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baked occasionally ultralemony bundt cake with almond glaze

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We return this week to our regularly-scheduled programming: Baked, Occasionally. The series where Shannon from A Periodic Table and I bake our way through Baked Bakery’s latest cookbook: Baked Occasions. Each month we will bring you a new recipe from the Baked Occasions cookbook. This month’s winner? Ultralemony Bundt Cake with Almond Glaze.

This month’s decision was exceptionally difficult, as we could have made any of the May options in the book and been equally happy with any of them. With options like Strawberry Layer Cake  In fact, we almost made more than one, but then I talked myself back off that ledge and decided that, with Spring in full swing that we would dive face first into the Ultralemony Bundt Cake with Almond Glaze. This cake is filled to the top with slap-you-in-the-face lemon flavor and accented with just a slight hint of almond that works beautifully with its bright, citrusy flavor.

A mixture of all purpose and cake flours gives this cake an extremely tender crumb while still keeping it sturdy enough to move around without problem. I took my to the thinner side and ended up regretting it. So even if you think your glaze might be a bit too thick, so long as it’s still easily pourable just stick with it and it’ll make for a thick, beautiful glaze.

I was also not prepared for how brown the cake would be and almost panicked near the end of baking when I saw the bottom of the cake. Once I cracked open the book, however, their cake is even much browner than mine, so don’t be afraid. If you start to get nervous, just place some aluminum foil over the cake during the final ten minutes or so of baking.

In the book, the Baked guys say that some people complain that this cake is “too lemony” to which I would say… then why are you eating something called “ultralemony cake”?

What I liked:

  • Flavor: This cake has an amazing bright, strong, citrusy flavor that is somehow perfectly accented by the hint of almond in the glaze. That being said, if you have allergies, feel free to skip the almond and sprinkle the cake with some candied lemon peel or just a few sprinkles instead!
  • Ease: Life is hard sometimes and I would be lying if I said the ease of this cake recipe didn’t factor into my choice this month. It’s so easy to make!

What I didn’t:

There’s really nothing that I didn’t like about this cake! If I had to pick something, I guess it would be…

  • Lemon Waste: This cake uses like a million lemons (or 10, I lost count), and I felt bad that a lot of them were going to be wasted. Slice your extra lemons and make some infused water or throw them down the garbage disposal to freshen it up. Also, did you know that if you throw a lemon chunk into your blender with warm soapy water it works wonders for cleaning it? Just some tips…
  • Arm Fatigue: Zesting lemons can be really hard on your arm, so you’ll get a really good work-out but you might have to take a few breaks in between. If you end up short a lemon, your cake will probably survive, but try to stick it through (or enlist some help from a significant other, small child, or neighbor.  If you promise them cake as a reward they may be willing to help!)

ultralemony bundt cake - wee eats

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baked occasionally ultra lemony bundt cake

Ingredients

    For the cake
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon koshersalt
  • 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 10 lemons, zested (about 10 tablespoons)
  • 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons dark rum
  • 2 tablespoons lemon extract
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
    • For the lemon syrup
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum
    • For the glaze
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 2 1/2to 3 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
    • Gear
  • 10-cup bundt pan
  • baking sheet

Instructions

    For the cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Generously spray the inside of a 10 cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Make sure all of the nooks and crannies are thoroughly coated.
  2. Sift the flours, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. Place the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add lemon zest and rub the zest into the sugar with your hands until it is fragrant and yellow.
  4. Pour melted butter and oil into the lemon sugar and beat on medium speed until well-combined. Add the rum, lemon extract, eggs, and egg yolks. Beat until combined.
  5. Add flour and cream alternately, beginning and ending with flour. (flour-cream-flour-cream-flour)
  6. Scrape down the bowl and mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
  7. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and place pan on a large baking sheet or sheet pan - This will help to catch any cake batter that may overflow.
  8. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.
  9. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes, place wire rack over half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
    10. For lemon syrup
  10. Whisk sugar lemon juice, and rum in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar melts.
  11. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until sugar is dissolved, stirring. Set aside until slightly cooled
  12. Gently loosen the sides of the somewhat cooled cake from the pan and turn it out onto the wire rack.
  13. Using a toothpick or skewer (something thin) poke several holes into the cake on the crown and sides. Use a pastry brush to gently brush the top and the sides of the cake with syrup, allowing the syrup to soak into the cake in between batches.
  14. Let cake cool completely.
    15. For the almond glaze
  15. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and almond extract together in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cups of the confections' sugar and whisk until the mixture in pourable, but still fairly thick. If it is too thick, add a few more teaspoons of lemon juice to thin it out. If you thin it out too much, add some more confectioners' sugar.
  16. Pour glaze in large thick ribbons over the top of the bundt cake. Sprinkle almonds over the glaze and allow to set before serving, about 20 minutes.
  17. Cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Notes

* The rum, which I expected to taste and not like, basically disappears into this cake somehow. If you don't have rum or don't want to use rum, you can replace it with equal part lemon juice in the cake, or just omit it all together from the syrup.

