Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

Lemon blueberry bundt, with fresh bluberries and
lemon zest tucked in the center.


Last Friday, Carolyn invited a slew of people over for a hot dog cookout (really a weenie roast - so retro!). Armed with portable chairs, we sat in her backyard and ate, overlooking her chickens, ducks, and the wheat (?) field beyond her lawn. It was really nice.

There were, of course, hot dogs (though everybody wimped out and didn't cook them over a fire, choosing instead to grill them) plus sides that the guests supplied: chips, salad, pasta salad, lemonade, baked beans - it was a nice spread. For dessert, we toasted marshmallows over a fire and made s'mores (the best summertime treat) and for those who weren't interested in chocolate (or more accurately, wanted to load up on both) there was a lemon blueberry bundt.

Aside from the glaze (which was runnier than it should have been) the cake came together easily. It took a very long time to bake, much longer than the 50 minutes the recipe specified; maybe my oven is off again.

I really like the idea of a lemon cake studded with blueberries but this recipe, from Family Circle magazine, doesn't quite pull it off. I would have liked more of a lemon kick. Carolyn's mother, Liz, would have liked a bit more sweetness from the glaze. Maybe Martha's recipe would yield better results.

Looking over my shoulder just now, Shane asked if I wanted his opinion.

Knowing it wasn't going to be positive, I grunted an assent. He thought the cake was very dense, not sweet, and sort of bitter.

"It wasn't my favorite Laura dessert." (Perhaps the 8 hot dogs he ate threw off his sense of taste.) "Was that helpful?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm," I replied.

Mentally, I gave him the finger. Eight-hot-dogs-eatin'-bastard.

Lemon Blueberry Bundt
2 ½ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 ¾ c sugar
4 eggs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 ¼ c. blueberries

Glaze
1 ½ c. confectioner’s sugar
6 to 7 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp corn syrup
Lemon zest for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla, beating until combined. Beat in flour in three additions, alternating with butter milk. Beat for 2 minutes on medium-high speed. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan; turn out and cool completely.

For the glaze, mix together confectioner’s sugar, juice, and corn syrup in a mall bowl until smooth. Drizzle over top of cake and let it roll down the sides. Serves 16.

Grade: B-

5 comments:

Acme Instant Food said...

After 8 hot dogs, I'd burst a button if I consumed even one, runty blueberry.

*whispering* Shield the screen with your hand so he can't see this--I'm sure it was fine! The racoon and platypus meat in the hot dogs messes with yer head!

Lis said...

yanno.. I have to disagree with Kevin on this one. I don't believe there are any racoon and/or platypus meat in hotdogs. Everyone knows hotdogs are made from cows and/or pigs. Yep, they use the lips and a$$holes. Nothing is left to waste, nothing. So 8 servings of lips & a$$holes might, seriously, have had something to do with his tasters being off. Seriously. That is all.

Laura Rebecca said...

Hmm, raccoon and platypus meat or cow & pig lips and anuses. Really, I can't decide which is more appealing.

Acme Instant Food said...

L.R., we are here to make your blog a classier place to be.

Susan said...

Just made this same cake but there was one more ingredient to mine which was 1/2 cup sour cream. Ohter than that everything was the same and the end result is that it seems pretty dense and not tons of lemony flavor. I expect tomorrow it will taste better. The glaze was great though. Very lemony!