Tuesday, April 17, 2012

What I did during my spring vacation


I was on vacation last week--we didn't go anywhere, since I was the only one off (spring break for Brianna was a month ago), but it was a nice break from work.  I realized this weekend that I actually accomplished quite a few things on my to-do list.  I got some annual doctor appointments out of the way, including my first mammogram.  Gotta love getting older... =)  (It was kind of a weird experience, but not that bad. I've certainly endured more uncomfortable things--after all, I gave birth to two children.)  I bought some new sandals and gave myself a pedicure so I'm ready for all the warm weather around here.  Of course, then I had to paint two smaller sets of toenails as well.  I even got to have both lunch and dinner out with my husband.  I took him to lunch on Wednesday for his birthday (and made him cupcakes, too), and then the daycare did parents night out on Saturday.  Two nice meals sans kiddos in one week--unprecedented!


Surprisingly, I didn't do as much baking as I originally expected to.  But for a change, I did get a jump on making the latest TWD selection--I baked it over a week ago, in fact.  This week our recipe is Lemon Loaf Cake, and our hosts are Truc of Treats and Michelle of The Beauty of Life.  As I was reading over the recipe (contributed by Norman Love), I realized that I was already familiar with the mixing method for the cake batter.  Both Dorie's Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes and the French Pound Cake from Flour are mixed up in a similar fashion.  Instead of creaming butter and sugar together, you start off by mixing the eggs and sugar together.  Then you fold in the dry ingredients, and finally the liquids (cream and melted butter).


I like loaf cakes, but was in the mood for something different this time.  Gillian asked me recently why I hadn't made anything in the "bug pan" in a long time.  Since I previously used it for the Flour pound cake, I figured it would also work well for this recipe.  I was lucky enough to find the pan (pictured above) at Costco last spring, which made it much more affordable for a Nordic Ware pan.  It only has a 3 cup volume, though, so I knew I'd need to put the rest of the batter in something else.  I have some small loaf pans, but ended up going with my 6-cup bundt pan.  

Besides my pan choices, I did tweak the recipe in a few other small ways.  I borrowed Dorie's tip from recipes in Baking and rubbed the lemon zest into the sugar before combining it with the eggs.  I also used a bit more salt--1/4 teaspoon--and for the cake flour, I used King Arthur's Unbleached Cake Flour Blend.  After baking, I left the bugs unadorned, but couldn't resist dressing up the bundt cake.  After I removed it from its pan, I brushed it with a lemon syrup while the cake was still hot.  Then once it cooled, I drizzled it with a lemon glaze as well.


The verdict?  We liked both versions.  This is my favorite type of pound cake--I love the texture of it, and it never seems dry to me like others do sometimes.  I like the extra punch of lemon added by the syrup and glaze on the cake, and enjoy how the tart topping makes a nice contrast to the sweeter flavor of the cake itself.  The lemon flavor was milder in the bugs, but definitely still there.  We all ate those shortcake-style with macerated strawberries and whipped cream, and they were delicious.  I need to use that pan more often--the girls really love the fun shapes.

If you'd like to give this recipe a try, you can find it on Truc's blog or Michelle's blog.  Be sure to check out the other lemony Links, too!


18 comments:

  1. What an adorable bug pan! I love collecting fun pans like this one. Your Bundt cake idea was great, too. Yummy!

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  2. Glad you got to have such a fun and productive spring break...those are the best kinds! The bugs are adorable and I need to borrow your glaze idea the next time I make this (or something like it): yum!

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  3. I love the bugs! Your bundt cake is gorgeous and the glaze looks like a great addition.

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  4. Beautiful presentations - Bundt looks utterly delicious and so do the "bugs".

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  5. Wow, what a gorgeous bundt! (that's sounds a little inappropriate, doesn't it? ;) Very nice work!

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  6. I like your lemon loaf cake both ways, we liked this recipe too. I've never seen the bug pans, I will have to look for them, as you know we bakers can never have enough specialty pans;-)

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  7. I love the bug pan! What a lovely idea

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  8. I love, Love, LOVE the bug pan! My girls would go nuts for cakes made in bug shapes. Both versions look really good -- especially the glaze on the bundt.

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  9. I made mine exactly as you did: rub the zest + sugar, increase salt, and used the King Arthur cake flour! But then I added that lemon oil, which I liked. Had I not run out of time, I might have gone with a lemon syrup too.

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  10. The little 'bugs' are so cute! I like your idea of adding the syrup and infusing the sugar makes a huge difference. I'm glad you had a lovely vacation (even with the dr. appointments). Beautiful job, Di!

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  11. Your vacation sounds like it was both productive and relaxing - the best of all worlds! Glad you enjoyed it :) I've wanted to pick up that bug pan since you bought it, but the fear of having to clean it has stopped me so I'm living vicariously through you. The cake sounds awesome!

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  12. Good job putting that fun pan to good use. I sometimes forget about mine and they just sit there. This looks delightful.

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  13. The bugs are adorable! They make the cutest little shortcakes!I like the idea of brushing the cake with the syrup and giving it a glaze. I went with a Lemon Curd.

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  14. Awww. Love thie little bugs - I wish my girls were still young enough that I could justify things like that.

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  15. what a beautiful bundt Di! It's magazine-quality! Truly... and what fun that pan it. I've passed that up several times - don't know why! Happy Spring Break - and glad the little things were "fit in" - sandals and pedicure sound perfect!

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  16. That bug pan is too cute! And the bundt looks beautiful and sounds delicious.

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  17. I'm in love with the bug pan! My grandkids would love it. The cake looks delicious.

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  18. So pretty...all of it, even the bugs!! Glaze...I have to learn to think to put glaze on things like this...so so much more exciting and delicious with glaze. Great job, just beautiful.

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