* For optimal visual impact - keep your glaze on the thicker side (unlike me). You want it to be pourable but very thick.

https://wee-eats.com/2016/05/03/baked-occasionally-ultralemony-bundt-cake-with-almond-glaze/

[ Get the book – Baked Occasions ]
[ Check out Shannon’s post on A Periodic Table ]

Baked Occasionally September – Orange Pancakes with Honey Butter

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DSC_1636 Orange Pancake

Can you believe it’s already September? I can’t. While most of you are probably BBQ-ing and hanging by the pool, let me take a minute to talk about the last thing on your mind … pancakes!

My first thought was “Orange pancakes?” I mean, lemon, sure. Banana, of course. But orange? Never really thought about it, I guess. Shannon and I resolved not to tinker and forged ahead with the recipe.

So, when I gathered it all together to get started, I didn’t really know what to expect. Well, one sore arm and a lot of pancakes later, I can say I was a bit underwhelmed, to be honest. The original recipe yielded a batter that was much too thick to use for pancakes, not even remotely pourable and too thick to even spread.

I did, however, attempt to cook them anyway and ended up with a dense, dry pancake that was less than appetizing.

pancakes thick

Gross, right? No thank you.

So, I added some extra buttermilk and orange juice to thin out the batter and make it more pourable, and then we were on our way! The pancakes (once corrected) had a great texture, light and fluffy and perfectly tender! However, they didn’t have much flavor, especially considering the copious amounts of orange juice and zest I knew were in the batter.

orange pancake gif

Topped with honey butter and maple syrup, however, the notes were somewhat floral with a hint of orange, but not nearly the ‘slap you in the face’ flavor I expected. Though I wouldn’t eat them on their own, once I topped them with syrup and butter it was hard to stop eating them.

DSC_1674 2

What I liked:

  • The texture, once corrected, was great! I love fluffy pancakes and these babies fit the bill just right!
  • Honey butter perfectly complemented the pancakes and, along with the maple syrup, brought out the orange notes.

What I didn’t:

  • The original recipe didn’t have nearly enough liquid in the batter, so I had to add extra orange juice and buttermilk to thin out the batter. I have not seen other complaints about this, though, so maybe I just had some weird blond moment…
  • Despite ALL of the orange zest and juice in this recipe, the orange flavor wasn’t as strong as I expected. I expected a brighter flavor, although maybe it was muted by additional buttermilk.

DSC_1655 orange pancake

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orange pancakes with honey butter

Ingredients

    For the Honey Butter
  • 8 ounces (225 g) unsalted European-style (cultured) butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoons clover honey
    • For the Orange Pancakes
  • 2 cups (255 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (240 ml) orange juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 cup (230 g) plain full-fat Greek yogurt, strained
  • ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, well-shaken
  • 4 ounces (1 stick/115 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons orange zest (from 2 oranges)
    • For making and serving the pancakes
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • Maple syrup, preferably warmed
  • Honey butter (recipe above)

Instructions

    Make the Honey Butter
  1. If your butter is very soft, you can just place it in a bowl with the honey and stir with a spatula until completely combined. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside or place in refrigerator for up to 1 week. (Hint: also great on dinner rolls, corn bread, toast, or anything else you might butter).
  2. If the butter is still somewhat firm, cut into cubes and place into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter and honey on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 4 minutes. Scrape the honey butter into a ramekin to use immediately with the pancakes.
    3. Make the Orange Pancakes
  3. If you want to make a lot of pancakes and keep them warm, preheat the oven to 200°F (90°C). Otherwise, you can skip this step.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the orange juice, yogurt, buttermilk, 4 ounces (115 g) of the butter, the eggs, sugar, and orange zest.
  6. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour the wet ingredients into the well, stirring just until combined.
  7. If the batter is too thick, add additional orange juice until slightly thinned and pourable.
    8. Cook the pancakes
  8. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat until water splashed on it bubbles and dances, but doesn't immediately evaporate.
  9. Brush the pan with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter and pour 1?3 cup batter to the pan per pancake (you can use more or less, depending on what size of pancake you are looking for).
  10. Cook pancakes until bubbles form on the tops and the bottoms are browned.
  11. Flip and continue cooking them until they are completely browned on both sides, another minute or so.
  12. You don't have to butter each time, but you can if you like (I don't). Otherwise, continue buttering the pan and making pancakes until all the batter is used, transferring cooked pancakes to the oven to keep warm, if desired.
  13. Serve immediately as the pancakes are made, or keep them in the oven on a baking pan or heatproof plate just until you’ve cooked them all (don’t leave them in the oven longer).
  14. Serve with maple syrup and honey butter.

Notes

* The liquid as stated in this recipe was not enough for my batter, feel free to add extra liquid, a tablespoon or two at a time, until the batter becomes pourable. Be careful not to over-mix.

* I felt they could also use a bit more orange zest, but maybe my oranges just weren't super orange-y. Feel free to cook a mini 'test' pancake and see how the flavor is before continuing.

https://wee-eats.com/2016/09/05/baked-occasionally-september-orange-pancakes-with-honey-butter/

[ Get the book HERE ]

[ Check out Shannon’s post HERE ]

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Baked, Occasionally #2 – March’s Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

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wee eats | texas sheet cakeThis month’s Baked, Occasionally recipe was my choice and, big shocker here, I chose peanut butter and chocolate. Because, honestly, this cake was getting made whether it was for this series or not so I might as well just do it, right? Plus, March is my birthday month so I try to fill it with all of my favorite things, two of them being chocolate and peanut butter.  Continue reading →