medium bowl, beat the next ingredients together until smooth and fluffy.  Slowly add the dry ingredients, whisking or beating until incorporated.

Pour into a greased 9" glass baking pan.  Drop spoonfuls of the plum mixture on top - OR - pour half the batter into the pan.  Combine the remaining batter with the fruit, then pour over the plain better.  Use a kitchen knife to marble the layers a bit.  I kept them separate and the fruit sank to the bottom during baking.  Sprinkle the top of the cake with cinnamon sugar or plain, coarse, turbinado sugar.  Bake at 350° for 50 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. . .Lin

Berry Lemon Cake - Breakfast Bread

2 eggs

1c sugar

1c sour cream

½c light vegetable oil

½ frozen-grated lemon -*-

1t lemon or almond extract

1# mixed frozen fruit

1T corn starch

2T sugar

1½c organic flour

½c corn flour *

½t salt

1t cinnamon

2t baking powder
1c chopped pecans (optional)

With your mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy in a medium size bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients in that group beating well after each addition.  Set that aside and chop the frozen fruit, stirring that together well with the corn starch and sugar in another medium size bowl.  In a third bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.  Add the dry ingredients to the first bowl with the eggs, etc.  Mix together well.  

Pour half the batter into a well buttered 8"x12" glass pan, then crumble-spread the berry mixture over that.  Pour on the remaining batter, then top with the rest of the berries.  Sprinkle some coarse sugar on top, and bake at 375° for 350minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350° for an additional 20 minutes.  Take out of the oven and cool on a rack, about an hour before serving.  This created the most wonderful scent in my kitchen as it baked!

* I've always loved the combination of corn flour and crushed quick cooking rolled oats as the 'flour' base for my cornbread.  I always add peppery and fruity elements to it.  Instead of just regular flour I decided to substitute a little corn flour to give this 'cake' a hint of that fruity cornbread flavor.

This would be great for breakfast or as a dessert. . .Lin

Sunshine Pound Cake

1c room temperature butter

1c sugar

4 lg. eggs

zest of 1 lemon

zest of 1 orange

juice of ½ lemon

2c stirred all purpose flour

½t salt

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add the lemon and orange zest and lemon juice. Combine the flour and salt and spoon that into the mix beating well the whole time. Pour batter into a greased-floured loaf pan. Bake in preheated 350° oven about 1 hour or until top springs back.

Shake to loosen cake from pan. Turn out onto a cutting board. When cool top with a glaze made from 2-3T powdered sugar and just a few drops of lemon juice. . .Lin

A Rainy Day Cake Experiment. . . . .

Easy Brown Sugar Spice Cake

Today I just had to bake a cake! I kept playing around with the idea of modifications for the old 'Crazy Cake' I'd make for my children's birthday parties - so that's what I did. I eliminated the chocolate, cut the recipe in half, used coconut oil and added cinnamon.  This cake contains no eggs.  It has the consistency, flavor and moistness of a carrot cake. The frosting is another experiment that turned out well.

1½c organic all purpose flour

1c brown sugar

½t salt

1t baking soda

1t-1T cinnamon

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together.

3/8c liquified* coconut oil

1T white vinegar

1T good quality vanilla

1c lukewarm water

*Coconut 'oil' is a white solid at room temperature. You'll need to heat it just to the point where it melts and becomes clear. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, continue to whisk until just blended. Pour into an 8x8” square glass pan, bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting. . .Lin

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz. softened Neufchatel type cream cheese

2T butter

½c brown sugar

1t cinnamon

1T good quality vanilla

1T Half & Half

You can make this up early and just let it stand so the brown sugar blends in completely. When cake is cool, frost, sprinkle with a little raw sugar if you like. Serve and store leftovers in the refrigerator. . .Lin

Cloning - Of The Fruit Cocktail Cake

I had company this weekend and when the dust settled this morning, this is what was left of the original 9x13” Fruit Cocktail Cake. I could put it out for the birds/squirrels, save it for later, throw it away. . .no. . .Never mind that it's 81° with 58% humidity in my house – and I hate heat this weather – I wasn't really ready to be done with this cake. So, I rework all this and baked another one – which works nicely since I have another wave of company coming tomorrow. :o) I tried this a while ago with cornbread and if I remember right, liked it both ways.

Cube remaining original cake and set aside – this yielded 1-1½c.

