cook

FOOD + DRINK

THE BEST LEMON POUND CAKE, LIKE EVER

by Michel Van Devender

This is the MOST requested cake in our house, and hands down, the best lemon pound cake recipe I’ve found. Two of my sons have birthdays a day apart in April, and they both request this for their birthdays, every year! Yes, I end up making two, but try to spread them out over the course of a couple of weeks so we can extend the cake joy. For me, the best desserts are chocolate, but I love this cake so much. The recipe is from Julia over at Dozen Flours . I think the reason it is sooo good is because there’s no lemon extract, just straight up lemons. For this reason, the cake requires several extra steps including zesting and separating the lemon segments. It is a bit tedious and time consuming, but in my opinion, well worth it. Hope you enjoy!

🖤💙,

 

The Best Lemon Pound Cake

Print
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

  • 4 – 5 small lemons, organic if possible (smaller lemons typically have more juice + flavor)
  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups superfine sugar (also called caster or baker’s sugar)
  • 6 eggs, warmed for 10 minutes in hot tap water
  • 1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
  • Glaze:
  • 1 – 2 lemons
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a tube cake pan, including center column. Set aside.
  2.  Thoroughly clean and dry lemons. Zest lemons in a bowl (large enough to add sugar later), avoiding the pith (the white part below yellow) as it will add bitterness to the cake. I usually do 5 lemons, although the original recipe calls for 4. Set aside.
  3.  Using lemons you zested, cut off top and bottom of each lemon. Over a bowl, separate lemon segments from membranes, capturing any juice in bowl. This can be done with a sharp knife, or I sometimes find it easier to use my hands. If you can recruit your significant other to do this for you, bonus! The goal is to collect as many lemon segment clusters as possible. There will be some juice, but not a lot. You can look at the original recipe, linked above,  for more details on this process as it is outlined with step-by-step instructions and also provides links to tutorials. 
  4. Add sugar to bowl with lemon zest. Combine and work together with your fingers or a fork until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Set aside.
  5. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
  6. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat butter for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add half the sugar and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add the other half of the sugar and beat for 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl a couple of times.
  7. Remove eggs from warm water. Add one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating until just combined.
  8. On the lowest setting, beat in the dry ingredients followed by the sour cream.
  9. Gently fold in the lemon segments and juice.
  10. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake for approximately 90 minutes, checking every 10-15 minutes after 60 minutes. When done, a cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean.
  11. Remove cake from oven and cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes. 
  12. After cake has cooled slightly, carefully remove from pan and place on a plate.
  13. While cake continues to cool, juice 2 lemons. Add powered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing with a whisk, until desired consistency. If glaze is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add more lemon juice. 
  14. Drizzle glaze over top and sides of cake.
  15. Serve! We sometimes eat warm because my boys cannot wait until cake has cooled, although I prefer the taste of the cooled cake. 

0 FacebookPinterestEmail
FOOD + DRINK

THE BEST VEGETABLE SOUP WITH GRASS-FED BEEF

by Michel Van Devender

An Easy, Quick, Healthy Meal

Vegetable soup is a personal favorite comfort food that stays on rotation during the fall and winter months in our house. Although, I’ve also been known to make it in the spring and summer… I know, it’s hot. The last time I made this soup, my 13-year-old son even said, “Oh yay mom, we’re having vegetable soup!” For me, that’s like my kid saying he loves me! Seriously, it’s the small things over here in this mom-of-three-boys house!

Since this is a super easy recipe that requires little time and effort, I usually make it when we have a busy weekday night, and I don’t have as much time to be in the kitchen. It’s literally working to get everything into the pot, and then just letting it simmer. The ingredients are simple, usually staples that we keep on hand in our freezer and pantry. 

The other thing I really love about this recipe is that it has a nice, flavorful tomato base, good for experimentation. You can make several different versions by simply switching up the meat and starch. It can also be made without the meat and/or starch to accommodate different dietary needs and lifestyles. Ideas for meat substitutions include ground turkey, ground chicken, shredded chicken, beef stew, Italian sausage and ground sausage. I sometimes use rice or other grain instead of potatoes. I also like it with quinoa, amaranth, or even cauliflower rice. You get the idea… I’m sure you can think of other combinations as well! Please be sure to share any great variations you discover. We typically serve with gluten-free toast or crackers. It’s also a great candidate for a grilled cheese if you eat dairy. Hope you enjoy! 

🖤💙,

 

Easy Vegetable Soup with Ground Beef

Print
Serves: 6-8 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 24-ounce jar tomato basil spaghetti sauce
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 container beef bone broth
  • 1 16-ounce bag mixed vegetables
  • 2 small to medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 medium to large potatoes (can omit or use another starch)
  • 2 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Chop the onion and garlic. Place in a stock pot or dutch oven with the ground beef.

2. Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic.

3. Once the ground beef, onion and garlic mixture are cooked, add the spices and diced tomatoes. Cook for 2 -3 minutes or until fragrant.

4. Add the spaghetti sauce and beef broth. Stir to combine. Cook for 10 minutes.

5. Add the mixed vegetables. Bring to a boil and then turn burner down to a simmer. Cook for a minimum of 1 hour.

6. Wash, peel and dice potatoes. Add to soup 15 – 20 minutes before serving. If you’d prefer less starch in the soup, you can cook the potatoes separately and add at the end. I never do this!

7.  Serve into bowls and let cool slightly before eating.

Notes

Variation 1 – omit meat or substitute with another type; Variation 2 – omit starch or substitute with another grain

 

0 FacebookPinterestEmail
Load More Posts