Lemon-Lime Poppy Seed Cake

Sometimes, you want to make a really good cake. Sometimes, you want to make a really good cake and not exert much effort in doing so. If you fall in the second category ever, then this post is for YOU! Get excited :) I really wanted to bake a cake yesterday, but it had been a hectic day and I didn't have the time or patience to make a full-blown homemade cake, so I consulted with my Taste of Home cake mix book (I loooooove Taste of Home. Did you know you can get all of their recipes FREE??). I didn't take a bunch of pictures this time around because it's pretty easy and I didn't feel like I needed to reassure you on any of the steps by showing you what mine was looking like.


Lemon and poppy seeds are a match made in heaven. For further proof, check this
post out.


Lemon-lime poppy seed cake
1 package (18 1/4 oz) yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1/4 cup poppy seeds
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lime juice
GLAZE: 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 TB lemon juice
2 TB lime juice


1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased and floured 10 inch fluted tube pan.
2. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients until smooth, drizzle over cake.



Enjoy :)

FINALLY!!!

Yay!!! It's been over a month and I am finally going to get back into the swing of baking and blogging. I got Mike sent off to basic training and it is a lot harder than I thought it would be not having around. He is my number one fan when it comes to baking, and I'm SO greatful to my mom for taking me in temporarily but I miss my kitchen :(. This too shall pass! By next spring he'll be home and we'll be who knows where! But we'll be together and that's what matters.

ANYWAYS! Here is the last thing I made before moving a month ago. This is out of the same book that I got the root beer float cake recipe from. It's an Oreo bundt cake and oh my it was DELICIOUS! My best friend Chelsea was in Austin for the weekend and she concurred. It was good!

I don't think I will ever cease to be amazed every time a bundt cake comes out of the pan perfectly. I'm always freaking out that part of it will stick!

Behold the goodness.

Chelsea Approves!! :)

Orea Bundt Cake

1 package white cake mix

16 Oreo cookies, coarsely crushed

3 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

3/4 c confectioner's sugar

Additional cookies to garnish

1. Prepare cake batter according to package directions (as a side note, for a more from scratch flavor, add 1 tsp of vanilla and one whole egg to a white cake mix in place of an egg white); stir in crushed cookies. Spoon into greased and floured 10 in. fluted tube plan.

2. Bake at 250 for 33-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Beat in cream until mixture begins to thicken. Gradually add confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Frost cake. Garnish with additional cookies. Refrigerate leftovers.

I'll tell you right now, you end up with a LOT of frosting!! On the picture in the book there's a good half inch around the entire slice of cake. I didn't use all of mine on the cake, so I made chocolate sandwich cookies with what I had left. You can use this cake mix cookie recipe :)

Pound Cake

Cake two weeks in a row. Can you really have too much cake though? I was inspired by Mike's co-workers for this week's deliciousness. Probably 90% of what I make ends up at his job. His co-workers are great. They really boost my ego by eating everything I send with Mike to work :) The thing about baking is, you have so much fun baking something but then if there's no one around...you're probably going to eat everything...So they are quite a blessing! I told him I'd like to get some requests for what they want next and this is what I got:

Lemon Bars

Anything chocolate or lemon

“I loved the peanut butter cookies. Those have been my favorite so far.”

“If I did have to vote, it would be for plain old chocolate chip cookies.”

“All I want to know is did you tell her about the Bake Sale coming up? I’m sure her goodies will go fast. I would like to see some bread or muffins, like blueberry or pound.”

“Definitely a cheesecake.”

“Yes – Chocolate chip cookies are great – especially oatmeal chocolate chip (this way you can feel like you are eating a HEALTHY cookie – sort of…)”

“I like anything with chocolate and peanut butter.”

“Oh, please thank your wife for making these delightful treats to get us through our long, stressful workdays!”

Out of all that, the pound cake part stuck out to me. I've never made one and I've always wanted to. It's so good! It's sitting on my kitchen counter right now and I'm living in fear of it not living until tomorrow for Mike to take to them...

I am always apprehensive of cakes coming out of pans if there isn't parchment paper in them.




But this one came out PERFECTLY!!! I did a little happy dance around the kitchen after I dumped it out of the pan. I really did.






Easiest glaze ever.




Doesn't that look delicious? It is.


POUND CAKE


1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream blended with 1/4 cup milk
1 cup confectioners' sugar


1. Heat oven to 350. Grease a 12 cup capacity bundt pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add a little flour, tilting pan so flour sticks to butter.
2. Measure 2 3/4 cups flour; pour into small bowl; add baking soda and salt. Whisk together to blend.
3. In a large bowl, beat remaining butter and the sugar on high speed just until pale and fluffy but still grainy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Add vanilla.
4. On low speed, beat in half of the flour mixture, then sour cream mixture. Beat in remaining flour mixture just until blended.
5. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, until cake springs back when pressed. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Place rack over cake, carefully flip to release cake from pan; cool.
6. Blend confectioner's sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Place cake on rack over parchment paper. Pour glaze over, letting it drip down side.