In a little pan, combine the following:

2/3c brown sugar

½t cardamom

1-2c fresh fruit – finely chopped
¼c water

Bring to a boil then simmer 5 minutes. This should have the consistency of chunky applesauce. Cool to room temperature. Transfer to a plastic mixing bowl and add:

1 lg egg

1t real vanilla

Stir together fruit and egg mixtures until well blended. Stir together the next 3 dry ingredients then add to the fruit mixture, along with the cubed cake pieces, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition:

1c flour

½t baking soda

a pinch of salt

When blended, pour into a buttered-floured 8” or 9” square glass baking pan and let stand while preheating oven to 325°. Top with chopped pecans and some coarse raw sugar. Bake for ±20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. It's great! Sometimes the redux is better than the original.
Happy cloning! . . . Lin

Fruit Cocktail* Cake

1½c sugar–brown and/or white

2 lg eggs

1t good quality vanilla

½c± craisins or raisins

1 14-16oz. can fruit cocktail* and juice

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs a few minutes on medium speed. Add the craisins and fruit cocktail* (you could substitute a can of crushed pineapple, apricots, peaches or pears) a little at a time alternating with dry ingredients which have been stirred together in a smaller bowl:

2¼c flour

1t-1T cardamom

1½t baking soda

½t salt

Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, alternately with the canned fruit and juice. When all is combined in the large bowl, beat at medium for several minutes. Pour into a greased-floured 9x13” glass pan.

Top with chopped pecans and sprinkle some coarse, raw sugar over the cake for texture, before baking in a preheated 350° oven 20-25 minutes, or until the top holds its shape when touched, edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in a couple test spots.

This can be served as is, with a sauce, or a powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and cream glaze. Shown here is a topping made by combining: ½c sour cream, a ½t of vanilla and a tablespoon or so of real Maple syrup. 

This recipe is not an original of mine, but I've had lots of fun altering it over the years :o)

Strawberry Shortcake Bars

My Fiance' saw these on the Mr. Food segment of our local news and decided he wanted to make them for us this weekend.  This is not a 'healthy' recipe :o)

1 - 18.25-ounce package Strawberry* cake mix
½c - 1 stick butter, melted
1 lg. egg, lightly beaten
1 8oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
2c powdered sugar
2 lg. eggs, lightly beaten
1t vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. 

2. Combine cake mix and butter in a large bowl. Add one egg, stir well. 
    Press into a lightly greased 9- x 13-inch pan.

3. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 eggs and vanilla at medium speed with an
    electric beater until creamy. Pour cream cheese mixture over crust.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until just set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes 2 dozen bars.

*  This recipe would also be good with a Cherry, Lemon or Chocolate cake mix.

Crazy Cake with Cooked Buttercream Frosting

This is not one of my original recipes. I made it this weekend for my Granddaughter's 19^th birthday. She never had it before and years ago it was what I always made for my children's birthday parties. It's also a great dessert for people who can't eat eggs, since there are none in this cake or frosting.

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups cold water

Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch un-greased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork. OR – Using conventional mixing method: Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a 3-4 cup measuring device. Pour over dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost a couple hours later when cake is room temperature.

Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In small saucepan, cook flour and milk until it thickens stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Beat on high speed until fluffy and smooth. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Frost cake and store, covered in the refrigerator.

Pink & Yellow Strawberry-Lemon Easter Cake

This recipe started when I came home from the grocery store with some beautiful strawberries and lemons and made a few changes to an old pound cake recipe. This time, omitting vanilla, adding lemon juice, zest and the strawberries.

1c 2 sticks butter

2½c sugar

4      eggs

*3c flour

*1t  baking powder

*½t salt

(–or *2c regular flour +

1c  self-rising flour)

¾c milk
1   lemon – juice

1c fresh strawberries

zest from the lemon

Beat room temperature butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between. Stir together flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk until all are combined. Add lemon juice and beat a while longer, until smooth. Chop strawberries into another bowl, add 1/2 of the cake batter and stir. Add the lemon zest to the batter in the original mixing bowl. Optional – a few drops of food coloring added to each bowl. Spread alternating layers in a greased-floured angel food cake pan.

Bake in preheated 300° oven for about 90 minutes. Cool to room temperature before turning out of pan. Drizzle with a powdered sugar, half & half glaze, or make a glaze of soft butter, powdered sugar, half & half and a little lemon juice. . .Lin

Millie's Favorite Pound Cake Recipe

I was feeling nostalgic today and in honor of Valentine's Day decided to deviate and BAKE - something NOT healthy.  Unlike most normal sugar-cravers, I'm not big on chocolate.  I've had it from all over the world and if I had to pick, I'd take Dove Milk Chocolate any day.  But, really, VANILLA is my thing. . .real - excellent quality - VANILLA.

