Lemon Bundt Cake

One of my good friends had a birthday coming up, and being the amazing friend I am, I asked him what kind of birthday cake he wanted. He said he always liked lemon cake so I turned to my trusty cookbook to get a recipe. I was shocked to discover that I did not have a go to recipe for lemon cake! I cook with lemon all the time but it's always in lemon bars or cookies. I had to remedy the situation immediately.

I couldn't find a recipe for a lemon sheet cake so I settled for a Bundt cake. I figured it would be festive enough with candles on it. This recipe is undoubtedly a winner! It's lemony, moist, and perfect! The recipe called for a lemon buttercream as frosting but I thought that might be too much so I just did a simple glaze.

Unfortunately the cake got eaten so quickly I didn't get any pictures of a sliced piece. You can use your imagination. It was yellow inside. This is an awesome go to lemon cake that should definitely be part of your repertoire.

Lemon Bundt Cake
 adapted from Kitchen Magpie

•  ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups of white granulated sugar
• 1 package of instant lemon pudding mix
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon zest 
• 4 eggs
• 1¼ cup whole milk
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tblsp lemon juice
• zest from half a lemon

 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard Bundt pan.(the 12 cup capacity). In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt then set aside. Cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.Add in the lemon pie filling mix and combine thoroughly. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is thoroughly incorporated. Mix in the lemon zest. Combine the milk, oil and vanilla extract in a large measuring cup or bowl. Starting with the dry ingredients, alternate pouring a third of the wet and dry ingredients into the bowl, incorporating thoroughly after each addition. You will end on the wet ingredients. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes after the last addition. Pour the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tester
inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Invert the cake onto a baking rack to cool.

Mix the icing ingredients together to the desired consistency. I wanted it thicker so it didn't run down the sides as much so I added more sugar. Drizzle the icing on cake as desired.

Chicken Picatta Pasta

It doesn't look like much but this is one of my favorite dishes. Chicken picatta is usually a breaded chicken breast, pan fried in a lovely lemon-wine sauce with capers. I changed it to bite sized pieces of chicken in the sauce mixed with pasta. Capers can be a bit divisive. I can't get enough of them but others pick them out of the dish. A very important step is to drain and rinse the capers before adding them to the sauce. Not rinsing them makes a surprisingly big difference.

This is a good weeknight meal and it makes good leftovers! I usually make extra. Or I accidentally make leftovers because I am still incapable of cooking for just 2 people. It makes it a lot easier if you do all your chopping before you get started. I chop a clove of garlic, a shallot, some parsley, and halve a couple of lemons. Then the chicken gets chopped. Usually I will chop it into bite-sized pieces but I was feeling especially lazy that day and I just butterflied the breasts so they were thin and flat.

If you leave the chicken out this pasta dish could stand alone as a vegetarian meal or a nice side-dish. 

Chicken Picatta Pasta

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces or butterflied
• salt and pepper
• flour
• 1/2 lb pasta (tube shaped is best)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 jar capers, drained and rinsed
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tblsp chopped fresh parsley 

Salt and pepper the chicken, then coat lightly with flour. Cook in olive oil until golden brown and cooked through. Chop into pieces and set aside. Then in the same pan put a little more oil, the garlic and shallots and saute for a few minutes. Once they are softened, add a couple tablespoons of flour and let it cook for a few minutes. Deglaze the pan with some white wine. Let it reduce and add some chicken stock. Let it come to a boil and add the chicken pieces back in to heat through. Add in about 1/3 cup of lemon juice and the rinsed capers. I let it meld together for another couple of minutes and add in the cooked pasta. If it's too dry you can add more chicken stock or some of the pasta water. Finish the dish with some chopped fresh parsley. Bon appetit!

Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet

It's summertime!!!!! I can't even tell you how much I love summer. The afternoon thunder storms, how it stays light so late, going to the beach and pool, and even the heat and humidity. I love it all. That being said, it does get awfully hot sometimes. This sorbet is the perfect solution!

I make sorbet fairly often in my ice cream maker but if you don't have an ice cream maker you can still enjoy home made sorbet; it's just a little more labor intensive.

This sorbet is amazing. Fresh strawberries mixed with just the right amount of lemon juice creates an icy, fruity delicious concoction to cool you down. I plan to blend some of this sorbet with some rum or vodka because it will be DELICIOUS, I just know it. I can't wait.

Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet

• about 12 strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 5 basil or mint leaves (optional)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tblsp vodka (optional) 

Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and heat up just until the sugar dissolves. Let cool completely. When cool pour the sugar water into a blender and add the rest of the ingredients  and blend until smooth. (The vodka helps with texture, it keeps it from freezing hard as a rock. If you don't use just let it sit on the counter for a minute before scooping). Pour into an ice cream maker and let freeze. Spoon into a container and place in the freezer for a few more hours before serving.

If you don't have an ice cream machine you can pour the mixture into a glass dish and place in the freezer. Every hour scrape the ice crystals off the top and mix. Soon you will have a slushy consistency that you can transfer into a container and freeze until solid.