This was my Mother-In-Law's favorite Pound Cake recipe, also known as Imperial Margarine Pound Cake.  To me nothing says vanilla quite like wonderful ice cream, creme brulee' - OR - a homemade pound cake with LOTS of real Mexican, Madagascar, Indonesian, or Tahitian vanilla - today I'm using Mexican I got from a friend.  This time I made only a half recipe and baked it in a buttered-floured glass loaf pan.

A word of caution - do NOT use anything other type of margarine - it HAS to be Imperial - sticks - not tub - margarine!  Years ago I tried to make this with Blue Bonnet and it was horrible.  HOWEVER, margarine it NOT allowed in my home anymore, so I now use regular, salted butter - everything's better with butter!  Somehow, even without a leavening agent, this cake remains very dense yet rises and turns out well every time.  :-D

1 lb Imperial margarine
1 lb confectioners sugar
6 eggs 
3 cups cake flour
2-4t vanilla

~ Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat lightly, mixing in well after each addition. Add flour and mix well. Add vanilla before, during, and after adding the flour.
~ Pour batter into a stick-free or greased and floured bundt cake pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours on 325°F. Begin watching the cake at 1 hour. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cake should be cracked on top and golden brown.

~ Cool for 5 minutes on a cake rack. Loosen the sides with a knife. Gently remove the cake from the pan while still warm.

Today I made a chocolate glaze:

1/2c  chocolate chips
1T     butter
1/4c  sour cream
2T     vanilla
4T     powdered sugar

Another variation would be to use the zest of a lemon in batter, then glaze the cake with:

1T     melted butter
1/4±c  powdered sugar
juice of one lemon and a little heavy cream

Basic Golden Pound Cake

This is neither healthy nor an original recipe - the frosting is however, a simple one I concocted that turned out well.  I almost never bake, so there will be very few recipes of this sort here.  However, when I want dessert, I'm picky about how I spend my calories.  I like good quality ice cream and cake type things.  This cake, as shown, was made exactly according to the recipe which I found years ago on the inside of a foam egg carton.  It's followed by some variations that I haven't tried yet, but I think might be interesting.

1c  (2 sticks) butter

2-1/2c  sugar

4    eggs

3c  flour

1c  milk

1t   baking powder

1/2t  salt

2t   good quality vanilla

2t   fresh lemon juice

Beat (room temperature) butter and sugar together.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating in between.  Sift or stir together flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Add dry ingredients alternately with the milk until all are combined.  Add vanilla and lemon juice and beat a while longer until smooth.

Bake in preheated 300° oven for about 90 minutes, in a greased-floured tube (angel food cake) pan.  Cool to room temperature before turning out of pan.

Variations:

~Pound Cake can be served plain, with ice cream, with berries and whipped cream or frosted as shown.  For an easy, rich chocolate frosting, melt 18 milk chocolate Dove candies in a small, heavy pot, over low heat.  When just melted and still shiny, stir in 1t± good quality vanilla, cool slightly then add 1/3-1/2c sour cream.  Stir until smooth then frost cooled cake.

~Coffee Cake:  Change sugar to 1-1/2c white sugar and 1c brown sugar.  Add 1T± of ground cinnamon to the batter.  Increase vanilla and omit lemon juice.  Top with a crumbly mix of chopped pecans, a little room temperature butter, brown sugar  and ground cinnamon, before baking.

~Cinnamon Swirl:  Change sugar to 1-1/2c white sugar and 1c brown sugar.  When batter is beaten, Pour 3/4 of it in and add 1-2T of ground cinnamon to the remainder.  Drop this on top of the vanilla batter, run a knife through it, creating a subtle swirl pattern.  Top with a little raw sugar before baking.

~Lemon Pound Cake:  Omit the vanilla and use the juice and zest of 1 fresh lemon.  This can be drizzled with a glaze made of a little powdered sugar, butter, milk and lemon juice.

~Chocolate Swirl:  Make according to the recipe but omit the lemon juice.  Pour 3/4 of the batter in the prepared pan.  To the remainder add some dark chocolate syrup or if the batter is thin enough, stir in some dark unsweetened carob or cocoa powder.  Drop the chocolate batter onto the vanilla in the pan, run a knife through it just a little, to swirl the two together.

~Chocolate Chip:  Stir 1/2-1c semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter just before pouring into the pan.  Top with more chips before baking.